As the Grey team completed its three-game sweep of the Ohana World Series on Sunday, the winning players attempted to empty the Gatorade cooler onto the leaders.
Although the move was only partially successful, the University of Hawaii baseball team’s overall fall training was a splash.
“Competition was deep, and we got after it, and had a lot of fun,” shortstop Jordan Donahue said of fall training, which concluded with the intrasquad series at Les Murakami Stadium. The Rainbow Warriors will resume training in January ahead of their season opener against Wright State in February.
“In the fall, it’s heavy evaluation by the staff, real intensive teaching, and finding the answers to the test with players being able to grow without consequence,” said Rich Hill, who was hired as head coach in June 2021. “I think that’s important.”
With several pitching candidates, particularly at starter, Hill nicknamed the staff “Tropical Swarm.” There also is no order set among the relievers, although left-handed Tai Atkins is considered a leading candidate to close. “Tai’s taken a jump under (pitching) coach (Mathew) Troupe this fall,” Hill said. “I think the summer rest did him good.”
Hill said Ben Zeigler-Namoa, a Baldwin High graduate who played at Arizona’s Yavapai College, has impressed as a two-way player this fall. Under-recruited during the pandemic, Zeigler-Namoa went to Yavapai, where he produced as a first baseman/outfielder (.386, with four homers) and pitcher (3-1 with 24 strikeouts in 281⁄3 innings).
Outfielder Sean Rimmer also has provided power this fall. At Yavapai last season, Rimmer was named a junior college All-American after ripping 18 home runs and hitting .402. On Sunday, infielder Zachary Storbakken, a transfer from Madison (Wisc.) College, blasted a home run to right.
Hill praised Dan Cox, the assistant coach in charge of recruiting, for helping to reload the roster.
Last week, the ’Bows finalized the first phase of their recruiting class for the 2024 season. A jewel is 6-foot-2, 190-pound Itsuki Takemoto, one of Japan’s highest-rated baseball prospects. It was super agent Don Nomura who alerted Cox to Takemoto, who pitches right-handed and bats left-handed.
Takemoto has five pitches: cutter, slider, curve, change-up and a fastball that touches 92 mph. At the Perfect Game All-American Scrimmage at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field in July, Takemoto struck out six of the nine batters he faced. Takemoto graduates from Chiben Wakayama High next month and will enroll at UH in January. He will join the ’Bows for the 2023 fall semester and play in 2024.
