It was a sultry summer day in Glendale, Calif., the kind of place where residents take in America’s pastime.
College players from across the country gather to play in the California Collegiate League, where wooden bats are the norm. A home run in Glendale is the real deal.
Sean Yamaguchi showed up with his wood bat. The recent Saint Louis graduate stepped into the box, the lone player yet to reach college. On day one, the compact, right-handed hitter belted a home run. Hello and welcome to the next level.
It was his first at-bat against college players.
“These pitchers are really good, so they try and challenge me. Up here it’s a lot of guys like that,” Yamaguchi said. “They see me and I’m a high school guy and think they can blow it past me, but I’m doing pretty well.”
Yamaguchi did pretty well throughout his career, ending his senior year as Star-Advertiser Baseball All-State Position Player of the Year.
Coaches and media considered Aiea’s Brennen Panis and a host of other candidates.
Yamaguchi was a steadying force at shortstop and hit .403 with a .512 on-base percentage. He had 16 RBIs, scored 21 runs and stole 14 bases. His lone home run was an opposite-field blast over the right-field fence at Mid-Pacific, which is 366 feet from home plate.
Kamehameha junior Greyson Osbun was voted Pitcher of the Year, outpointing Baldwin’s freshman phenom, Jayden Perry-Waikiki, and Waiakea senior ace Loren Iwata.
Osbun went 6-1 with a 1.48 ERA in 422⁄3 innings, allowing just 22 hits. He struck out 53 batters and walked just 15. He was part of a stellar pitching staff, arguably one of the most improved hurlers of the season. His fastball velocity increased to 88-89 mph, occasionally hitting 90.
“The changeup. Last year, I kind of had it. It was OK, but now it’s my best pitch. It gives me three or four different pitches I can work with,” he said. “In the offseason, I was working with our pitching coach, Ash (Kuhaulua). Looking at all the numbers and figuring out which pitch would work best for me. Offseason is when it really came together.”
Saint Louis coach Benny Agbayani appreciated the consistency of the right-handed ace.
“He’s one of those pitchers where you tell a lot of coaches and scouts, you have to watch him day in and day out. He’s not 6-foot-3 throwing 93 or 94 mph, but he’ll get people out. He probably knows that and has to be a smarter pitcher, almost like a Greg Maddux,” said Agbayani, who batted 2-for-11 with one home run against Maddux during his MLB career. “You have to learn how to pitch to get guys out. Osbun is one of those pitchers.”
The panel also split hairs in the voting for Coach of the Year. Mid-Pacific’s Dunn Muramaru edged Craig Okita of Baldwin and Chase Corniel of Maui in the balloting. Muramaru and his staff overcame the expulsion of 12 players before the season started due to an off-field incident. The Owls managed to stay in the ILH title hunt, closing the regular season in a four-way tie for first place.
Also receiving votes were Corey Ishigo of Kailua, Brennan Alejo of Aiea, Daryl Kitagawa of Kamehameha, Skyler Tengan of Damien, Ben McQuown of Waianae, Andy Correa of Kamehameha-Hawaii, Reyn Sugai of Pac-Five and Agbayani.
”Coach Dunn’s been coaching since when I was playing,” Agbayani said. “To have the adversity, you have to put the pieces together to complete a season. He did a very good job.”
Kitagawa was not surprised by the tally.
“With the unfortunate situation they were faced with, to rally the troops, but to be honest, I wasn’t surprised. Coach Dunn is a legend, a (national) Hall of Fame coach for a reason,” Kitagawa said. “I have the deepest respect for him and his program, his staff and the school. Any accolades are well deserved.”
Muramaru was stunned to hear the news about the voting by his peers.
“I’m surprised. We didn’t make it to the state tournament. We just didn’t do what we had to do. That comes down to coaching, too,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who’s Coach of the Year. A lot of these coaches put in time, put their teams before their families. It’s hard to say who’s deserving because a lot of them deserve it, training these kids not just during season. It all starts in the offseason. It’s a grind. It’s the coaching staff with them. It’s like a second job.”
The unofficial dean of Hawaii high school baseball coaches is unabashed about his appreciation for everyone who supported the team through tough times. When the Owls traveled to Kauai for a preseason tournament, it was a make or break moment.
