In baseball, when everything old is new again, it’s a good day that combines soaring expectations and enthusiasm for a fresh start. ADVERTISING In baseball, when everything old is new again, it’s a good day that combines soaring expectations and
In baseball, when everything old is new again, it’s a good day that combines soaring expectations and enthusiasm for a fresh start.
Saturday is that day for the UH-Hilo baseball team, fresh off a split of two exhibition games with a college team from Japan.
It’s a fresh start, alumni and exhibition tests are in the past, and unlike a year ago, the Vulcans have a rare break in the schedule, at least as it unfolds.
In comes Hawaii Pacific for doubleheaders at Wong Stadium on Saturday and Sunday, the same team UHH ended the season at home against last year when coach Kallen Miyataki and team somehow survived a brutally unfair schedule and got to close out against HPU in two season-ending doubleheaders.
“Hopefully, we can start off well,” Miyataki said of the dawn of the new season, “Our approach has to be ‘how can’ in our minds, not ‘no can.’ We want to get off to a good start and see where we can go from there.”
The schedule this year calls for a 17-day trip, followed later by a 10-day road trip, and if that sounds a bit much, consider that last season, their friends at the Pacific West Conference gave the Vulcans a 39-day gap between home games.
If it were professional baseball, the players’ union would have filed an unfair labor complaint, but college students are voiceless and UHH is routinely beaten up by schedules in a variety of sports.
This time, it gets a chance to begin at home against a rival it split the last four games with a season ago. Yes, they wait two weeks for another game, but then Academy of Art comes in for four games over three days before the traveling begins again.
And this time, while there is no obvious preseason ace of the pitching staff like there was last year with Jordan Kurokawa, eventually drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, there very well could be more depth, which is always the key to success for the program.
“We’re excited about this,” Miyataki said of hosting the Sharks, “and I think these two games (against the university team Chuo), opened our eyes and maybe sharpened the focus a little bit; I think it helped our belief in ourselves because we are a team that has to put the game in motion (with a bunt), in certain situations, and we played a team that is excellent at bunting.”
Miyataki recalled a moment in a game in which a Chuo batter squared around to bunt, Miyataki motioned his third baseman onto the grass in anticipation of the play and the ball was bunted right at third base, almost perfectly. The play was made, but the runner was safe.
“That really shows you what a weapon (the bunt) can be,” he said. “We are a younger group this year, we’re inexperienced, but the attitude is great and the excitement is real. We are going to platoon a lot, people are going to be playing a lot, pushing each other, throughout the game, throughout the season.”
Junior right-hander Eric Vega gets the opening game start after an 0-9 season in which he wound up starting eight games and finishing with a respectable 3.17 earned run average, second only to Kurokawa on the team. In the nightcap, Miyataki will send 6-foot-6 freshman Dylan Spain to the mound, a hard-throwing contrast to the approach the Sharks will get from Vega, more of a crafty pitcher who has success when he hits his spots and keeps batters off balance.
“Vega learned some things about how to pitch at this level,” Miyataki said, “but with both of them, really with all our pitchers, we’re trying to get the game into the seventh inning and then I can use some of my power arms in the bullpen.”
Last year he sensed starters were worn down during that unmerciful 39-day stretch between home games, but this year he plans to platoon, throughout the lineup. Five outfielders will find regular playing time, not including Michael Jenkerson, arguably the top returning player, who was released from the squad — without mention by the school — for disciplinary reasons. Miyataki said a collection of versatile infielders will play a variety of positions and keep the manager’s options open.
A catcher by trade, Miyataki will even platoon three players behind the plate.
“I believe catcher is the focal point of the game,” he said, “I’m sorry, it’s my blood, I guess, but everyone sees the catcher, he’s involved in every play and I like what I’ve seen back there.”
Seniors Aalona Amimoto and Mike Suguro “both played well” in the exhibition games and junior Edwin Stanberry “gave us the sac fly,” that scored the eventual winning run in the second game against Chuo.
“Let’s see how it goes,” he said, “I feel good about this group. All I ask of them is to try to better themselves on a daily basis and to give me everything they’ve got.”
Saturday’s first game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Sunday’s doubleheader is set to begin at noon.
