For the first time, Luzon, Philippines will represent the Asia-Pacific Zone in the 2019 Bronco-11 World Series (B11WS). Luzon will become the sixth team from the Philippines to participate in the B11WS in the 11-year history of the event. The last team from the Philippines to qualify for the B11WS was Manila in 2017.
The Luzon team’s manager, Raymond Tolentino, is currently putting his team through extensive workouts and practices to prepare for the B11WS. Since December, the team has been participating in tournaments in both the Philippines and neighboring countries. In these tournaments, the team has had a few impressive outings. In addition to numerous second-place finishes in local tournaments, Tolentino’s group won the championship in the 10U Bangkok Christmas Classic. Later in the summer, they plan to play in a 12U summer tournament in Vietnam.
To prepare for these tournaments and the B11WS, Tolentino puts his team through a rigorous practice schedule. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they practice for three to four hours each day, and they work on every aspect of the game, such as hitting, fielding, and base running.
Tolentino, his players, and their parents are also looking forward to coming to America. Tolentino believes that his team’s biggest strength is their defense, so he is intrigued to see how his players will compare to those of other teams in the B11WS. Last summer, half of his players competed in the Mustang World Series, and he believes that this will give him an advantage since his players now know what to expect in a tournament like the B11WS. Tolentino goes on to state that his players are “very excited to play against the top teams in the world and to represent not just our country, but the Asia Pacific Zone as well.”
The Luzon team is comprised of players from the local PONY Baseball League, such as teams Muntinlupa, Canlubang, and Tanauan. Additionally, there are a few players representing the local schools of La Salle Greenhills and De La Salle Zobel.
Luzon will take on the champion of the PONY West Zone in its first game at 5:30 p.m. ET/US, Friday, July 26 at Harry G. Daniel Park at Iron Bridge in the 2019 B11WS. Luzon seeks to become the first B11WS champion from PONY’s Asia-Pacific Zone.