Over 80 participate in 2nd girls softball clinic

Just before the start of the 2026-2027 school year, more than 80 girls and volunteers gathered at the Oleai Sports Complex over the weekend for the second annual Girls with Game Softball Clinic.

Over at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Pangelinan Softball Field, the clinic brought together girls ages 8 to 16 as Saipan Little League works to build the girls’ program ahead of the upcoming season this November.

League commissioner Moriah Sablan said this year’s turnout was up from last year, when about 60 girls participated. The age range was also expanded from 8-to-12 last year to 8-to-16 this year.

The girls rotated through stations covering batting, infielding, outfielding and pitching—with a new addition of base running this year.

The clinic was postponed because of the recent typhoons, but Sablan said she felt it was important to give the girls an opportunity to get back on the field. “I didn’t really want to delay, but I just felt really bad for a lot of the families here. Everybody is still going through some stuff with the storms, but I just know the kids need something to do,” she said.

Even with the disruption, Sablan said she was pleased with the progress she saw from the players, especially compared with last year.

“It’s crazy. They’ve done so well … they’re all really great players, picking up the skills,” she said. “We have like seven or eight new girls here, but they’re hanging in there and the older girls are helping them out. It’s really good.”

The clinic also gives the league a chance to see where the girls are skill-wise ahead of the season, which is expected to start around November. Sablan said they are also looking at how much interest there is and whether they need to bring in more players.

Getting the field ready for the clinic took some work following the storms. Sablan credited R&V Construction and the Department of Corrections for helping prepare the grass and bleacher coverings ahead of the event.

Sablan also thanked the clinic’s sponsors, including IT&E, R&V Construction, and the Robert Torres Law Office.