Akiona restarts baseball career at NAIA school
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
Duke Akiona recently landed a scholarship to play baseball at Simpson University, an NAIA school in Redding, Calif., quite an accomplishment after a year not playing ball, as well as a tribute to his grandparents.
The 2011 Konawaena graduate spent a year at Colorado Mesa University, where he tried out for the baseball team. He was cut during the final day of tryouts, but stayed in school to study kinesiology.
Then tragedy struck, not once but twice.
His maternal grandmother, Nyna Medeiros Akiona, died at age 81 on June 7, 2011, from cancer. Still in mourning, Akiona’s grief was laid bare, again, when his grandfather, Jimmy Akiona, died at age 85 on Feb. 19. He had suffered a stroke three years ago and was bed-ridden.
Then opportunity knocked for him to play ball, again.
“I got a phone call from my batting coach, Cody Maeda. His friend is a scouting coach at Simpson and he was looking for a center fielder. I had to be straight up with them. My grades were not good. I had lost my grandma and was going through a hard time. I was getting used to the transition then my grandpa passed away.
“They were the ones who raised me. My mom (Jaymie Ann Akiona) was always working. They really helped me become the young man I am now. They were such a big part in my life.”
Akiona also saw in full view the unbreakable bond of family when his mom quit her job at a car rental company to care for her parents.
It wasn’t just a small circle either.
“They raised 22 kids in their house and only nine were theirs,” Akiona said. “My grandpa brought in everybody’s kids, not just his. There were always cots and beds outside the house. My mom and uncles were staying at the house, and on top of that their friends, too. Before you knew it, they became hanai (adopted) kids and he took care of them.”
The values that shaped Akiona are snapshots from his grandpa’s life, like when he applied for 300 acres of Hawaiian Homes land in 1959, only to endure the bureaucratic treadmill of inactivity.
Grandpa Jimmy’s file finally came up in 2000. But there was a technicality.
“They said in the file he was deceased,” Akiona said. “They checked the files and six or eight other kupuna waiting for their land were said to be deceased too. My grandpa battled with the other kupuna to get their land. Some passed away, some got their land. It was a good blessing that we got our land in 2009.
“I was amazed at his fight and energy. It made me realize that whenever something is worth fighting for, fight for it. It taught me to work hard and work smart, and be thankful and humble at the same time.
“My grandma really taught me how to be respectful in everything. When I was young, I would always grab a plate first for dinner. I was taught that girls go first and to respect your elders, and give a lending hand. You never know when you might need one, and what comes around goes around.”
Akiona made the All-Big Island Interscholastic Federation first team in his junior and senior seasons at Konawaena, adding to his resume letter to Simpson. In it he wrote a nutshell life story, raised by a single parent with his older sister Kahanu, and the hardships suffered with the deaths of his grandparents.
“I talked to the Simpson coach and he read the letter and understood where I was coming from,” Akiona said. “They liked my point of view and the attributes that I bring to the team, and they think I could help them move to the next level. I told him, ‘Thank you so much.’ It not only gives me motivation, but I have an opportunity and I’m taking it.
“The letter really did help a lot. It opened my eyes. I was really stoked that they offered me a 49 percent scholarship. I was not expecting it to be that high, especially from them only hearing my name and not seeing me play. It covers tuition and boarding. I also got money for books and stuff. I have to pay $15,000, but it’s better than paying the full thing.”
The Red Hawks finished last season with a 20-30 record. There will also be a big roster turnover with 16 seniors who expired their eligibility, including one starting outfielder.
Akiona, who will be the only player from Hawaii on the roster, will need to fight for playing time, but living up to the high bar of determination is a family trait.
“My grandpa taught me to never give up,” said Akiona, who leaves next month. “When I told my grandpa I was going to Mesa college, he had the biggest smile and a glow. He told me he was proud to be an Akiona because of me. When he told me that, I felt I would do something right to live up his family’s name.
“We’re living at his house now and I feel him around. I feel a nice breeze and I know it’s him. My grandma’s smell was the gardenia flower. I can smell gardenias and we don’t have any around the house. It’s a blessing that they’re hanging around the house and watching over me.”