“Our coaches did a wonderful job. They were coaches and counselors and motivators. Our Kauai trip, you’d be blown away at what the coaches do. We did team-bonding activities, crisis management, the whole works,” Muramaru said. “They were just fantastic.”
By the end of the season, with a close loss in the ILH playoffs, the young Owls had spent every drop of fuel. It was a long journey, a victory for life in the hearts of MPI fans and families.
“I know our staff was just exhausted,” Muramaru said. “They worked their butts off. You cannot give me the Coach of the Year without acknowledging our staff because they were unbelievable, and you know what? Our parents. I’ve never had a senior day like that.”
It wasn’t just the potential disaster after losing a dozen players that the longtime coach faced. He struggled to get around, putting off replacement surgery for both ankles. He still put the Owls through warmups each day, a master with the fungo bat. In classic, old-school style, he should’ve quit while he was ahead but found a way to prolong his own agony.
“About a year ago, I started to think about not doing (fungo) any more,” Muramaru said. “But I figured it out.”
Once the season ended, Muramaru traveled to California for surgery.
“The game when we played ‘Iolani on TV, I finally saw it the other night,” he said. “Wow, I was in bad shape.”
First baseman Chandler Murray’s father, Dr. Patrick Murray, got involved.
“He found a doctor in L.A., Cedars-Sinai (Medical Center). He told me, ‘I can’t stand watching you walk around like that.’”
Muramaru returned from the continent and was basically immobile for the past month. His doctor just cleared him to start walking again. He will have surgery on the other ankle soon enough.
“I just want to be able to walk without pain,” he said.
Like Yamaguchi, Osbun was already on the mainland facing new competition.
“I’m in Irvine (Calif.) with a club team from the Pacific Northwest, Club Baum. It’s super high-level competition,” he said.
Osbun is surrounded by fireballers throwing 90-92 mph.
“I’m here for a week and a half, then another tournament and back home in July,” he said. “I can add more, probably. I can work on my slider and sinker. I think I have enough pitches. I just want to improve on them.”
Osbun counts his blessings.
“I’d like to thank both of my parents for their love and support towards my passion for this game. They have pushed me to be a better player and human being. Without them, I would not be in the position I am today,” he said. “I want to show my appreciation to Coach Ash. Over the past few years, he has been my mentor for baseball and has trained me to be the best pitcher I can be. His trust in me pushed me to get that final out or keep going when I thought I couldn’t keep going.”
Yamaguchi brought a consistent spirit of confidence, the kind of balanced leadership that sparked the Crusaders deep into the postseason.
“If he’s not there,” Muramaru said, “they don’t get to state. He’s the Gatorade Player of the Year, too. I didn’t see anybody else that measured up to him, just his overall aura around him. He was a leader, and nowadays, it’s hard to find leaders.”
Agbayani agreed.
“I feel like he deserved it. He played his butt off. He’s one of those players, comes to the park every day, has that smile on his face. You hope you have more players like him. He loves to play and compete every day. Talking to a lot of scouts, they see that. His baseball IQ is pretty high.”
FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr. Statistics
P Greyson Osbun Kamehameha Jr. 6-1, 1.48 ERA, 53 Ks, 15 BB in 42 IP. Also hit .300.
P Jayden Perry-Waikiki Baldwin Fr. 4-0, 1.02 ERA, 29 Ks, 3 BB in 34 IP; save in semis.
P Loren Iwata Waiakea Sr. 10-0, 1.17 ERA, 47 Ks in 42 IP. Beat ‘Iolani at states.
C Cole Yonamine ‘Iolani Sr. Batted .429, 1.097 OPS, 10 RBIs, 2 HRs.
1B Mana Heffernan Saint Louis Jr. Hit .396, including .500 at states; .979 OPS, 14 runs.
2B Treyden Chong Kee ‘Iolani Jr. Batted .345 with 19 runs, 14 RBIs, .898 OPS.
3B Kaimana Lau Kong ‘Iolani Jr. Hit .377, .463 OBP, 14 RBIs, 17 runs, 3 HR.
