Little League Baseball

Thirty seven teams are entered this year.

They are divided into eight groups. Two teams from each group advance to the single elimination phase. With sixteen teams going into a single elimination format the result of this tournament will be completely unpredictable. Due to pitching restrictions teams will have to dig deep into their pitching staff to survive.

The initial favorite would have to be Marikina based on the result of the NCR tournament. Agoncillo will be another favorite having won the Southern Tagalog tournament. ILLAM will also be fielding a quality team led by players from La Salle Green Hills complemented by several Japanese players. Tanauan, Muntinlupa, Zamboanga, Nueva Ecija, Mountain Province, Cavite and Bulacan will all have a chance to upset the top contenders.

Junior League Softball

Participating:

1. Bacolod East
2. ILLAM
3. Muntinlupa
4. Manila
5. Valenzuela
6. Makati
7. Antipolo


The clear favorite in this division is ILLAM. Two years ago they performed well in the Little League Softball World Series in Portland, Oregon finishing fifth place. The team from 2007 is practically intact. Ines Diaz and Czar Buenviaje will lead in pitching. Toni Ondrik and Mei Uy will lead the hitting.

Bacolod East needs to be watched having performed well in this division last year. Muntinlupa has improved but still needs work to be truly competitive. Antipolo will be showcasing its star pitcher, Angie Palacol.

We see ILLAM getting one berth in the final. The second slot will a toss up between Bacolod East, Muntinlupa and Antipolo. ILLAM will win the trip to the regionals in Guam.

Little League Softball

During the pre tournament drawing the teams were distributed into two groups:

Group A
1. Mountain Province
2. ILLAM
3. Nueva Ecija East
4. Valenzuela

Group B
1. Manila
2. Muntinlupa
3. Cavita
4. Caloocan
5. Bacolod West


The draw went badly for the teams in Group B - Muntinlupa, Cavite and Bacolod West are expected to show up with strong teams. The three will be fighting hard for the two Semi-Final slots.

ILLAM however is expected to easily make it through Group A. We will have to watch out though. Mountain Province rarely fields a team so they are hard to measure. They do have a good program in Sagada and there is always a chance that a good team will show up. Valenzuela is rebuilding a quality program. While this year may not be the year, we all look forward to a strong presence by them. Nueva Ecija East also has a good program and they may spring a surprise.

Group B will be a very interesting and exciting competition. Bacolod West has to figure as the favorite due to past records. Cavite has consistently fielded strong teams. Muntinlupa has its strengths but will need to put its best performance in to make it through this group. Manila can be a dark horse because they are the hosts.

Very likely the Semi-Final cast will be composed of the following: Bacolod West, Cavite, ILLAM and Nueva Ecija East.

The championship game will be a win by Bacolod West over Cavite.

Little League Philippine Series on April 13

The 2009 Little League Philippine Series will be held from April 13 to 19 in Manila. This annual event brings in baseball and softball players from all over the country for the right to participate in Little League Regional competitions. A total of 95 teams are entered in the event.

In a series of articles we will review the contenders in each age division for this exciting event.