A number of local youth baseball players got a chance to chase their dreams of stardom by showcasing their skills in front of major league and college scouts at the Big Island Wood Bat Academy Memorial Day Tournament.
MLB scouts and college recruiters converged upon Wong Stadium to see some of the Big Island and O‘ahu’s best players play against each other and participate in drills.
The event kicked off on Friday with an 18U and 16U showcase — during which players ran infield, outfield and catcher’s drills, as well as sprints and batting.
“We’re always looking for guys who can just play the game, athletes,” Houston Astros Scouting Information Coordinator Kyle Connell said. “It’s a combination of skills, tools, guys who like being out here. It’s cool seeing how much the game means to these guys out here.”
Also in attendance were scouts from the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Oakland A’s, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers.
College recruiters from UH-Hilo, UH-Manoa and HPU were also at the showcase, as well as Chaminade, which will debut its first baseball team next Spring.
“Specifically, (the MLB scouts) came for Devin Saltiban,” BIWBA coach Kaha Wong said, “but like I told everybody, if you’ve got a product and you can sell it, everyone comes — and when they come to see Saltiban, if another kid hits the ball or does something good, they came for them. So, there was a lot of feedback saying that there was a lot of talent here.”
Saltiban, a Hilo High School senior and UH-Manoa commit, led the Vikings at bat this season and was a ScoringLive All-Hawai‘i First Team selection for his junior year (the 2023 All-Hawai‘i selections have not been released yet). He is one of many BIWB athletes who have taken their baseball careers to the next level.
Kolten and Kean Wong’s ascension to the big league has served as inspiration for the BIWBA members, who sometimes even get the opportunity to train with them. Kolten also helped sponsor uniforms for the tournament, and Kean donated bats.
Coach Wong said that his sons’ success has not only drawn more attention to the Big Island, but has also motivated his young athletes to improve and advance.
“I’m not bragging, but it started from my son Kolten getting looked at, getting drafted,” he said. “That kind of opened a door.”
Since then, more local players have gone on to play professional baseball — including 2014 draft first-round pick and Waiakea HS grad Kodi Medeiros, Hilo HS grads Jodd Carter and Joey Jarneski, Waiakea grad Quintin Torres-Costa and more.
“Guys just keep on coming every year,” coach Wong said. “Like I said, produce a product, they’ll come. Since my son, its been open a lot of guys have been getting drafted. It’s good for the Island.”
Connell confirmed that the BIWBA has become a trusted source for fresh talent.
“Our area scout Eli (Tupuola) knows Kaha and our director Kris (Gross) knows him well,” he said. “They said he’s a great guy. I met him here today and talked to him. They’re really open and willing to do a lot with us, and love having us out here.”
The tournament hosted a number of O‘ahu athletes and travel teams, including the Hawai‘i Rockies, Hawai‘i Elite, Team Lo and Kawainui.
Coach Wong said that he aims to expand the tournament next year.
“Everybody loved it,” he said, “the weather held up, all my teams in the championship. Everything went good, hopefully next year we can make it bigger. Everybody enjoyed it and they want to come back.”
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BIWBA 2023 HS Graduates
Eleven members of BIWBA’s 2023 graduating class have made college commitments.
Honoka‘a High School’s Aiden Joaquin, who led HHSAA DII with five home runs on the 2023 season, will join Saltiban playing for the Rainbow Warriors.
Waiakea’s Devin Garza will play for Salt Lake Community College in Utah. The Bruins went 22-9 in Scenic West Athletic Conference play in 2023 before falling in the first round of the NJCAA National Championship.
Garza’s classmate, Josh Ward, and Hilo HS senior Mekenna Wakakuwa will play for Lake Land College — a NJCAA member in eastern Illinois.
HHS outfielder Journey Leialoha will also play in the NJCAA, for Arizona Western College in Yuma, Arizona.
Isaiah Calma, who also played for Waiakea, will play for Simpson University — a NAIA member in Redding, California.
Matt Pavao, the BIWBA’s only 2023 grad from O‘ahu, will play for Pacific University in Oregon.
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Recent BIWBA Grads
Kawana Soares, Konawaena HS 21’ — Cabrillo College, California and Univ. Of Nevada.
Kalia Agustin, Kamehameha Schools 20’ — Big Bend CC, WA and Eastern Oregon Univ.
Zacharia Mathews, Kamehameha Schools 20’ — Big Bend CC, WA and Eastern Oregon Univ.
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BIWBA Alumni Graduating College in 2023
Kawana Soares — Cabrillo College, CA
Jacob Igawa — UH-Manoa.
Dallas Duarte — UH-Manoa.
Kallen Turner — Luna College, NM.
Kekoa Ogawa — Luna College, NM.
Trayden Tamiya — US Air Force Academy, CO.
Hanalei Warren — Southwestern Oregon CC, OR.
Dallas Ka’ili — Grays Harbor CC, WA.
Carson Kawaguchi — Pierce College, WA.
Kalia Agustin — Big Bend CC, WA.
Zachaia Mathew’s — Big Bend CC, WA.