SS Sean Yamaguchi Saint Louis Sr. Batted .403, 1.034 OPS, 16 RBIs, 21 runs, 14 SB.
OF Jace Souza Kamehameha Sr. Hit .371, 1.081 OPS, 18 RBIs, 19 runs, 29 SB.
OF Judah Ota ‘Iolani So. Hit .361, .487 OBP, .656 SLG, 19 RBIs, 23 runs, 3 HRs.
OF Tanner Chun Saint Louis Sr. Hit .306, .992 OPS, 24 runs, 20 SB; 5-2, 2.78 ERA.
U Brennen Panis Aiea Sr. 6-0, 0.91 ERA, 29 Ks, 38 IP. Hit .431, 1.241 OPS, 16 R.
>> Position Player of the Year: Sean Yamaguchi, Saint Louis
>> Pitcher of the Year: Greyson Osbun, Kamehameha
>> Coach of the Year: Dunn Muramaru, Mid-Pacific
SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
P Alaka‘i Kiakona Kamehameha Jr.
P Elai Iwanaga Kamehameha Jr.
P Izaiah Koko Maui Jr.
C Noah Kubo Mid-Pacific Sr.
1B Ethan Murakoshi Mililani Sr.
2B Isaac Imamura Baldwin Sr.
3B Kahanu Martinez Saint Louis So.
SS Coen Goeas Mid-Pacific Sr.
OF Cole Ide ‘Iolani Sr.
OF Ekolu Arai Maui Jr.
OF Christian Dominno Baldwin Sr.
U Kaimana Burgo Kailua Sr.
THIRD TEAM
Pos. Name School Yr.
P Payton Dixon Mid-Pacific Sr.
P Logan Kuloloia Maui Sr.
P Dawson Nuese Maui Sr.
C Isaiah Chaves Baldwin Sr.
1B Chandler Murray Mid-Pacific Sr.
2B Ethan Higashionna Pearl City Jr.
3B Aukai Araujo-Waiau Mililani Jr.
SS Nariyuki Dumlao Maui Sr.
OF Koa Marzo Jr. Hilo So.
OF Bostan Ujimori Aiea Sr.
OF Ryen Abe Aiea Sr.
U Kade Fujioka Baldwin Sr.
HONORABLE MENTION
PITCHERS
>> Jayden Hunt, Kailua
>> Shannon Fee, Saint Louis
>> Allin Yap, Maryknoll
>> Xavier Pressley, Roosevelt
>> Jaxon Wong, King Kekaulike
>> La‘akea Correa, Saint Louis
>> Coy Sasano, Moanalua
>> Dakota Pagente, Moanalua
>> Kaleb Tenn, ‘Iolani
>> Jacob Remily, Maryknoll
CATCHERS
>> Kalama Carreira, Kailua
>> Dominic Christensen, Kamehameha-Hawaii
>> Daniel Vergel de Dios, Maui
>> Dawson Sugawa, Moanalua
>> Makoa Chong, Kapaa
FIRST BASEMEN
>> Takujiro Wada-Goode, Roosevelt
>> Caleb Hamasaki, Kaiser
>> Dylan Villanueva, Hilo
>> Noah Palea, Kamehameha-Hawaii
SECOND BASEMEN
>> Haili Dudoit, Kamehameha-Maui
>> Raidan Shibayama, Punahou
>> Teysen Tamiya, Waiakea
>> Jadon Murakami, Saint Louis
THIRD BASEMEN
>> Nicholas Nashiwa, Maui
>> Logan Honma, Pearl City
>> Alika Balberdi, Maryknoll
SHORTSTOPS
>> Tanner Fujino, Maryknoll
>> Malosi Mataafa-Alferos, Mililani
>> Kaohu Kawelu, Kamehameha-Hawaii
>> Kaiden Sonoda-Fukumoto, Moanalua
OUTFIELDERS
>> Trey Shimabukuro, Maui
>> Aiden Takuma, Punahou
UTILITY
>> Kaden Anderson, Baldwin
>> Kolby Gushiken, Saint Louis
>> Joshua Rego, Kauai
>> Jaydon Geraci, Hilo
>> Zayne Hookala, Kailua
