[ 2004 ALL-STATE BASEBALL TEAM ]
Punahou's Jared Pate finished with a 7-2 record and a state title. The 5-foot-10, 155-pound junior came through when it counted.
For Pate’s sake
The junior pitcher spurred
the Buffanblu to the state title
PUNAHOU pitcher Jared Pate and coach Eric Kadooka were slightly dumbstruck after the first and last games of the high school baseball season.
After the first game -- a 5-3 loss to Saint Louis -- they were wondering if the team's optimistic outlook would actually translate into success.
After the last contest -- a 6-0 state-championship victory over Mid-Pacific -- they had uncontrollable smiles with a dream-like look that begged for an immediate, reassuring answer to the very real question: "Is this actually happening?"
In between those two games, the Buffanblu went on a very long ride. And while the state title was always a good possibility, it was far from a sure thing.
Pate and Shaun Kiriu gave them the pitching they needed to get to the state tournament, but it was Pate who got it done in the clutch by beating the Owls with everything on the line.
For this reason, Pate is the Star-Bulletin's Player of the Year.
Kadooka is Coach of the Year for leading Punahou to its first state title since 1989.
"Jared was very consistent and he got us through that intense situation of playing in the championship game," Kadooka said. "He had to pitch in the big games all the time, and he had that inner drive to do what he had to do."
A junior right-hander, Pate finished the season 7-2 with eight complete games and a 1.87 ERA.
"We went into our first game expecting to go out and beat all the ILH teams," Pate said. "I look back and just laugh that we came out and lost to Saint Louis and then came back to win the state tournament."
The Buffanblu started off with a 4-3 record and then went 16-3 the rest of the way. They finished third in the ILH regular season and then won the league's double-elimination tournament. After a loss to MPI in the league's overall title game, they traveled to Maui and beat Lahainaluna just to get a spot in the state tournament.
Pate tossed two complete games in the tourney.
When Pate was a freshman at Punahou, he watched his brother, Justin, win a state title with Mid-Pacific.
"It's funny how it worked out," Pate said. "I told my mom back then that I was going to beat Mid-Pacific for a state championship. We've always had a thing about beating Mid-Pac. I think we were 2-10 against them since my freshman year and we had a mind-set that they were better than us. We wanted to end that mind-set for good and we did it in the last game."
Kadooka said the 5-foot-11, 155-pound Pate found success by keeping the ball down to induce ground balls.
"His velocity was still only around 82, but his command was great," Kadooka said. "For some reason, he can't put on weight, even though he eats and eats and drinks protein shakes."
The coach said two of Pate's past experiences helped him immensely.
One was a national tournament in Florida, when he shut down a star-studded Houston Heat team. The other was in a Junior Babe Ruth tournament in Fresno, Calif., when he made a bases-loaded error in a game that eliminated his team from contention.
"He was pitching against some of the premier players in a high school showcase tournament and shutting them down," Kadooka said. "That was a huge step, when he realized he could pitch against that caliber.
"We kiddingly remind him of that game in Fresno. He's gone from that low to the high of this season."
Pate also battled through a sore arm for most of the year.
"I think it was a muscle strain and it happened because I used my arm a lot this year," he said. "The day after the first game of the state tournament (in which he threw a five-hitter to beat Kaiser 3-2), I couldn't even throw the ball 90 feet. But (pitching coach) Matt Apana pushed me through it. He told me I needed to stretch it out, and it worked."
Pate and the rest of the returning Punahou players want to win another title next year. But, no matter what happens, they'll have the 2004 season to cherish.
"What I'll always remember is how we came together as a team," Pate said. "We all liked and respected each other -- every single one of us -- and it was a great feeling to come together like we did."
