NMI fastpitch returns to Mini Games

Despite not having an ongoing league, the CNMI team has shown a lot of progression during their practices, according to coach Mark Flores. “It’s going to be a little bit more of a challenge to try to get to the podium and place, but I think the girls will have a really good showing. We have a lot of confidence in their abilities because they’ve come a long way and they put in a lot of hard work.”

Erlinda Naputi, who is a softball player herself, is the new addition to the coaching staff. Her role is to assist the outfielders, support the team’s needs, and offer a woman’s perspective alongside coaches Mariano Aguon, Mark Flores, and manager Manny Sablan.

The team, she said, is “pretty ready. There’s still the jitters and all that because we don’t know what to expect when we get to Palau, but they’re mentally ready, physically ready; they’re practicing everyday since last week, getting them ready with the heat, competition level, and trying to make sure that they’re not shocked with the heat or with the back-to-back games schedule.”

Britney Gopez, who was on the fastpitch team last year said of this year’s squad, “There are a lot of returnees on this team now. With the experience that we got from last year, we’re more aware of the outcomes or possible plays that we may face when we go down to Palau. So it’s just relaying out to the new players of the team—it’s just looking out for one another on the field.”

New addition Trina Palacios said, “I’m feeling really confident, feeling really good. I put in a lot of work going into this so I’m just super excited to get there, get things done, do what we gotta do, execute, and bring something back for the CNMI.” She and her wife, Regene—who is also on the team—flew in from South Korea and have been living back home since January. Both play slow-pitch softball, making this their first year playing fastpitch.