Daylen Calicdan and DallasJ Duarte were supposed to be roommates at Hawaii and enjoy another season on the baseball team together.
But before they could annoy each other, the season ended early in March after 17 games for the redshirt junior outfielder and the sophomore catcher.
They’ve known each other since their days at Kamehameha and work out together to stay in shape.
“I remember playing against him when I was only in the sixth grade,” Duarte said. “He was a unit, strong arm, big body, raked and just humble.
“Playing against him then led to being his teammate when I got to high school. Going to school, practice and hanging out on the weekends built the bond we got today.”
Calicdan is majoring in kinesiology and rehabilitation science. He’s eligible to play for two more seasons but is undecided.
‘I’m not sure yet what I will do with the extra year,” he said. “I’m on track to graduate this next school year, which means I would have to enroll in grad school to compete that extra year.”
In the abbreviated season, Calicdan batted .250 in seven games and 24 at-bats. Duarte hit .143 in 28 at-bats.
The coronavirus pandemic was an unexpected curveball for Calicdan, who played summer ball last year with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in the Alaska Baseball League.
He played with UH first baseman Alex Baeza. Calicdan batted .250 in 144 at-bats and stole 17 bases.
“The coronavirus is a crazy situation and it’s a terrible feeling having your hard preparation from August just go to waste. However, the virus is something out of our control, so I try not to worry about it and just get back to the off-season grind,” he said.
His daily life is a Zoom meeting for UH’s online class. Then it’s a meeting with Duarte to lift weights and get in some running or hitting.
“After that, it’s family time,” Calicdan said. “I have yet to see Stone (Miyao) or Tai (Atkins) However, I’ve seen Dallas every day. That’s my guy and you would have thought after living with him this whole year I would be sick of him already. But that’s my accountability partner, and we hold each other in check.”
Besides what are friends for, especially those two who share a Division II state championships back in 2016.
They can debate who was more valuable in a game played at Wong Stadium. Duarte who brought home the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded RBI walk or Calicdan, who pitched 4 2/3 innings of one-run relief in the 5-4 win.
Duarte can remind his pal that he was the catcher and caught a flawless game.
Calicdan doesn’t want to project too far into the future. Who knows how long the coronavirus pandemic will last?
But he hopes there’s more baseball in store for him.
“I plan on returning back to Alaska and playing there with Alex Baeza,” he said. “It was a good experience and I can’t wait.”
Otherwise the days are dragging along for him in the new normal.
“I enjoy listening to my lectures in the comfort of my own bed,” Calicdan said. “I also feel like the learning is coming easier because I can work at my own pace, and it feels like I have more hours in a day now.”
It’s time for Calicdan to throw on some workout gear. That’s Duarte knocking at the door, telling everyone what he’s learned from his Warrior brother.
“Seeing his everyday work ethic and how he carried himself through any given situation made the push to be the baseball player he is,” Duarte said. “He’s a role model if you ask me, good grades, work ethic, good head on his shoulders. Being his roommate this year was everything I thought it would be. We had the same schedule so I was with the kid every day, every second. If we weren’t in class, it was never a dull moment with Daylen Calicdan.
“Make sure you stay on your toes around the boy and watch what you say because he will correct you on anything.”
That’s the thing, the younger brother always has to get the last dig in.
