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Wednesday, June 14, 2000
Stanford’s
Wayne riding wave
of success
The Cardinal All-American
By Kalani Simpson
pitcher and other island players
have captured the hearts
of fans in Hawaii
Special to the Star-BulletinOMAHA, Neb. -- Justin Wayne sat back at the College World Series, and, when asked, pondered the impact his baseball success is having on his home state.
"I'm starting to worry, you know," he said, "when I get back to Hawaii, if I'm ever going to have peace and quiet."
It was a joke.
Maybe.
Hungering for baseball success, Hawaii's baseball fans have swelled with pride at the mainland achievements of local players.
Wayne, a Stanford All-American and highest Hawaii player drafted ever; Dane Sardinha, a Pepperdine All-American touted as a possible overall No. 1 pick; Shane Komine, who did the impossible -- made Nebraska fans stop talking about football for a month or two, and other players have shown that Hawaii is a baseball hotbed.
They are thousands of miles away. But in Hawaii, they are shining stars.
Concerned only with pitching Stanford to the CWS (where his Sunday victory gave him a Stanford single-season record of 15 wins and propelled the Cardinal another step closer to a possible national title), Wayne didn't immediately realize what all this meant back home.
"I think I'm getting a better idea," he said. "I realize that being a role model for baseball players, stepping into the collegiate realm, pushing those doors open, getting the scouts to come in and watch younger players, it's been huge.
"Having the exposure for the younger kids means they're going to compete a little harder, you know, set their goals a little higher."
And dream a little more.
Wayne and Komine fueled more dreams with their June 3 pitching showdown in the NCAA Super Regionals. It was a matchup of arguably two of the five best pitchers in the nation.
And both are from Hawaii.
Komine returned from a shattered jaw to face Wayne with a College World Series berth on the line for Nebraska, elimination on the line for Stanford.
All eyes in the 50th state were on them.
Wayne won, handcuffing the Huskers, and still savors the moment, not only for his home state, but for himself and his adversary as well.
"That guy was unbelievable," Wayne said. "I mean, the pressure that he had being their ace to come back. And the fortitude to just push and drive, and say, 'Coach, I want to be in there.'
"You know that was pretty cool of them to get the matchup between us. I look back on it now. Man, if we didn't have that, that series might not have meant as much. It was big."
It was big for Hawaii, too. But they get bigger.
Should the Cardinal advance to the CWS championship game, Stanford will likely call on Wayne to pitch for the title.
He said there is nothing like playing in the College World Series.
"Once you get here as a player, it just opens your eyes," Wayne said. "You see how important this game is for a lot of people."
