It’s a grand slam year for Philippine baseball.

While pushing for a stronger grassroots development program, the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA) is gearing up for a series of international competitions, exposures and hosting for members of the national team.

“It’s a very busy year,” said PABA secretary general Mike Asuncion in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Philippine Sports Commission media room.

First off the bat is the Baseball Federation of Asia U12 Asian Baseball Championship in Guali, China from 9 to 15 August, where the Philippines will face teams from Japan, China and Pakistan in its group, and potentially against Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand from the other group.

Then up next is the BFA U18 Asian Baseball Championship in Taipei City, Taiwan from 7 to 13 September, also against powerhouse teams like Japan, Chinese Taipei and South Korea.

The Philippine women’s team is also writing history as it competes in the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup for the first time. The highest level of baseball competition for women is set 19 to 25 July in Tainan, Chinese Taipei to be followed by the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya from 19 September to 4 October.

The Philippine men’s team will head to the Asian Games as the reigning champion in the SEA Games.

The Philippines is also preparing to host the East Asia Baseball Cup from 24 November to 6 December, hopefully at the newly-refurbished Rizal Memorial Baseball Field.

In addition, the Philippines will send a delegation of players aged 11 years and below to the 32nd World Children Baseball Fair in Chiba, Japan from 30 July to 7 August.

Asuncion said the country’s participation in these tournaments were all made possible with the help of the PSC headed by chairman Patrick Gregorio, and in line with the program “Grassroots to Gold, Gold to Greatness.”

The grassroots program, according to PABA vice president Armando de Castro, is never like before.

“We also have efforts to strengthen our institutional partnerships with DepEd and PRISAA and Batang Pinoy,” said De Castro in the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, and the country’s 24/7 sports app ArenaPlus.

Also gracing the weekly forum were members of the different national teams — from coaches Eduard Tuazon, Joseph Orillana, Jennifer Singh, Orlando Binarao and Isaac Bacarisas to players Leone de Vera and Nyte Salazar (U12); Harold Sarmiento and Joaquin Salvador (U18); Joshua Pineda and Romeo Jasmin (men’s); and Veronica Velasco and Martin Dominique Francisco (women’s).