Philippine 12-under baseball squad tests mettle in Babe Ruth World Series

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Admirals 12-under team will compete in one of the most prestigious little league baseball competitions in the world — the Babe Ruth World Series — in Branson, Missouri in the United States from August 5-17.

This marks the first time ever that the Filipino 12-under team will join the event, a berth it earned after winning the national tournament last May 2-11 in Clark, Pampanga.

Aside from 12-under division, the Philippines will also be represented in the 10-under, 14-under, 16-under and 18-under classes.

“We, the 12-under team, won our ticket to the US by winning the local national tournament in Clark Pampanga held last May. We beat the six other teams that played in that division,” said team member Noah Matthew Escalona.

“We are Admirals, we are baseball, and we will do our best out there for our country, Philippines,” he added.

Teams from US, Japan and Chinese-Taipei, teams from other continents are expected to take part in the competition.

The Philippine team is composed of 14 players and two coaches — head coach Jonash Ponce, a former national team player, and assistant coach Adrian Bernardo, a current national team member.

The 14 players from Metro Manila include those from private and public schools. They are Noah Matthew Escalona, Ethan Lewis Yu, Lucas Paolo Amante, Luis Matteo Salvador, Aidan Lucas Sikat, Diego Sebastian Sebollena, Grant Zachary Bacarisas, Angelo Gabriel Mendoza, Pierre Francis Rizo, Yugiene Gorpido, Alvaro Ivan Azurin, Thian Pio Dizon, Lucio Isandro Reyes and Nicholas Alfredo Abril.

Most of the players come from Southridge School, while the rest are from La Salle Greenhills and public schools in Pasig and Muntinlupa.

“We train two to three times a week and travel all over to look for practice games to prepare well for the upcoming tournament,” Escalona added.