The first time Romeo Jasmin stepped on a baseball field, there was a quite nudge of fate that would later become the foundation of a national team career built on grit, sacrifice and survival.

From an elementary school volleyball player in Nueva Ecija to the pitcher entrusted with the most crucial innings in Philippine baseball history, Jasmin’s story is one shaped not by privilege or certainty, but by adaptation, discipline, and an unrelenting refusal to let opportunity slip away.

His path into baseball was anything but conventional.

As a young boy, Jasmin had already found his footing in volleyball, a sport that seemed to define his early athletic identity.

It all changed abruptly when he entered high school as the switch was not gradual, nor was it voluntary.

“When I was in elementary school, I was a volleyball player. When I got to high school, I started playing baseball in my second year of high school,” Jasmin told DAILY TRIBUNE during the courtesy visit of the national baseball team last Thursday.

“Because at that time, they were going to join a league, the Philippine Series, a little league, and they were short on players, so they told me to join the team.”

Little did Jasmin know that the shift to baseball would make him one of the pillars of the national baseball team and one of the catalysts to its success in the 33rd edition of the Southeast Asian Games that was held recently at the Queen Sirikit Baseball Stadium in Pathum Thani, Thailand.

Collegiate king

Jasmin honed his skills at Adamson University, where he became one of best collegiate players under the late Filomeno “Boy” Codiñera — an iconic figure in Philippine baseball.

“I was a utility player at Adamson. I played shortstop and pitched. I focused on becoming a pitcher after Coach Boy told me,” said Jasmin, who graced the weekly sports show Off the Court together with coach Orlando Binarao and teammate Mark Beronilla.

“After that, I just focused on pitching the ball. I don’t even bat anymore.”

Jasmin, who was known as “The Assassin” for striking out batters, became an integral figure for the Soaring Falcons as they won three straight University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s baseball titles from 2008 to 2010.

More than the accolades, Jasmin credited the sport for helping him build a life outside of it.

Even after his playing days with Adamson are done, Jasmin said he serves as an assistant coach to Binarao.

“I wouldn’t be able to educate myself nor would I be able to get into military service if it weren’t for baseball,” the stocky pitcher added.

“Coach Lando picked me to help out with coaching the Falcons.”

Filipino glory

With the national team, Jasmin remains one of the key figures despite being one of the oldest players.

Since joining the squad in 2007, Jasmin has won three Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medals in 2011, 2019 and 2025. He also won the five East Asia Cup titles, with the latest victory last year in Pampanga.

But his hardest battle might have been the recent SEA Games in Bangkok, particularly the gold medal match against host Thailand.

Jasmin said compared to their previous matches, they faced a different Thai said who are determined to win it all in front of the home crowd.

“It’s hard because at first, you can tell at first glance if a team is good or not. Now, Thailand has really improved,” Jasmin said.

“They’ve really scouted me. Around the sixth to eight innings, the Thais were able to hit my throws.”

The Filipino batters eventually won, 5-3, in the final, avenging their loss in 2007 in Nakhon Ratchasima, where they settled for a silver-medal finish.

He said their success wouldn’t be possible without the support from the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA), headed by its president Rodolfo Tingzon Jr. and secretary general Michael Asuncion.

“I’m thankful to the management. First of all, they gave us a lot of support. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be where we are now,” said Jasmin, who struck out 10 batters while only allowing six hits in eight innings of the gold-medal match against the powerhouse Thais.

For Jasmin, baseball was never just a sport. It was an escape, an education, a livelihood, and a calling.

From a reluctant substitute pulled out of volleyball to a veteran pitcher trusted with gold-medal games, his journey mirrors the quiet resilience of athletes who rise not because the path was clear, but because quitting was never an option.

And just like in the previous SEA Games, “The Assassin” will always deliver.