October 9, 2007

Manibusan stands out for Socal
By Eric Palacios
Pacific Daily News

A Guam son is making a name for himself -- and the island -- as a member of a championship under-14 baseball team on the West Coast.

Playing on the Southern California Bombers traveling squad, Juan Manibusan recently helped his team win the American Amateur Baseball Congress Sandy Koufax World Series in Douglasville, Ga. last month.

He was born on Guam and is the son of former Tamuning residents John and Maurice Manibusan, who now reside in Hesperia, Ca.
Series standout
Playing in the AABC Sandy Koufax World Series was a first for Manibusan, but you wouldn't know it.

According to his father, Juan hit close to .600 and drove in 12 runs during the tournament, including hitting a grand slam and driving in seven runs in one of their round-robin games. They defeated the Illinois Blackhawks 16-0 in that game.

"It was pretty exciting," Juan Manibusan said.

And for his efforts, the now-15-year-old was featured in his county's newspaper, something he said was humbling considering what his team had just accomplished.

"Really, there was no other option for us but to win," Manibusan said about his team's championship run. "All I was thinking was 'We've come too far to lose.'"

The Bombers defeated teams from eight regions of the United States including New York, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Puerto Rico in the four-day tournament.

"Guam," as his teammates and coaches affectionately call him, said the World Series experience was great and something he hoped to do again.

Scholar-athlete
When not traveling and playing with the Bombers, Juan plays for his high school baseball team, the Hesperia Scorpions, where he is the starting centerfielder. He also pitches and plays third base, he said.

It's great, his father said, but it still takes a back seat to one of life's priorities -- education.

"He plays with a lot of heart and he has really excelled in sports," John Manibusan said. "But of course, education comes first."

Juan agrees.

"My priority is going to college and playing, hopefully, for Cal-State Fullerton," Juan said. "Then hopefully I'll go pro."

Juan currently is enrolled in honor classes at Hesperia High School and he maintains at least a 3.5 grade point average, John Manibusan said.