LEWISTON, Idaho — Hilo High School alumnus Pu‘ukani De Sa played on Lewis-Clark State College’s baseball team during Friday’s NAIA World Series.
LEWISTON, Idaho — Hilo High School alumnus Pu‘ukani De Sa played on Lewis-Clark State College’s baseball team during Friday’s NAIA World Series.
The Warriors (37-18) fell 7-6 to Westmont College (48-9) in the bottom of the eighth inning. This marked LCSC’s second straight NAIA World Series loss — last year, it fell 11-5 to Southeastern Florida.
This was Westmont’s first and only title, as it will transfer to NCAA Division III next season.
De Sa had one of his team’s best performances at the plate, going two-for-four with a walk and batting a run in. The second-baseman also notched three assists.
While playing for Hilo, De Sa led the state in RBI as a senior, had a .438 batting average, was part of the Vikings’ 2017 BIIF DI Champion team and was a two-time All-BIIF selection.
Before transfering to LCSC in 2022, De Sa played one year at Irvine Valley College and one year at Cypress College. At IVC, he hit .342 with 26 RBI, 17 runs scored and one home run. At Cypress, he hit .253 with 14 RBI, 16 runs scored and two home runs — also receiving an All-Orange Empire Conference selection in 2019.
The junior finished this season with a .329 batting average, hitting a career high eight home runs and 49 RBI in his 54 games played. His fielding percentage was .971 — with 71 putouts, 96 assists and just five errors.
