When Kallen Miyataki talks about the philosophy of hitting, the subject eventually turns to Greg Maddux, the Hall of Fame right-hander who threw with the same repeatable motion and was a master at upsetting timing, the key to hitting.
Hitting is extremely tough and as Miyataki points out, “Good pitching always beats good hitting.” That’s why hitting .300 is considered a measure of success.
One of the things Miyataki is proud of is finding a diamond in the rough in his back yard and polishing it, someone like Casey Yamauchi, who is one of 10 former BIIF players on the roster. Freshman catcher Cody Min, from Waiakea, is opting out this season.
It’s no secret that the Vulcans don’t have much scholarship money. When a college is underfunded, the jokes never go away. Remember Colt Brennan complaining that the UH football team didn’t have soap in 2007?
That’s why instead of complaining about soap, Miyataki goes mining for hidden gold and looks to develop from within. That’s how you roll on a shoestring budget. He has to play part-time psychologist, trying to change the mindset of hitters, who often don’t realize how good Division II pitching really is.
How do you determine if a pitcher is throwing a fastball or changeup? What if he changes arm angles and slows tempo, turning three pitches into nine?
Take it from the guy with the best bat control on UH-Hilo’s baseball team.
“Coach Kal has been preaching about approach and preparation for as long as I have known him, so basically my approach has been the same as always from high school,” Yamauchi said. “Early in the count, I hunt fastball and remember the pressure is on the pitcher and not me.
“Our goal as a team is to have 60% quality at-bats in a game, so I try to focus on having a quality at-bat for my team whether it’s hitting the ball hard, seeing eight pitches, or walking. But overall it’s to get on base for the next guy and limit strikeouts by battling with two strikes and trusting my hands.”
Yamauchi’s considerable bat control didn’t come by accident. He’s been blessed with good genes and support from his parents, Wayne and Agnes, who’ve both spent a lifetime volunteering their time at sporting events.
“My parents have been my No. 1 supporters since I first began playing, and they both have kept me humble and respectful,” he said. “My dad will talk to me about how he used to hit when he was younger and will help me with my hitting approach as well as my baseball IQ. My mother will be my biggest supporter but also be the first one to keep me in check. She takes care of the discipline part of the game.”
Agnes also holds the trump card over Wayne. She’s the second-best golfer in the family, behind son Dalen, a golf pro.
It’s that family type of bond that powers the Vulcans, who need support from the community to survive. It’s something that impresses Yamauchi, who marvels at how his coach connects the team and his Hilo hometown, even with the famous wet weather.
“He has even been better than the weather app when it comes to weather in Hilo,” Yamauchi said. “The most outstanding thing about coach Kal is that he knows how to run a winning program, his ability to create what we have under the budget and the pandemic is astounding. He has found a way to bring the community together in order to support our program and has not only created a winning program on the field but also in the classroom as well. We have a team GPA average of almost 3.0 even with 50 guys on our team.”
Another hidden gem is first baseman Nick Antony, a 2017 Hilo graduate, and one of the most dedicated BIIF players in history. He weighed 295 pounds as a Vikings freshman and is now listed at 225 pounds.
Need to lose weight? Don’t sign up for Jenny Craig. Contact Nick instead and ask for his advice.
“He’s getting better, and he just needs to understand his approach,” Miyataki said. “He lives in the weight room and does all the correct things.”
Translation: hit line drives and shorten your swing with two strikes.
The other BIIF players are pitchers Cody Hirata, Rysen Ross, Jamieson Hirayama, Ty Honda, and Brandyn Lee-Lehano, and hitters Braden Coloma, Brett Komatsu, Boaz Ayers, and Yamauchi.
Yamauchi and Antony are longtime worker bee pals, going back to their BIIF days.
“The potential for the BIIF hitters are high,” Yamauchi said. “I have grown up with Nick, and his work ethic has never changed. Along with hitting coach Kaha Wong, he also comes early to practice to hit with me, or even on our off days we would meet at the cage to get extra work in. He’s put a lot of work in since high school, and he’s quicker, stronger, and thinner.
“Braden will be on the field before the majority of the team to take hacks in the cage before practice. He’s always been a freak with the bat, and his power was noticed from the first day of practice when he hit a ball onto the softball field over the left-field fence at UHH.”
The only time the Vulcans need to worry about soap is when they go looking for lost home-run balls in the hedges.