Friday, June 29, 2001
Oahu teams truly The Best of the West Classic is more of a cultural exchange program than a baseball tournament.
among West’s best
A pair of local teams qualify
Bauer signs with 'Bows
for the Best of the West semis, but
the event is about more than baseballBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comFor the six mainland teams in town this week, the weeklong event amounts to a working vacation, while the four local squads can measure their skills against quality competition from the continent.
And all 10 teams will likely leave the tournament with new insights into the game.
"It shows the kids what kind of caliber there is out there on the mainland," said Jason Ebato, coach of a Hawaii team made up primarily of Aiea High players. "It's really a different caliber."
The tournament opened Monday and continues tomorrow with playoff action at Aloha Stadium. The Yakima (Wash.) Knights finished 3-0-1 in Pool A to secure a top seed in the championship bracket, while the Central Oahu Roughriders went 4-0 in Pool B.
Defending tournament champion West Oahu qualified for the championship bracket with a 3-1 record in Pool A along with Baseball Factory of Maryland in Pool B.
Game times for the championship semifinals are set for 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. tomorrow. The consolation bracket games will be played at 4 and 7 p.m. The championship game is set for 3 p.m. Sunday.
Ebato's club prevented Yakima from sweeping the pool yesterday as the teams played to a 7-7 tie. The game was called after seven innings due to the tournament's 2 hour, 15 minute time limit.
Hawaii took a 5-0 lead after two innings, with three runs scoring on wild pitches or passed balls, and led 7-2 after the fifth.
The Knights rallied for four runs in the top of the sixth inning, and tied the game in the seventh on Tim Buns' two-out bloop single to center that scored Trent Nichols.The game's pitching matchup was indicative of the contrast in styles between some of the local squads and their mainland counterparts.
Yakima pitchers Nate Kuhns and Brandon Gottier combined to strike out 14 batters with lively fastballs, while Hawaii's Ross Akimoto, Bucky Nakachi and Derek Akimoto kept the Knights off balance with finesse.
"We don't do well against thumbers, the real slow guys," said Yakima coach Rusty McEwen. "We're used to 85, 90 miles per hour. Then when you face guys who throw 60 mph, it's pretty tough when you're not used to it."
The mix of styles is part of the reason co-directors Kim Short and Bill Berger continue to organize the annual rite of summer from their home base in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The duo founded the event for players 19 and under in 1993 and have since hosted 70 teams from 12 states. And Berger, who recently retired after 27 years in coaching, said he often took home new ideas from watching and playing against the local teams.
"I've really been impressed by the caliber of play from the Hawaii players," said Berger, who coached Saguaro High School in the inaugural tournament. "It seems like the Hawaii kids play this game because they love it and it's something fun for them to do. Sometimes the intensity of the mainland teams gets carried away. I like the style out here. ... They play loose, but they play hard."Short said there are plans to expand the tournament in coming years, and sees the event becoming a regular stop for college and professional scouts.
More than 100 players who participated in the tournament have gone on to professional careers. Among the Best of the West alumni is Jacque Jones, who went on to star at Southern California and is now an outfielder for the Minnesota Twins.
"We envision this growing a lot in the next year or two, with more teams, more talent," Short said. "The Major League scouting bureau is now aware of our tournament. So hopefully we'll get more scouts out here and more college coaches."
And while the teams battle for the tournament title, the experience is the major payoff for most.
"We come over here to get in a competitive tournament, and also have some fun," McEwen said. "And playing in Aloha Stadium is a pretty big deal."
Said Short: "It's not just strictly baseball. It's the whole environment. It's the Hawaii adventure."
Notes: Yakima played a two-park doubleheader yesterday. The Knights beat the Western All-Stars of California 8-4 in the 9 a.m. game at Ala Wai Field before heading to Halawa for the game against Hawaii (Aiea). McEwen said the morning humidity at Ala Wai and the heat of the artificial turf at Aloha Stadium took their toll on his players. "It's a lot," he said. "That's why it took us a while to get going. You could tell a lot of the guys were really drained." ... The Hawaii team is an offshoot of the Leeward team, which has participated in the tournament since its inception. Ebato's father, Daryl, runs the Leeward program ... Mark Gabbard, head coach of the Western All-Stars, is making his second appearance in the tournament. His first was as a player with the Phoenix All-Stars in 1994 ... Berger was an all-American second baseman at Arizona State University in the early 1970s and played a season in the California Angels organization.
Hawaii School Web Sites
Former Mid-Pacific Institute pitcher Ricky Bauer will continue his baseball career next spring just down the street. He has committed to play for the University of Hawaii. Mid-Pac’s Bauer
signs with ’BowsStar-Bulletin staff
Bauer, the Star-Bulletin's state pitcher of the year, accepted a scholarship offer from new UH head coach Mike Trapasso on Wednesday night. Trapasso offered Bauer the scholarship after watching the 6-foot-2 right-hander strike out 10 batters in five innings for West Oahu in the Best of the West tournament at Aloha Stadium.
"Afterward we talked about it and he said I would get a full ride," Bauer said. "My sisters go to UH, and I wanted to stay home. ... It's kind of a relief not having to go away."
Bauer was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 39th round of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft and was also being recruited by Nebraska and UC Irvine. He was also considering Cuesta and Merced junior colleges.
Bauer was the Interscholastic League of Honolulu player of the year, posting a 7-3 record with a 1.69 earned run average. He led the Owls to the ILH title and the state championship game.
Catcher Flick leaves UH: Reserve catcher Jacob Flick has decided to transfer from the University of Hawaii to Southwestern Oregon Community College.
The Mid-Pacific graduate is hoping to join the Lakers' baseball team as a walk-on after batting .318 in 28 games last season as a redshirt freshman.
UH's new coach, Mike Trapasso, said he received a letter from Flick wishing him and the Rainbows good luck.
"It was nice," Trapasso said. "One of the things he wrote was that I would like the returning players, and that I can expect them to always play hard."
Trapasso left today on a recruiting trip to California and Arizona. New assistant coaches Josh Sorge and Chad Konishi are also checking out prospects on the mainland before coming to Hawaii next month.
Hawaii School Web Sites