This college start was different than any other for Matthew Loeffler, but he had taken the hill at Les Murakami Stadium so many times before, he couldn’t help but feel relaxed.
“It was funny,” Loeffler said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so calm before a start.”
For the 2010 Waiakea graduate, there would be no storm Saturday night– just a chance to bask in the glow of the bright lights in Honolulu.
Loeffler induced the University of Hawaii into one groundball after another, took a shutout into the eighth inning and earned his first victory for New Mexico State.
“I just tried to keep the ball low and do what I always do,” he said of a 6-3 victory. “It was definitely special to be pitching in Hawaii.”
In high school, Loeffler was a member of the Four Headed Monster.
The group of Waiakea pitchers also included Jacob Marciel, Sheldon Shishido and Michael Kenui, and they helped lead the Warriors to three consecutive HHSAA appearances from 2007-09, giving Loeffler ample opportunities to pitch at Murakami. Waiakea won the BIIF title in 2007 and 2008.
“I bet I’ve pitched there 30 times before,” he said.
Shishido finished his college career at the University of Hawaii at Hilo while Kenui pitched at Shoreline (Wash.) Community College, but Loeffler was the only one to earn a Division I opportunity.
He started his career at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, and then a coach helped lead him to Las Cruses, N.M.
“Lots of sand like the Big Island, but much dryer,” Loeffler said.
He’s getting partial scholarship assistance during his senior season as he pursues a degree in business information systems, but he faces a common question.
“They wonder why I’m here,” he said.
The answer has a lot to do with where he’s from. Like others, he simply became too good to stay home.
Loeffler gave the Aggies-Rainbow Warriors series a fourth Big Islander. Waiakea graduate Quintin Torres-Costa, a former teammate of Loeffler’s, earned a victory in relief on Friday night, while Hilo graduate Chayce Ka’aua and Konawaena graduate J.J. Kitaoka are UH regulars.
“The island is small, but baseball is big,” said Loeffler, whose brother Ronnie is a former Vulcan.
Pitching in front of his his parents, Buddy and Carolyn Loeffler, as well as a young niece who received the perfect birthday present, Loeffler induced 14 groundball outs Saturday and didn’t allow an earned run in 7 2/3 innings. He scattered seven hits with two walks and a strikeout as he continues to give the Aggies (4-17-1) a much-needed shot in the arm.
The 6-foot-2 right-hander has worked a team-high 32 innings in his six starts, and he sports a team-best 3.38 ERA among starters despite striking just out 16 and walking 11.
“I’ve always like to pitch to contact,” he said. “I think strikeouts are a waste of pitches.”
UH rebounds
Kitaoka drove in four runs Sunday as Hawaii belted the Aggies 12-1, salvaging a split of the four-game series.
Jarrett Arakawa earned his first win of the season, pitching five shutout innings and allowing only one hit and one walk with four strikeouts.
Hawaii (9-14) produced 12 hits, getting two apiece from Kitaoka, Stephen Ventimilia, Eric Ramirez, Jordan Richartz, Marcus Doi and Jacob Sheldon-Collins.
