[ ISLAND MOVERS BASEBALL ]
Movers wind down
after Japan trip
The Hawaii Island Movers have enjoyed a successful summer under first-time head coach Rich Olsen. They have a record of 23-13-1 with four games remaining.
"We were 6-5-1 in Japan and that's good trip for the Movers," Olsen said. "We actually hit very well in Japan, but we're not hitting too well now. It's been a long season when you consider the number of games these guys played in college in the spring. Right now, we just want to see our players finish hard."
Tournament schedule
Tomorrow: Tohoku Fukushi vs. Kyushu Big 6, 2:30 p.m.; Island Movers vs. Oahu All Stars, 6 p.m.Friday: Island Movers vs. Kyushu Big 6, 2:30 p.m.; Tohoku Fukushi vs. Oahu All Stars, 6 p.m.
Saturday: Oahu All Stars vs. Kyushu Big 6, 2:30 p.m.; Island Movers vs. Tohoku Fukushi, 6 p.m.
Sunday: Third place, No. 3 seed vs. No. 4 seed, 1 p.m.; Championship, No. 1 seed vs. No. 2 seed, 4 p.m.
The Movers wrap up their season in the four-day Hawaii International Baseball Tournament at Murakami Stadium which starts tomorrow. Two teams from Japan, Tohoku Fukushi and Kyushu Big 6, and the Oahu All Stars join the Movers in the tournament.
The IM players are mostly from Hawaii and either attend college on the mainland or start college this fall. The only Rainbow on the team this summer is Rich Olsen, Jr., and he hasn't seen much action due to a strained muscle on his left side.
One of the perks this summer was a 22-day trip to Japan. That was a first for Gavin Ng, a Mililani graduate who plays center field for the University of San Diego.
"Going there was quite an experience. There were language barriers you had to deal with and at a lot of the banquets they gave us spaghetti and french fries. I was craving sushi, but only had it twice," Ng said. "The hospitality was great. We had six games rained out, but we still practiced because they have great indoor facilities."
Left-hander Kaimi Mead, a Roosevelt graduate who begins his career as a Hawaii Rainbow later this month, said the trip helped him mature.
"The Japan trip was exciting, a growing experience. It teaches you responsibility. You have to wash your clothes, be on time, things like that," Mead said.
Mead, like everyone else on the team, has had an opportunity to work on improving various aspects of his game.
"I wanted to try to get a couple of glitches out of my system, things with my mechanics that (UH) coach (Mike) Trapasso told me about," Mead said. "I think I've made some progress, but it's been a tough road."
Troy Hanzawa, who just signed with UH out of Mid-Pacific, has sparkled defensively at shortstop for the Movers, but struggled with the switch to wood bats.
"It's been rough, but the level of competition has been decent and it's been a good opportunity for me to get ready for UH," Hanzawa said.
The leading hitter for the Movers is catcher Jay Baptista (Leilehua, Southern Idaho) with a .395 average. First baseman Brad Takamori (Iolani, Loyola Marymount) follows at .343, Ng is at .322, infielder Zachary McAngus (Kamehameha, Air Force Academy) is hitting .285 and leads the team with 25 RBIs and catcher Gavin Concepcion (Pearl City, Lewis-Clark State) has a .278 batting average.
Patrick McGuigan (Mid-Pacific, San Francisco) leads the pitchers with a 3-2 record and a 1.34 earned run average. Tyler McCready (Iolani, Sierra College) has a 3-4 record and a 2.62 ERA. Mead has compiled a 3-2 record with a 3.60 ERA.
