Friday, February 1, 2002
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With all of the changes that have happened in the offseason, Hawaii-Hilo's hopes for making the postseason still depend on the same thing -- beating Hawaii Pacific. Vulcans aiming high
HPU tries to defend title
By Jerry Campany
jcampany@starbulletin.comHilo coach Callen Perreira has put together 11 straight winning seasons but has only been able to get past Hawaii Pacific and into the postseason once, in 1992. Now, with the conference cut down drastically, six teams are fighting over a single berth into the regional tournament.
"Now, every game in the conference means a whole lot more," Perreira said. "It has always been difficult for Hawaii teams to get into regionals, so we have to get the automatic berth away from HPU and Western New Mexico."
But the Vulcans come into this season with more confidence than they've ever had because they were able to steal three of four games with the Sea Warriors at the end of last year and have lost only one starter to graduation. They won nine of their final 12 games with that group, but finished three games behind the Sea Warriors.
The returning starters will be tested with keeping it going this year. The team is going to two of NCAA Division II's elite tournaments -- the Tournament of Champions and the Mountain Dew Softball Classic, both in California -- as well as a 10-game road trip through Florida. Add the annual Koolau Classic and conference games against HPU and Western New Mexico and Hilo has a schedule that rivals any other and gives them a chance to get noticed by the always-tough regional selection committee.
But they have to win first and they're counting on the many faces in the pitcher's circle to make it happen.
Leading the charge for the Vulcans are all-region selection Taysha Anderson, who returns for her senior season after compiling a 13-4 record with three saves. Anderson is not the type of pitcher who will blow the ball by batters, but she moves the ball around and doesn't make mistakes. She only walked 14 batters in 12323 innings and only threw three wild pitches.
But Anderson is not Perreira's only reason to be optimistic.
"We have four pitchers we can count on to win games," Perreira said. "At this level, that is rare."
Although Anderson will be the ace, Kristine Kahoalii will get her share of innings as well. She led the team last year with 160 innings pitched. She will have to cut down on the 55 walks she yielded if she wants to be counted on as a solid No. 2.
Joining the two returnees are Brandy Smith, who transferred from Howard College in Texas, and freshman Tara Martinez.
Third baseman Diana Kim starts things off for the Vulcans after leading the team with a .322 batting average last year and showing improvement over the fall. Tasked with driving Kim in will be newcomer Wendy Layton.
Layton came to Hilo from Shasta College in California, where she holds virtually every hitting record, including career home runs (14), after just two years at the school. She will play right field.
Other bats in the Hilo lineup include sophomore Nancy Vega, who played her high school ball at Mililani and hit .320 in her first season of college ball last year. Left fielder Leilani Hashida looks to return to the form she showed in her freshman year after putting up with a .275 batting average last year as a sophomore. Speedy Trisha Holley returns in center field after stealing 11 bases and hitting .306 last season.
The infield has been together for three years now, and Perreira points to that as a reason his team was able to put it together at the end of last season. Claresa Asuncion plays second base, while Abby Padasdao and Michelle LaRose platoon at first.
Kayla Kahuli keeps her duties behind the plate, where she only allowed 10 passed balls and committed four errors last year.
HPU tries to defend
By Brandon Lee and Jerry Campany
PacWest division title
blee@starbulletin.com | jcampany@starbulletin.comHawaii Pacific
Under ninth-year coach Howard Okita, the Sea Warriors have always set the state's small college softball standard and have often proven themselves at the conference and national levels as well.And until a team knocks HPU from its perch atop its mountain of sustained success, nothing officially has changed.
The Sea Warriors still should be considered the class of the local Division II teams, and a favorite to take the PacWest title and the automatic bid in the West Regional that comes with it. In three previous years in the conference, HPU finished as outright champions once (1999) and division winners twice (2000-01).
Still, Okita believes the other PacWest schools --particularly the local ones -- have all improved their personnel and that the Sea Warriors have a long fight ahead for the conference crown.
