Shinn to join his
brothers at PacificThe former Pearl City star is
transferring from SMU,
and Mililani's Jay Abrigo
is headed for USF
Two all-state high school boys soccer players are headed for the West Coast.
» Ricky Shinn, who was first-team all-state for Pearl City in 2002 and 2003, has given up a partial scholarship at Division I Southern Methodist, and will transfer to non-scholarship Division III Pacific in Oregon, where he will be reunited with his brothers, twins Bobby and Randy.
» Jay Abrigo, first-team all-state defender this year for Mililani's fourth straight state championship team, has committed to the University of San Francisco.
Shinn's transfer is based on playing time.
"What it really came to was that I wanted to be able to play and contribute to the team and they (Pacific) said I was going to play right away," Shinn said Thursday.
He redshirted last season at SMU in Dallas.
"Over here, I would probably mostly sit out again this year, and just see a little bit of playing time," Shinn said. "I really wasn't into waiting for 2005 to get more significant time. I wanted to play and contribute."
He has played with his brothers most of his life, on youth teams and at Pearl City High. "It will be great to play with them one last time, hopefully at a real competitive level," Ricky said.
Bobby and Randy were starters for Pacific last year until Randy was injured at midseason. Bobby was Pacific's leading scorer with 16 points and was honorable mention All-Northwest Conference. Pacific, located near Portland in Forest Grove, had a 6-12 record.
Abrigo visited the universities of Denver, Portland and San Francisco with his father during spring break.
"The family decided that USF was the best place for him," said Doris Sullivan of Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance. "They have put together a good academic/financial aid package," Sullivan said.
"He has the athletic tools (6-feet, 190 pounds), the attitude and the work rate to get himself to the next level," San Francisco coach Erik Visser said.
Another local observer said Abrigo "has the ability to take over in the defensive third of the field, stopping opposing teams before their attacks even get started."
He also is a good student, Sullivan said.
Other commitments
Yesterday was the deadline for high school seniors to send deposits to assure their enrollment in colleges, so many student athletes are announcing commitments or signing letters of intent this week:Some of them, according to Sullivan, are:
» Nick Frazier (Kamehameha sprinter, state 100/200 runner-up last year) Northern Arizona.
» Shannon Kohatsu (Waiakea riflery) Akron (Ohio).
» Blair Agena (Iolani softball) St. Mary's (California).
» Kamaile Crowell (Punahou water polo) UCLA.
» Avery Cavanah (Punahou water polo) Harvard.
» Aaron "Pono" Moises (Saint Louis baseball) Chicago State.
» Jonathan Lau (Iolani swimming) Lindenwood (Missouri).
» Amanda Chun (Iolani swimming) Indianapolis.
Most of these received help in finding athletic financial aid from colleges by Sullivan and/or by the Hawaii Sports Network Foundation.
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Iolani’s Le‘i, Baldwin’s
Russell shine bright
for BYUIaneta Le'i set a single-game record
with seven RBIs for the Cougars
Brigham Young's softball team often runs on Le'i Power -- as in sophomore first baseman Ianeta Le'i, a 2002 Iolani School graduate from Mililani.
Last week Le'i set a BYU single-game record of seven runs batted in against Utah, when she hit two home runs and a triple in going 4-for-4.
For the week, which included an upset of No. 23 Pacific (Calif.), Le'i went 9-for-18 with 10 RBIs and nine runs scored. She hit three home runs in the Saturday doubleheader against Utah.
On Tuesday she was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week.
Going into this weekend's games against New Mexico, Le'i was batting .368 (42-for-114) in 42 games. She led BYU in runs scored (31), doubles (10), walks (23) and runs produced (55).
She had hit six home runs and owned a .667 slugging average (total bases divided by at-bats).
Teammate Ashlyn Russell (Baldwin '02), also a sophomore, plays across the infield from Le'i, at third base.
In the 8-0 upset of Pacific, Russell hit a three-run homer, her team-leading ninth home run of the season.
Russell entered this weekend batting .300 (36-for-120) in 42 games with 25 runs batted in and a .558 slugging average.
Together Le'i and Russell had produced 94 of BYU's 242 runs (runs produced are runs scored and runs batted in minus home runs). BYU was 28-15 .
BYU's Ianeta Le'i, of Mililani, went 9-for-18 last week in earning the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week award.
Russell was a two-time all-state catcher in high school, but with upperclassmen at the position, she has played mostly at third base for BYU. She is fielding .959.
"One of the things that appeals to me about Ashlyn is that she is a multiple-position player," coach Gordon Eakin says. "She can play first base or third base or catcher. She has incredibly soft hands, and a good sense for the game."
"I am very, very pleased with what we have in those two," Eakin says. "The tougher the situation, the tougher they are.
"That really appeals to me. ... I could take a dozen more just like them."
Player of the Year
Senior Tina Gonsalves of St. Andrew's Presbyterian College in North Carolina has been named Carolinas-Virginia Conference Softball Player of the Year.Gonsalves, a pitcher/first baseman/ designated hitter, is a 2000 graduate of Sacred Hearts from Kailua.
Her teammate, senior Kim Makahilahila (Kamehameha '00 of Kailua), was chosen first-team all-conference at first base after being shifted from second base early in the season.
There was very little in St. Andrew's softball statistics this season that did not have Gonsalves' stamp on it.
Pitching, she had a 1.19 earned run average, 22-10 record with 32 complete games and a save, and 213 strikeouts in 235 innings pitched. She pitched eight shutouts.
Gonsalves usually batted clean-up and cleaned up. She hit .354 (56-for-158), had 32 RBIs, 31 runs scored, 10 doubles, six home runs and a .532 slugging average. She fielded .974.
Gonsalves was in the Carolinas-Virginia Conference top 10 in batting and slugging averages, hits, RBI, home runs and total bases.
She led the CVAC in earned run average, strikeouts, wins, shutouts and innings pitched.
She was selected conference Pitcher of the Week four times and Player of the Week once.
Makahilahila, who also received a Player of the Week award, batted .313 with 24 runs, 19 RBI, 13 doubles (fourth in the conference) and a .422 slugging average.
She even pitched once and won in a complete game.
