Marcus Doi is top-ranked Mid-Pacific’s field general

Mid-Pacific catcher Marcus Doi has incredible physical gifts, the kind that make opposing coaches stop and stare. Then they see Doi’s true value to the Interscholastic League of Honolulu’s premier team.

Doi went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a pair of walks on Saturday against Punahou as the Owls won 6-4 in a battle between the state’s two top teams. But where Doi made his real contribution was behind the plate.

Doi called the game and helped pitcher Travis Garcia-Perreira get the win against a good team. When Garcia-Perreira finally got Nathan Higa to fly out to right field to end the game, Doi put his head in his hands and let out a huge sigh of relief while his teammates celebrated the win over their rivals and chief competition in the ILH. He was drained after trying to decide where this pitcher should throw what type of pitch. And he did it 114 times.

"The game felt like it lasted forever," Doi said. "It was the longest game. It was so close and all of the excitement, it was kind of overwhelming, but we stuck together and got through it."

Punahou is widely regarded as the most aggressive hitting team in the ILH, while Mid-Pacific makes getting strike one a top priority. It was up to the battery to make sure the Owls won that matchup, getting ahead of the batters on 19 of 30 occasions. Everything else in the game grew from that, and Doi saw something small that made the difference.

"He worked with the ump’s zone," Punahou coach Kenny Harrison said. "The umpire gave him an inch and he took a couple of inches. That’s Marcus Doi — he is such a smart kid and so well coached. He has impressed me since I saw him in eighth grade and he was a man amongst boys."

Mid-Pacific coach Dunn Muramaru has allowed his catchers to call the game throughout his 25 years at the helm at Mid-Pacific, and rates Doi as "OK" at calling a game. Doi won’t dispute that a bit.

"I have so much to work on," Doi said. "Travis bailed me out a little bit, he is so good. We have been through everything together and I know how to talk to him, I just have to say the right things to him and he will do the rest. He has it all."

Doi not only has to know each of his pitchers, he has to be familiar with each batter in the ILH. It helps that he plays with many of them in the summer and can file away their tendencies. He also leans on his coaches for batters he doesn’t know as well.

"I like being in control," Doi said. "It is kind of like another way to be a captain on the field."

Doi, a junior who is already committed to play for the University of Hawaii, started as a catcher in seventh grade and is behind the plate for the first time in two years. He was blocked by all-state catcher Dane Fujinaka, so he played the outfield and hit .400 as a freshman and .413 as a sophomore. His move back behind the plate was seamless. He is hitting .500 through seven games this year despite taking on the extra responsibility of catching.

"I was catching every day after practice because I knew I would have to step in," Doi said. "UH didn’t tell me where I am going to play, so now I practice everything. I work on outfield, infield, catching, hitting, everything. Just play baseball."

Doi will be the latest in a long line of Owls to move down the road and play at UH. Jonathan Hee, Harrison Kuroda, Matt Inouye, Easton Torigoe and Russell Doi all continued their careers at Les Murakami Stadium.

"I used to love watching them," Marcus Doi said. "I always wanted to play on that field, I am so grateful I might get the opportunity. I felt that it was the right thing to do, playing in front of my friends and family, and save my parents some money."