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Every baseball team needs a Lane Nogawa. Real Nogawa steps
forward for RainbowsBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comHe can play several positions and is a solid, though not flashy, performer who might only see action as a late-inning defensive replacement or pinch hitter for several games but takes advantage of opportunities that come his way.
Nogawa did all of that during his first three seasons for the Hawaii baseball team. His career batting average is a respectable .296 in 123 games while playing third base, shortstop and second base. He started 93 of those games, but usually it was because a teammate was injured, not hitting or having difficulties defensively.
Things are different this year for the Mid-Pacific Institute graduate. He nailed down the starting job at second base after competing for the position with Schafer Magana and Danny Mocny.
"It's the first time I've started a season with a position. It feels good," said Nogawa. "We had to earn our positions and play the way they expected us to play."
Nogawa really didn't have the chance to impress the coaching staff until spring practice. He had late classes in the fall and only attended full practice sessions after Christmas, which allowed him to demonstrate his steady play.
"With a new staff, we didn't know Lane and everyone started from scratch," said UH coach Mike Trapasso. "It was hard to evaluate him in the fall because of his late classes. We didn't see the real Lane Nogawa until the spring.
"Lane just works. He doesn't say much, just goes out there with a smile on his face. He came back from Christmas and was outstanding. He was consistent on offense and defense."
Nogawa says it's easy for him to smile because it helps him relax.
"I play better when I'm relaxed. I just try to have fun out there," he said. "I talk with (shortstop) Cortland (Wilson) and (first baseman) Gregg (Omori), but it's just small talk to stay loose. I really don't say too much. I just try to lead by example."
A shortstop during his career at MPI, Nogawa wasn't introduced to second base until he got to college. The biggest difference is handling the double play.
"When you're the shortstop, you see the runner coming. At second base, you can't see the runner except maybe out of the corner of your eye," Nogawa said. "You just try to get rid of the ball as fast as you can so you don't get taken out (by the incoming runner).
Nogawa has committed only one error in 78 chances this year. He is hitting .286, but was over .300 before going 2-for-11 in the Brigham Young series. Against BYU, he hit the ball hard, but lined out to right field four times.
"I've either got to hit it farther or drop it in over second base," said Nogawa who rarely strikes out and is adept at fouling off pitches until he gets one he likes.
"I never had much power, so I had to learn to put the ball in play on the ground. When I have two strikes, I widen my stance a little, try to hit a good pitch, but if it's close (to being a strike), I try to touch it and foul it off," he said.
"He's probably had half a dozen at-bats where he has hit the ball right on the nose, but right at someone," said Trapasso.
Nogawa began his collegiate journey at Creighton in Omaha, Neb. He wanted to try something new, had never experienced snow and was a walk-on his freshman year with the Bluejays. When it looked like he wasn't going to play much, he redshirted.
"My brother Leland was attending Creighton at the time and he told me the snow wasn't that bad. But, I think we had the worst winter in several years," said Nogawa. "I couldn't see myself playing baseball there in the cold with your nose and ears freezing for four years."
He returned home and walked on to the UH program in the fall of 1998. He received his first financial aid this semester when Trapasso awarded him a partial scholarship.
That made his parents, Janice and Ernest Nogawa, smile.
An accounting major, Nogawa is weighing a couple of options for the future following graduation in December. He would like to teach and coach baseball at the high school level or perhaps become a certified public accountant.
When: Today and tomorrow, 6:35 p.m.; Sunday, 1:05 p.m. Gameday
Where: Murakami Stadium
TV: Today and Sunday live, KFVE (Ch. 5)
Radio: Friday and Sunday games live, Saturday's joined following men's basketball, KCCN 1420-AM
Internet: kccn1420am.com
Tickets: $6 Orange, Blue levels. $5 Red level. $4 seniors, children age 4-18, UH students in the Red level.
Parking: $3
Probable starting pitchers
Hawaii (6-7)
W-L ERA K RHP Bryan Lee (Jr.) 2-0 3.71 14 LHP Aaron Pribble (Sr.) 2-0 3.18 23 RHP Chris George (Jr.) 0-0 5.79 11 UC IRVINE (9-9) W-L ERA K RHP Sean Tracey (Jr.) 2-1 2.51 31 RHP Brett Smith (Fr.) 1-0 5.21 13 Sunday starter to be announced
Notes: The Rainbows and Anteaters have played seven games, with UCI holding a 5-2 edge. ... All seven games were played in 1974, when UH's Les Murakami had his first limited collegiate schedule of 17 games and Gary Adams, now the UCLA coach, was just getting started as a head coach. The Rainbows split a four-game series here, then lost all three games to UCI to start a 10-game road trip. ... In its final game before traveling to Hawaii, UCI defeated host Pepperdine 8-2 on Wednesday as freshman left-hander Glenn Swanson improved to 3-0. ... After a slow start, UH first baseman Gregg Omori has compiled a .429 batting average in the last seven games. ... Tonight's game is sponsored by Tesoro. The first 1,500 fans through the turnstiles will receive free coupon books.
UH Athletics