Dane Fujinaka has been hired as Hawaii Pacific University’s baseball coach, the school announced Monday.
Fujinaka, at All-State catcher at Mid-Pacific Institute in 2011, replaces Dallas Correa, who resigned to join the University of Hawaii coaching staff as director of player development.
Fujinaka, 28, coached in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system since 2019, and spent the past season as manager of the Blue Jays Dominican Summer League team.
He was previously an assistant coach at Illinois State and helped the Redbirds win the Missouri Valley Conference title in 2019 prior to joining the Blue Jays organization. He also coached at Sacramento State, William Jessup and Menlo.
“I’ve been extremely fortunate to have so many different baseball experiences at all levels of this game and in many parts of the world, but this one specifically, is certainly special to me,” Fujinaka, who played college baseball at Sacramento State and Menlo, said in a press release. “To be able to come home and coach college baseball for a school that I grew up watching has always been a dream of mine.”
Chaminade opens trip with sweep
Chaminade’s Annah Rivera and Lataisia Saulala posted eight kills each and the No. 24 Silverswords swept Academy of Art in a Pacific West Conference women’s volleyball match on Monday in Belmont, Calif.
Chaminade (12-3, 2-1 PacWest) hit .287 and served up nine aces, led by Anna Dalla Vecchia and Kendall Rios with three each, in the 25-19, 25-13, 25-20 win over the Urban Knights (4-8, 1-3).
>> Bria Beale led three Hawaii Hilo players in double figures with 16 kills and the Vulcans (5-2, 2-1) opened a road trip with a 23-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-19 win over Dominican (0-12, 0-3) in San Rafael, Calif. Alexandria Parisian had 12 kills, four blocks and two aces for the Vulcans.
>> Holy Names (4-9, 1-4) posted its first win in the all-time series with Hawaii Pacific University with a 25-20, 25-20, 25-18 sweep of the Sharks (2-9, 1-2) in Oakland, Calif.
HPU’s Bodirsky wins cross country honor
Hawaii Pacific University junior Jona Bodirsky was named the Pacific West Conference cross country Men’s Runner of the Week on Monday.
Bodirsky earned his second PacWest award of the season with a second-place finish at The Master’s University Cross Country Invitational on Saturday in Santa Clarita, Calif. He was the top Division II runner in the meet, with a time of 24 minutes, 47.6 seconds.
PWC soccer award for Chaminade’s Cain
Chaminade freshman forward Caili Cain was named the Pacific West Conference women’s soccer Player of the Week on Monday.
Cain, a Kamehameha alumna, scored the decisive goal in the Silverswords’ 1-0 win over Hawaii Pacific on Saturday.
Okada boosts Sharks into lead
Hawaii Pacific University’s Keita Okada shot a 2-under-par 70 on Monday to take a one-shot lead over Hawaii Hilo’s Keith Ng after the first round of the Western Washington Invitational at Loomis Trail Golf Club in Blaine, Wash.
HPU’s Tomoro Shimabukuro was 1 over and tied for third and the Sharks topped the team standings at 12 over, four shots ahead of Simon Fraser. UH Hilo is tied for fourth at 18 over.
Teraoka leads UH golf team
Hawaii junior AJ Teraoka posted a two-round total of 1-under-par 141 to end the first day of the Nick Watney Invitational tied for 11th in the individual standings, six shots behind Cal State Northridge’s Felix Schrott.
The Rainbow Warriors closed the day at San Joaquin Country Club in Fresno, Calif., at 17 over and in eighth place in the 14-team standings.
