The Coclé team, the current two-time national youth baseball champion, will seek to extend its reign in the next edition of the category, which will kick off next Saturday, January 3. An atmosphere of optimism in achieving a three-peat, a feat difficult to accomplish in any sport, is breathed in the Coclé team's training. Should they achieve this feat, Coclé would join Los Santos (1975-1977), Chiriquí (2007-2009), and Panama Metro (several times) as teams that have won three-peats in the history of youth baseball. Coclé comes from conquering its fifth National Youth Baseball Championship in 2025 and now wants to string another one, the third in a row. They won in 1962, when the youth tournaments were inaugurated, then another in 2018, one more in 2021, conquered glory in 2024, and solidified their position in 2025.
"We're here, working hard in search of a new crown, we're going to go out and play hard, we have a commitment and there's no other way out but to win or win, that's our motto," said Rodrigo Merón, the technical director of the Coclé team.
In pitching, without a doubt, the standout figure is Dereck Gómez, the best pitcher in the history of the category, a leader in wins with 26 and the most strikeouts with 244 in the history of these youth tournaments. Gómez won't be alone, as he has teammates who have also contributed to this team's success, such as Juan Ortega, Edelindo Acosta, Cristian González, Darren Pereira, Michael Moreno, and others. In offense, Luis Escudero has already joined the team's training and is eligible to play in the category. His brother, Jaime Escudero, recently called up to the "Red Court," could be the seed of a new Escudero dynasty.
Also highlighted are second baseman Ricardo Acosta, World Baseball Classic player David Shirley, Carlos Castillo, Eliécer Mendoza, Gabriel Degracia, Johanel Roa, among others. The Coclé team's path is not easy, "The Red Wood" is still burning, it's not certain who will be and who won't be, but there is material, players on board, only time will tell how the 2025 champion team will come about and if they can see a sixth title and a three-peat. Time will tell how strong the Coclé team will be in 2026.
