U13, U15 baseball teams raising funds for Philippines tourney

A two-team delegation of U13 and U15 baseball players from the CNMI is seeking community support to compete in the Kalayaan Baseball International Open, set for Dec. 26-31, 2026, in the Philippines.

The new travel baseball program is under Perfect Game Saipan Baseball Inc., which operates under the newly formed Asian Oceania Pacific Baseball and Softball Program. The tournament is expected to bring teams from throughout the Philippines, along with international teams from Japan, Korea, Palau, and Guam.

For the CNMI program, the trip could also be the start of something bigger. Organizers hope to eventually bring international baseball tournaments to Saipan, giving local players more opportunities to compete while also helping promote sports tourism in the CNMI. 

But first, the teams need help getting to the Philippines. Organizers are reaching out to local businesses, community leaders, families and others in the community for support. In an interview with organizers at the Marianas Batting Alley this afternoon, they said the delegation is looking to raise about $40,000 to $50,000.

There are no specific fundraising dates announced yet, but anyone interested in supporting the delegation can contact Kat Coldeen at (670) 483-0017. The teams can also be found practicing either at the Marianas Batting Alley during rainy days or at the Susupe baseball fields.

The U13 team roster includes Roque Camacho, Nate Nekai, Dylan Barcinas, Nox Sablan, Chance Reyes, Nathaniel Neth, John Damian Sablan, Khoen Torres, Sam Ngiraked, Legend Coldeen, Elijah Babauta, Josh McDonald, Dayton Marchadesch, and Gavin Deleon Guerrero. The U13 manager is Bobby Coldeen Jr., with head coach Nick Nekai Jr. and coaches Ian Norita and Andy Camacho.

The U15 team roster includes Aiden Lizama, Caleb Cabrera, Donray Barcinas, Eric Palacios Jr., Ethan Dikito, Jarell Herman, John Fred, Josh Lizama, Kainoa Tenorio, Kaleb Reyes, Kayden Lizama, Leighton Tomokane-Tenorio, Liam Sablan, Payton Pangelinan, Preston Santos, Tatum Jones, Tiwsormal Taisakan, and Zekiel Falig. The U15 manager is Chuck Cabrera, with head coach Eric Palacios and coaches Benji Palacios Jr., Jeremiah Deleon Guerrero and Alvin Takai.

Head of Delegation Derron Flores, a longtime volunteer, coach and manager for baseball and softball teams in the CNMI, helped establish the connection that led to the opportunity.

During a visit to the Philippines in early 2025, Flores forged connections with Ray Tolentino—secretary of the Philippine Amateur Baseball/Softball Association, president and owner of Dugout Baseball, and a representative of Perfect Game Philippines.

For Dylan Barcinas, the opportunity to compete off-island is something he is looking forward to.

“I’m excited. It’s like the most exciting part of baseball—getting to travel with my boys and just playing baseball overall,” he said.

U13 manager Bobby Coldeen Jr. said the opportunity will give the players another avenue to develop and potentially pursue baseball at higher levels. “This is a new thing and I’d just like to thank Mr. Derron Flores for the connection here. We’re just trying to branch out our opportunities for our kids and our players like Dylan to hopefully one day go as far as being pro and doing something that you love every day—that’s the goal,” Coldeen said.

Nick Nekai said during their first practice at the Marianas Batting Alley that the players still have plenty of work ahead of them before the tournament. “The development process is slow but it’s going to get there by the time we leave, so all the boys need to do is keep grinding and making sure they keep getting better every day,” Nekai said.

Flores also gave a shout-out to coaches and volunteers involved in different sports, recognizing the time and effort they put into keeping young athletes active and engaged. “It’s tough what we do. This is all volunteer work, we don’t get paid. But we all have the passion and the drive to do what we like doing as coaches to keep the kids and adults off the streets and out of trouble. As we know, drugs wreak havoc in the community and we want to curb that,” Flores said.

Flores then reiterated the call for the community to rally behind the young athletes as they work toward their fundraising goal.

“We want to continue to give the kids opportunities for the kids to go out and compete…. Again we’re reaching out to the business community, our leaders… thank you again Marianas Press for being able to have me come out on the mic to ask the community to rally behind us and give us that 1,000 percent support to reach our goal to get out to the Philippines,” Flores said.