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Star-Bulletin
All-State Baseball TeamPlayer of the Year
Jared Pate, PunahouCoach of the Year
Eric Kadooka, PunahouFIRST TEAM
Pos. Player Year School P Jared Pate Junior Punahou P Harrison Kuroda Senior Mid-Pacific P Myles Ioane Senior Waiakea C Aaron Asher Senior Aiea 1B Kasey Ko Junior Punahou 2B Michael Lam Senior Punahou 3B Kirby Yates Junior Kauai SS Randy Rundgren Senior Mid-Pacific OF Travis Young Senior Kamehameha OF Dylan Libadisos Senior Aiea OF Nick Freitas Junior Kamehameha DH Mark Veneri Senior Punahou U Spencer Omalza Senior Leilehua SECOND TEAM
Pos. Player Year School P Randy Kitagawa Senior Kalani P Michael Heu Senior Kaiser P Ronnie Loeffler Senior Waiakea C Avery Kagawa Senior Waiakea 1B Kepa Wong Senior Aiea 2B Johnny Gentry Senior Saint Louis 3B Matt Patterson Senior Waiakea SS Milton Loo Senior Molokai OF Andrew Ontai Sophomore Leilehua OF Ryan Asato Senior Mid-Pacific OF Joshua Danz Senior Roosevelt DH Matt Bell Senior Farrington U Shaun Kiriu Senior Punahou THIRD TEAM
Pos. Player Year School P Marc Nobriga Senior Saint Louis P Blake Lamug Senior Aiea P Anthony Ganigan Senior Pearl City C Jowen Murray-Thornton Senior Saint Louis 1B Chester Wilson Junior Saint Louis 2B Tyler Harrison Junior Kailua 3B Danny Lee Senior Saint Louis SS Mike Kealoha Senior Kailua OF Chris Goya Senior Mid-Pacific OF J.J. Eno Senior Baldwin OF Tyler Fujiwara Senior Lahainaluna DH Michael Higa Senior Pearl City U Shevis Shima Senior Baldwin HONORABLE MENTION
Aiea: Blaze Moleta, Lance Powell, Jordan Shibata, Bryson Tajiri. Baldwin: Marcus Makia, B.J. Strahan. Campbell: Tristan Bailey, James Bannister. Hilo: Matthew Haasenritter, Jeremy Kaaukai, Keola Holt-Mizuguchi. Iolani: Shaun Agustin, Wally Marciel, Bert Mitsunaga, Travis Nishioka, Kelly Teramoto. Kailua: Ryan Rodrigues. Kaiser: Colby Ho, Scott Uehara. Kalaheo: Sonny Harbottle, Jacob Myking. Kalani: Chassis Moody. Kamehameha: Dayne Ogawa, David Parrow, Kanekoa Texeira. Kapolei: Colin Dumlao, Bryan Padayao. Kauai: Sam Dias, Jake Oketani. Lahainaluna: Charles Wallace. Leilehua: Jesse Matsuura, John Olley. Maui: Andrew Nahikei, Gavin Takakura. Mid-Pacific: Chris Freshour, Jayson Kramer, Kip Masuda. Mililani: Chaz Miyashiro. Moanalua: ,Andrew Blomberg, Chance Daskauskas, Glenn Taijeron. Pac-Five: Tyler Inouye, Paul Nishimura, Owen Simmons. Pearl City: Corey Giammalvo, Rex Yamaguchi. Punahou: Justin Ariki, Kaohi Downing, Robert Kurisu, Landon Nakata, Noah Phillips. Roosevelt: Ricky Eusebio, Kevin Fujii, Jared Furtado, Justin Goo. Saint Louis: Edwin Apostol, Shaun Kauleinamoku. Waiakea: Owen Otsuka, Mason Suga. Waianae: Dillon Guzman, Clayton Uyechi. Waimea: Leonard Zalopany.DRAFTED
Star-Bulletin All-State players and honorable mentions picked in Major League Baseball's 2004 first-year player draft:
MLB Overall Pos. Player School S-B Pick Round Pick Team SS Milton Loo Molokai 2nd team 17th 498 Cincinnati Reds P Myles Ioane Waiakea 1st team 24th 715 Kansas City Royals P Kanekoa Texeira Kamehameha H.M. 31st 916 Milwaukee Brewers C Jacob Myking Kalaheo H.M. 45th 1,341 Kansas City Royals SS Randy Rundgren Mid-Pacific 1st team 46th 1,370 Kansas City Royals