"The other schools have all recruited better," said Okita, who led HPU to a 34-15 record last year, 18-6 in the PacWest. "Hilo will be very tough, and BYUH and Chaminade always give us a good game. The local schools will beat up on each other. On any given day, any team can win."
The Sea Warriors open the 2002 season Sunday by hosting a nonconference doubleheader against Augustana (S.D.), and begin PacWest play on Feb. 23 at Brigham Young-Hawaii.
Key losses from last year's team include PacWest All-Star second baseman Samee Fernandez to graduation, and the 2000 PacWest Freshman of the Year, shortstop Holly Garcia, for personal reasons. But HPU still has a strong foundation for optimism with 11 returnees, including six position players and two pitchers who started last season.
Sophomore right-handers Malia Sullivan (18-7, 1.61 ERA) and Jessica Parra (14-7, 1.56) are the returning hurlers. Freshman lefty Mallory Anderson (Rosary High, Calif.) may be included in the starting rotation, and freshman righty Jamie Reyes (Kaimuki High) will come out of the bullpen.
Tascha Berinobis (second base, .287 batting average, 22 RBIs), Brandy Choy Foo (shortstop, .314, 16) and Kristin Fujii (left field, .328, 20) are among the returning positional starters, and are three who have stepped up to assume leadership of the team, according to Okita.
Freshman third baseman Tiari Keliinoi, of Mililani High, is the only newcomer who will start in the field.
Okita named his head assistant of the past 10 years, Bryan Nakasone, as co-head coach this season. Okita said he is not considering retirement, but does want his devoted right-hand man to get more involved in all aspects that come with the job and more of the spotlight.
Brigham Young-Hawaii
The Seasiders are still in their rebuilding stage, bringing in a new group to improve on last year's 17-32 disappointment."We've improved in many areas, have a lot of new faces," head coach Jackson Mapu said. "I'm excited because last year we were kind of low on numbers and we have a lot of young blood pushing the newer players."
The Seasiders' resurgence will start in the circle, where Mapu will be counting on a pair of highly touted freshmen to learn quickly enough to keep the team competitive.
Mapu brought in Jill Margetts from Utah and Kassiopeia Hood from Las Vegas to try to hold down the conference's best hitting teams.
Not everybody is new for the Seasiders though, as Maggie Reynolds brings her .297 batting average and 15 RBIs back to the outfield and Lyza Halas returns to second base as the team's leader in RBIs. Keri-Ann Napeahi returns to play first base.
Although Mapu knows that this year will be a learning experience and hopes it pays off when his freshman pitchers get older, being able to win immediately is not out of the question.
"We are out there trying to win," Mapu said. "It is just a matter of learning and I am pretty confident we will be able to learn quickly."
Chaminade
First-year coach Walter Kaaihili takes over a program that went 18-23 overall, 9-15 in the PacWest last year. He also has to cope with the loss of two outstanding power hitters from a season ago -- Christine Pascua (.381, eight home runs, 25 RBIs) and Anu Kekauoha (.341, 6, 21).The returnees this year had just two homers among them in 2001, and right fielder Amber Bareswill totes the highest batting average at .262. Sophomore center fielder Genevieve Tsukayama, who sat out with an injury last year, and freshman first baseman Loihi McKeague (Pearl City High School) are the only new additions who will start this year.
Yet, Kaaihili still has big plans for the Silverswords' program, some of which he hopes to realize this season.
"I want to put together a program that will be ongoing, much like what Howard Okita has done at HPU," said Kaaihili. "I want a program where good local girls can and want to play at Chaminade.
"We also anticipate we'll win a few games this year and surprise some people. We want to challenge for the conference title."
Whether or not the Silverswords enjoy success this season, much will depend on the right arms of returning pitchers Melissa Marquez (11-11, 2.36, senior) and Kelly Kaaihili (7-12, 3.00, junior), the Chaminade skipper's daughter.
The Silverswords open their season by hosting a nonconference doubleheader against Augustana on Monday and begin PacWest play at Hawaii-Hilo on Feb. 23.
Vulcan Athletics
