De Vera, Vargas earn individual awards as PH tops Hong Kong for 6th in BFA tilt

Lord Aragon De Vera and John Reymond Vargas shone with individual honors as the Philippines closed its BFA Asian Baseball Championship 2025 campaign with a 7-6 victory over Hong Kong, securing sixth place overall on Sept. 28.

De Vera, who starred as shortstop, was named to the tournament’s All-Star team while also finishing with an impressive batting average of .632. Vargas, meanwhile, earned a spot in the All-Star outfield and captured an individual award with two home runs in the competition.

Despite slipping past Hong Kong in a tight contest, the Philippines failed to advance to the Super Round, finishing Group A with a 1-2 record behind Japan’s undefeated run and China’s 2-1 card.

The Filipinos displayed consistent offense, tallying runs in the second, third, seventh, and eighth innings. 

Hong Kong threatened with a late surge in the seventh and eighth, but James Vincent Nisnisan sealed the win with a spectacular sliding catch in center field to close the game.

Although out-hit by Hong Kong, the Philippines minimized mistakes with only one error compared to its opponent’s three. Vargas led the squad offensively with two hits, while Nisnisan, Junmar Diarao, Liam De Vera, and Kent Altarejos each contributed a run.

While the Super Round eluded them, the Filipinos’ resilience and individual standout performances underscored their valiant showing on the continental stage.