Four years ago, Jeeter Ishida would have considered 20 innings a solid few weeks of work.

Although an injury kept him from pitching for much of his senior year, Ishida was still arguably the most recognized high school baseball athlete in a class that included then-Kamehameha-Hawaii senior Kolten Wong.

After all, Ishida was a two-time Star-Bulletin pitcher of the year and the reigning Gatorade state player of the year when he helped Punahou win the fifth of seven consecutive state championships.

After he was inducted into the Hawaii Hall of Honor, Ishida was off to Arizona State as a member of another heralded recruiting class for the Sun Devils, one of the top programs in the country.

But since then, it’s been anything but normal as Ishida now finds himself further away from Hawaii than he ever imagined.

While Wong and even former Punahou teammate Zach Kometani have already moved on to pro ball after successful college careers, Ishida has had to hurdle obstacle after obstacle just for another chance to toe the rubber.

Last Tuesday, wearing a Cornell jersey and pitching on a mound in Ithaca, N.Y., Ishida recorded his 20th inning as a Division I pitcher — nearly four years after the end of his high school career.

"I guess you can say it’s been a bit of an unconventional path," Ishida said through laughter on Tuesday. "I’m just thankful to still be on the field."

It had been almost a full three years between games for Ishida when he took the mound for the Big Red earlier this season.

After playing sparingly at ASU as a freshman, Ishida sat out his entire sophomore year, when he eventually decided to transfer.

He wound up at Cornell, but due to NCAA transfer rules, had to sit out yet another year, leaving him with just one season of eligibility.

Finally, after a trip that took him cross country from the Pac-12 to the Ivy League, Ishida pitched the final four innings of the season opener against Maryland-Eastern Shore to earn a save.

"I really just felt blessed the coaches this year decided to give me a chance after not really playing too much at ASU," he said.

Finally, after helplessly watching from afar, Ishida was able to get those competitive juices flowing.

But not for long.

An injury to his right pectoral muscle hampered the right-handed pitcher, forcing him back to the bench once again.

In all, Ishida has pitched 20 innings in Division I baseball — including 121⁄3 innings this year — spending more time rehabilitating injuries and figuring out NCAA transfer rules.

Set to graduate in May as a finance major, Ishida looks back without any sort of resentment about anything.

"I definitely don’t regret a single thing," Ishida said. "I loved ASU and they took a chance on me just like Cornell did when I was transferring.

"I’m going to have an opportunity to maybe win a Pac-12 championship and an Ivy League championship," he said. "That would be a neat experience I could remember for the rest of my life."

On Saturday, the Big Red will host the Ivy League championship for the first time after winning the Lou Gehrig Division last Sunday and tying a school record for wins in a season.

Cornell hosts Dartmouth in a best-of-three series.

"This is the point of the season where you kind of just got to roll with it," Ishida said. "I’ll be ready for this weekend."