Roosevelt’s Jaeda Cabunoc rebounded from an injury to emerge as team’s ace

The key for every pitcher isn’t perfection.

Jaeda Cabunoc is evolving, learning how to respond to success and failure, how to ride the ups and downs as the ace of Roosevelt’s OIA East powerhouse softball program. It’s been mostly ups for the Rough Riders, who are 6-1 after Monday’s 18-7 win against Moanalua and ranked ninth in the Star-Advertiser Top 10.

Cabunoc is 3-1 on the mound with 13 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched and an 0.91 ERA. There were five-inning, two-hit shutouts of Kailua and Castle, a complete-game win over Moanalua and a tough loss to East leader Kaiser, which scored four unearned runs in a 6-4 win. At the plate, Cabunoc is batting .412 with a slugging percentage of .647.

The junior is analytical — she hopes to major in forensic science — trusting the process through and through. The emotions, though, are what make her human. Vulnerable.

The first hurdle came last season, when Cabunoc was at the plate during a preseason tournament at Mililani. A pitch fractured her right wrist — her throwing hand. By the time she returned, teammates like Mari Foster had filled the void best they could. Cabunoc went on to post a 5-2 mark. In 47-plus innings as a sophomore, she allowed 64 hits and walked 19, striking out 16.

That was a year ago. This season, only Kaiser has triumphed over Roosevelt, and in an OIA that has no clear team on the throne, all things are possible. In nonconference play, Roosevelt beat Mililani 15-0 and Lahainaluna 8-3 and tied Pearl City 2-all. Roosevelt is primed for another sharp upswing.

Coaching inspiration

Last year’s Rough Riders placed fourth in the league under longtime coach Clay Okamura. Assistant coach Kris Fujii-Dias, a former Rough Riders ace, is at the helm this year with Okamura facing health issues.

“The girls went to visit him a few times at the hospital. Physically, he is not there at practice and games, but he is there in spirit,” Fujii-Dias said.

This is the kind of relationship Okamura has with his players. When Cabunoc returned from her injury last year, Okamura knew the youngster needed more than an encouraging word.

“When I first came back, I did lose some confidence in myself, a little scared to go at bat. Coach Clay was there and he made my wrist brace,” she said. “He was in the shed and he put two things together from scratch.”

That homemade brace helped Cabunoc hit .280.

“Without Coach Clay, I would not be where I am right now in my high school career. Every game is dedicated to him,” she said. “During games, he’s always yelling, but at practice you see another side of him. He just wants his players to succeed in life, not just sports. People don’t really see that.”

Building confidence

This season, the Rough Riders have a renewed energy.

“I think she is starting to accept her role on the team, so she’s kind of taking that challenge. The confidence is starting to grow, which is what she needs on the mound,” Fujii-Dias said.

Fujii-Dias pitched at Roosevelt from 1996 to ’99. She was an assistant coach with the ’09 team that won the OIA, Roosevelt’s lone league title in softball. The coach still brings the heat at batting practice, according to Cabunoc. Fujii-Dias draws on her experience — she also played at the college level — to help her pitching staff.

“It’s basically the same as last year, just working on basics, keeping her sharp. She’s really lucky this year. She’s got a good bunch of teammates who back her up. That’s what she needs, to know her teammates are backing her up when she’s having a hard time,” Fujii-Dias said.

Fujii-Dias had an interesting suggestion to Cabunoc: “Don’t be afraid to be good.”

“Coach Kris just recently said that to me and every day it sticks to me. It always stay in my mind because I doubt myself sometimes,” Cabunoc said.

That’s why, even with a repertoire of seven pitches — fastball, curve, change, screwball, riser, drop, off-speed — Cabunoc is all about getting outs. Cabunoc lets her defense do much of the work.

“That’s what a pitcher needs. This year, I have no doubt that my team behind me will always have my back,” she said. “It’s different from freshman year. When things would get tough, I would give up easily. Looking at this season, I definitely feel stronger mentally. I can see that I did get tougher.”