PH U15 baseball team finishes 4th at Asian tilt

August 27 ------ The Philippines posted its highest finish at the U15 Asian Baseball Championship, placing 4th in the tourney which ran from August 17 to 23 in Tainan, Taiwan. Slotted in Group B, the Filipinos got off to a strong start as they dominated Sri Lanka, 11-1, and outlasted Hong Kong, 3-2.

Led by head coach Iking Jimenez, the Philippines yielded to Japan in its final group phase game, 0-10. Still, the pair of victories keyed the national's entry to the Super Round — the first time in the history of Philippine U15 baseball after toiling in the loser's bracket in the previous editions of the Asian age group tourney.

Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA) secretary general Michael Asuncion hopes that the national youth team’s historic run serves as inspiration to young baseball players in the country. “There is much work ahead of us to be able to compete with the big 3 — Japan, Chinese Taipei, and Korea,” said Asuncion to The Manila Times. “Still, I am very proud of our team for the way they carried themselves during this competition, well worthy flag bearers respected by our Asian counterparts. May they inspire other young baseball players in our country.”

Banking on players like Kristoffer Agojo, Radreid Atienza, and Eidriel Balahadia, the Philippines, however, saw its historic run hit a wall. This is after the Filipinos bowed to Taiwan, 0-10, and South Korea, 1-16, in the Super Round, relegating them to battle for bronze where South Korea still had the Philippines number, 15-0.

Taiwan beat Japan in the final, 3-0, for its second straight championship. As the top two finishers, Taiwan and Japan advanced to the 2026 U15 World Cup in Italy. As the top two finishers, Taiwan and Japan advanced to the 2026 U15 World Cup in Italy.

Source: manilatimes.net