Three-month long NCR tot baseball to unwrap tomorrow

Tot Baseball’s National Capital Region (NCR) tournament opens tomorrow at 9 a.m. at the Marist School Grounds in Marikina City with 35 teams from 15 different schools seeing action in seven age categories.

Invited to grace the opening rites are Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chair Carlos Tuason, Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA) president Hector Navasero, Marist School president Bro. Manny de Leon FMS, Philippine TOT Baseball Foundation (PTBF) chairman and Makati Vice-Mayor Edu Manzano and (PTBF) president Boy Tingzon.

Competition will be held in seven age divisions, namely, Pinto 7-8 years, Mustang 9-10 years, Bronco 11-12 years, Pony 13-14 years, Boys High School 15-17 years, and this year’s new events in girls grade school and high school baseball league.

Due to the big field of teams coming in various parts of Luzon, the tournament will move around from as far north as Pampanga and as deep south as Lipa City, Batangas.

The three-month long tournament has the full support of the PSC and PABA and will be the basis for the selection of the members of the Philippine Tot teams that would participate in the different international tournaments slated next year.

Top players from less-fortunate families will also be chosen as beneficiaries of Educational Scholarship Grants courtesy of the tournament’s sponsors namely the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

Defending champions Southridge School, La Salle Greenhills, Manila Japanese Baseball Club, Marist School and Pampanga will have their hands full with talented teams from Northfield School, La Salle Zobel, St. Francis College, La Salle Lipa, and Cavite. In the girls baseball category, Woodrose School has the inside track in the grade school and high school levels since their players composed the majority of the Philippine team that won the first IBA International Girls Baseball tournament held at Edogawa City, Japan last August.