9 ballplayers with
Hawaii ties head to
camp for May start

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By Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.com

With the exception of rookie and short-season leagues, organized baseball has begun play at all levels. However, teams in the five independent leagues, not a part of organized baseball, will begin spring training within the next three weeks.

And so do nine players with Hawaii connections, who'll head to those camps soon to prepare for seasons that begin next month.

Jonah Martin (Kamehameha, Arizona State) is an outfielder with the Sioux City (N.D.) Explorers, the same Northern League team he played for last year.

Middle infielder Justin Hall (St. Anthony, Long Beach State) signed with the St. Paul (Minn.) Saints, also of the Northern League. He played for two teams in the Atlantic League in 2002.

Brian Rooke, an outfielder from Hawaii-Hilo, signed with the Kansas City T-Bones, a new franchise in the Northern League, on Feb. 25. After being released by the Oakland Athletics early last year, he played for the Pensacola (Fla.) Pelicans in the first-year Southeastern League.

Thomas Ford (UHH), a left-hander released by the Baltimore Orioles last month, signed with the Lincoln (Neb.) Saltdogs on April 8.

Two pitchers, left-hander Aaron Pribble (Hawaii) and right-hander Brendan Sagara (UHH), have signed with Central League teams. Pribble is with the San Angelo (Texas) Colts and Sagara will play for the Jackson (Miss.) Senators.

Pribble pitched for Sonoma County in the now-defunct Western League last year, while Sagara was the pitching coach for Dubois County (Ind.) in the Frontier League.

Outfielder Mark Okano (Aiea, New Mexico), who completed his collegiate career last year, signed with the Central League's Coastal Bend (Corpus Christi, Texas) Aviators April 7.

Infielder Bryce Uegawachi (Kaiser, Hawaii Pacific), joins the Kenosha (Wis.) Mammoths in the Frontier League where he most likely will play shortstop. The previous two seasons he played in the Cleveland Indians system.

Also joining the Mammoths is Gabe Memmert (Punahou) who will be Kenosha's hitting coach. He retired as an active player earlier this year after five seasons and a .295 career batting average in the Frontier League.

Key Voshell (UH, Louisville), also an infielder, returns for his fifth season with the Frontier League's Richmond (Ind.) Roosters.