Nathan Minami’s first sense of accomplishment at Simpson University came, modestly enough, when he played in his first preseason college baseball game.
The Waiakea grad was just getting started.
Minami didn’t just stand out with his bat for the Red Hawks of the NAIA, he was stellar with his glove as well. He became the school’s first recipient of California Pacific Freshman of the Year and nabbed a gold glove for his play in the outfield.
“I was able to adapt quickly due to the opportunities my coaches gave me early on,” Minami said. “It helped with how supportive they were, and extra batting time contributed as well.”
The three-time all-BIIF selection ranked second on Simpson with a .324 average and 10 steals, adding a home run and 26 RBIs with 30 run scored.
In other words, he was the model of consistency no matter how hot or cold it got in his new home of Redding, Calif.
“Adapting to Redding was pretty easy,” Minami said. “It’s a small town like Hilo, but the only difference is weather can vary from 110 to 30 degrees.”
He was honorable mention all-conference for Simpson, which finished 17-36 and had only one player, junior Derick Kuhn, make the Cal Pac first team.
Minami carried robust .400-plus batting averages as a junior and senior at Waiakea, and he’ll look to bulk up to try and approach that level again in college.
“Some ways I’m looking to improve is by increasing my strength and arm strength,” he said. “Playing at a higher level, the game is much faster, and improving those areas would be beneficial. But overall I’m working on getting stronger to compete against older and more mature athletes.”
Here is a look at how other Big Islanders fared during the baseball season:
• Sophomore Josh Breitbarth (Hilo High) hit .286 and played catcher as he finished up his eligibility at Iowa Central Community College.
“The great thing about junior colleges is they teach you skills to be a better player on the field and also a better person in the real world, but, of course, you never realize it until you’re done,” he said.
“It was definitely a huge change culturally. I went from never playing a game below 70 degrees in Hawaii to never playing a game above 70 in Iowa.”
To continue his career and his studies, Breitbarth will remain in Iowa and head south from Fort Dodge to Indianola and enroll at Simpson College, which competes in NCAA Division III. He’ll receive financial assistance and plans to study sports administration with an eye on becoming a high school-level athletic director – maybe even at his alma mater some day.
Breitbarth carries a philosophy that helped him in “survive” his first two year of college baseball, and it applies to any and all Big Island graduates.
“Always remember where you came from and where you started, and never be satisfied with the work you put in because there is always someone out there that is putting in the same amount of work if not more,” he said.
• Jaisten Cabatbat (Kamehameha) took his redshirt as a freshman at Hawaii Pacific. He’s set to play for a college summer team, the San Diego Waves of the Western Baseball Association.
• Ryan Torres-Torioka (Konawaena) finished his career at Hawaii Pacific, batting .281 with 20 runs scored.
• Jonathan Segovia (Keaau) led UH-Hilo in batting as senior, hitting .372 with a homer, 23 RBIs and 20 runs scored.
• Micah Carter (Kamehameha) started 12 games as junior for the Vuls, hitting .200 with two home runs, tied for second-highest on the team.
• Sophomore Brandyn Lee-Lehano (Kamehameha) pitched in 12 games for UHH and went 0-5 with a 11.70 ERA.