[ DIVISION II SPORTS ]
|
T'S been a long time since the UH-Hilo softball team has advanced to the postseason. Fulfilling a dream
Michelle LaRose's decision to stay
at UH-Hilo has paid off dearlyBy Jerry Campany
jcampany@starbulletin.comLonger than senior first baseman Michelle LaRose can remember, or even cared.
Even though she was a freshman at Maui High School at the time, she certainly cares about how the years have ticked by for her coach and her program now. She has witnessed more than half of them.
"I want to win," LaRose said.
"I want to win for the coaches, too. I want to win to show these younger girls a taste of what it can be like all the time."
LaRose is in her fifth year at Hilo, and is finally in position to take the Vulcans to the regional tournament for the first time since 1992, when Hilo was an NAIA school and went to the national tournament.
Hilo is ranked No. 4 in the West region with one week to play.
The top six teams in the West get invited to regionals.
LaRose is hitting .330 this season but is not her team's best hitter. That honor goes to Leinani Hashida, who is hitting .358.
LaRose has made only five errors in 41 games on defense, but does not play one of the crucial middle positions. Along with fellow five-year senior Abby Padasdao, the area where she makes her biggest impact on the 33-15 team is inspiring her friends to hit as well as her and field even better.
"We have special leaders," Hilo head coach Callen Perreira said.
"With Michelle and Abby, the respect that they have for the program and what we stand for is much appreciated and is what makes this team special."
Her passion for the program did not develop over night.
It grew with a respect for her coach and repeated beatings at the hands of Hawaii's small college softball dynasty -- the Sea Warriors of Hawaii Pacific University.
So it is only fitting that in order to fulfill her dream of getting the Vulcans past the regular season, she is going to have to beat HPU at least once more.
"HPU is our rival. It is always hard to lose to HPU," LaRose said. "They are an awesome team, but if we can take these two games, we are closer to the regional, it is all the more reason to (beat them)."
The Vulcans host the Sea Warriors tomorrow at 1 p.m.
LaRose was nearly on the other side of the rivalry, being recruited by the Sea Warriors but spurning them for the intimacy of UH-Hilo. As far as a year into her college career, LaRose thought that she might have made a mistake, that maybe Hilo was not the place for her.
"Actually I hated it at first. I wasn't able to play or go on road trips," LaRose.
"But my dad kept telling me that it was going to pay off later. He was right. It's not Manoa, but it is a chance to fulfill my dream."
LaRose stuck it out and went through three years of being a good player on a team that was good enough to win but never quite as good as HPU.
Until this year, when the Vulcans traveled to the Ko'olau Klassic and beat the Sea Warriors 8-5, then swept a doubleheader at HPU, 8-0 and 7-3. All LaRose did in the three games is score five runs on three hits with a pair of stolen bases.
"You could feel their attitude change after that first game," Perreira said.
"It's like they finally knew that if they played like they were capable, they could do it," added Perreira. "It is very rare for any team to go to HPU and sweep them."
With her collegiate career winding down, you would think that each at-bat would bear special significance.
After all, the only thing LaRose has wanted to do since the first time she stretched for a throw at first base was play the game at the college level. But as the real world draws ever closer, she has other things on her mind, like how to tie up her career in a pretty little bow.
Winning is the obvious answer, but showing her gratitude is the most important one.
"I don't really think about it," LaRose said about her career winding down.
"I do think about how to tell the coaches 'thank you,' " she added. "How do you say 'thank you' to someone who has fulfilled your dream?"
UH-Hilo Athletics