MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Matthew C. Perry High School Samurai, from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, competed in the 2017 Department of Defense Education Activity Pacific Division II Baseball Tournament at U.S. Army Garrison, Camp Humphreys, Korea, May 15 – 17, 2017.
Seven teams from the Pacific participated in the three-day competition for an opportunity at the championship title.
“This is the sixth year of the (baseball) program’s existence,” said Frank Macias, the head coach of the M.C. Perry baseball team. “Three months ago, we had kids that have never played baseball before.”
Leading up to the tournament, the M.C. Perry Samurai players and coaches continued to practice hard and went back to the fundamentals of baseball.
“I had a great coaching staff and we spent a lot of time teaching baseball,” said Frank Macias. “We started honing the little things in baseball . . . we worked on cutoffs and redirecting. I believe it was the little things that really helped and put us over the edge. It’s been a long road and seeing them from day one to now . . . you wouldn’t recognize that it’s the same team.”
Garrett Macias, the catcher and pitcher on the M.C. Perry baseball team, said to prepare himself, he would hit baseballs over the weekend to get the extra practice time.
“Practice is great throughout the week, but you need something more to take you to the next level,” said Garrett Macias. “Playing over the weekends is fun and it also helps you get better.”
After two days of competition, the Samurai beat the Robert D. Edgren High School Eagles 15-3 and then the Yokota High School Panthers 3-2 in the semifinals.
On the third and final day, the Samurai batted it out to the end against the Panthers, coming out on top with a score of 2-1.
“At the beginning of the season, we started with 13 players, six of which have never seen a glove before,” said Chad Schuch, the pitcher and shortstop on the M.C. Perry baseball team. “The coaches lead the path to our victory . . . the first one that we have ever won and it will be remembered. That shows what kind of coaching staff we have. We are the smallest school and I think it is a big statement by itself that we came out and won three (championships). It’s dedication from the players. No one expected us to win and it was because of our whole team. They wanted to do this; no one was forcing them to.”
Frank Macias said the Panthers were two-time defending champions and expressed his admiration toward their coaching staff and players.
“Yokota is a fantastic team, and they’re young like we are,” said Frank Macias. “Their coach does a tremendous job, and they were ready to play. It wouldn’t have taken much for them to win. So, for us to beat Yokota after losing to them last season, it was huge. In a year or two, they’re going to be hard to beat.
“It’s going to take a lot of hard work in order to win the banner again next year. M.C. Perry is a great place and I couldn’t be prouder to be a Samurai.”