In a way, Ian Kahaloa is like a lab rat. The ever-present scientists are watching his every move.

The radar guns are clocking his game-time fastballs. They’re watching him practice, looking for tendencies, comparing his pitching delivery to tried-and-true major league methods.

You could say that Kahaloa is the most popular kid on the Campbell High School campus. And it’s true, if you are counting Major League Baseball teams’ scouts showing up to introduce themselves, give some advice and explain what their franchises are all about. And if you’re counting, the number is 30, every MLB team.

"They (the scouts) are always here," Sabers coach Rory Pico said during an interview in his office after a home game last week. "In the beginning, it was a distraction and it was affecting his play and the rest of the team, too. Now, it’s not a distraction. There is always somebody there wanting to talk to him. But now it’s nothing new. It’s not something that’s always in the back of his mind anymore. He has adjusted to it well and now it’s just something that’s part of his life."

Pico has a team to coach and Kahaloa, no matter who is knocking on his door, is a huge part of that team.

So, it’s Pico’s job to keep his prized right-hander focused on the task at hand, which is to get Campbell back to the state tournament, where they finished as semifinalists the past two seasons.

"I’ve heard they’ve clocked him anywhere from 92 to 97 (mph). I don’t really care," Pico said, frankly, "as long as he’s throwing the ball the way we want him to throw it. Getting outs. He’s caught some eyes and that’s great for him.

"For us, it’s always about improvement and consistency. Hitting his spots. It’s (the season) not going to get any easier. The more opponents see him, the more they’ll figure him out. It’s not like he’s going to be mowing guys down every time out."

As you can see, Pico, a former University of Hawaii infielder, is very good about reality checks.

So, who is this Ian Kahaloa, who also had a ton of scouts watching him at the Arizona Junior Fall Classic in October?

Well, he’s a typical teenager who hangs out with his buddies at the beaches, movie theaters and bowling alleys.

"He gets along with everybody, and he goes out and has fun," Pico said. "But he has a more serious side. He is trying to do the right things to maximize his talent. I’ve gotten on him many times about stuff, and he always comes out of it understanding, learning and moving forward. He’s got the right demeanor to be a starting pitcher. He’s the type that will get on the mound and watch his team make an error and then get right back on the mound as if nothing went wrong. Nothing bothers him."

Kahaloa has been playing baseball since age 4, but he didn’t really start pitching until he was 11. He also tried football (defensive back, linebacker) and basketball (center).

"There came a time when I wanted to concentrate on baseball because I’ve been told I can make it a career and I want to stay away from injuries," Kahaloa said.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior can also swing a mean bat (4-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs in a 12-4 win over Waipahu last week).

To help him reach his potential, Kahaloha has been working out vigorously at the gym, training muscles throughout his body and trying to build his endurance.

Kahaloa’s parents, Emily and Zack, put Ian in baseball after a rock-throwing incident when he was 3.

"I threw a rock at a cat and killed it," he said. "I didn’t know what I was doing. My mom yelled, ‘What are you doing?’ Me and my mom buried the cat, and my dad said, ‘We’ve got to get him into baseball.’ "

The farther Kahaloa goes in the baseball world, the more that story will undoubtedly climb on the scale of mythic proportions.

Kahaloa was part of the Ewa Beach All-Stars team that captured the 2010 Bronco World Series championship. Many of the other Sabers players this season were also on that team.

As a high-schooler, Kahaloa’s biggest moment came two years ago, when Campbell won its first OIA title since 1995.

The Sabers, who took the OIA title again a year ago, are ranked No. 1 in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Baseball Top 10, and they’re striving for the big one (the state title) at Les Murakami Stadium in May.

After a regular-season-opening 8-0 win over Waianae two weeks ago, Pico said this about Kahaloa, who struck out 13 in six innings of no-hit ball: "He’s our horse and we expect him to eat up a lot of innings this year in the regular season. In the playoffs, if we make the playoffs, he will play an important role, whether as a starter or reliever. He’s been throwing well."

GENERALLY, MAJOR LEAGUE scouts are told by their teams not to speak with the press.

But Pico has spoken to enough scouts to get an idea of what they’re noticing about his ace.

"They like his nice, loose arm," the coach said. "They’re looking at his potential and where they project him to be.

"I noticed that when he started to lift weights and get bigger that he was laboring out there and wasn’t as fluid. It was more of an effort for him. But now, he’s used to his bigger body. He used to be skin and bones."

Kahaloa could still choose to go the college route. He committed to play for Hawaii and won’t make a final decision until after the MLB draft in June.

"He’s a hard-working kid," Pico said. "He has a goal that he sees and is striving for and might attain. He’s motivated and focused. He stays within himself."

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Boys

Kainoa Tom
Baldwin track and field

The defending state pole vault champion was spectacular at Friday’s Maui Interscholastic League preseason track meet. He vaulted 15 feet, 6 inches, becoming only the second Hawaii athlete to reach that benchmark, according to Rodney Yap of MauiNow.com.

He came up short on three attempts at 15-9, which is the record set in 1997 by St. Anthony’s Robert McLean.

Tom’s amazing feat topped his personal record of 14-10 set on Feb. 27. Tom, a 5-foot-7, 127-pound senior, switched to a heavier pole for his 15-6 vault. The pole belongs to his coach, Linden Wada, a former 2001 and ’02 state champion.

Girls

Netanya Kang
Pearl City judo

Coming off a runner-up finish at 138 in the state wrestling championships, Kang took first place in the 139-pound weight class at the Mililani Invitational on Saturday.

The Chargers won the tourney’s girls team title for the fourth time in a row, and are seeking their fourth state championship in a row.

THE TOP 10

Voted on by coaches and media from statewide. First-place votes in parentheses. Ten points for first-place votes, nine for second, etc. Record does not include Monday’s game.