Oklahoma State proves perfect for Arakawa

Tim Arakawa has been in Stillwater, Okla., for almost two years and has yet to meet another person from Hawaii.

It made things tough for the Cowboys second baseman, but it’s also the life the aspiring professional baseball player has chosen.

"I’ve been looking, thinking there’s got to be at least one person from Hawaii, but I still haven’t found them," Arakawa said. "That’s the tough part being away from family and stuff like that, but I’ve learned you’ve got to make the most out of the situation you’re put in."

That situation is pretty good for the 2011 Moanalua High alumnus, who spent two years at Yavapai College before finding a home in the Midwest with the Cowboys as their second baseman.

Arakawa has started all 100 games he’s played at Oklahoma State and is a career .271 hitter with 12 doubles, four triples, five homers and 97 runs scored.

He was part of a history-making OSU squad last season that won its first Big 12 regular-season conference title.

Oklahoma State won a regional for the first time since 2007 — beating Cal State Fullerton twice — before losing to UC Irvine in a super regional.

Their 48-18 overall record included the most wins in a season in 20 years.

"Probably the most awesome feeling I’ve had being up here is being part of a team that brought Oklahoma State back to where it was," Arakawa said. "It’s such a storied program and there hadn’t been many people really excited for baseball in Stillwater in about 10 years, and all everyone was talking about last year when we hosted a regional was baseball."

Undersized coming out of high school. Arakawa didn’t get any serious Division I offers and chose to go the junior-college route, following the path his older brothers, Peter and Adam, took.

He hit .355 as a freshman at Yavapai and earned a scholarship offer to play SEC baseball at Tennessee. Arakawa visited the campus, but after some thought, decided to return to junior college for a second season.

"It was definitely hard to pass up," Arakawa said. "My head coach (at Yavapai) was someone I really connected with and everyone was saying he might retire, but he told me he was going to come back for my sophomore season and I really wanted to learn more from him."

Arakawa knew the offer from Tennessee wasn’t binding. If he decided to go back to JC, he wasn’t guaranteed another chance to play at a major Division I school.

That was quickly erased once his sophomore season began, as he increased his average to .377 with five homers, 43 RBIs and 25 stolen bases.

Loyola Marymount, Coastal Carolina and Central Florida were some of the schools that wanted his services, but Oklahoma State eventually won out. Hawaii never showed any serious interest.

"I took a visit and loved the campus, loved the facilities, and I had been told a lot of good things about the coaching staff," Arakawa said about OSU. "I decided if I wanted to become the best baseball player I can, this was probably the best fit for me and it’s worked out for the past two years."

The Cowboys are currently tied with Oklahoma at 8-4 atop the Big 12 standings.

Oklahoma State had won 10 conference series in a row before dropping two of three last weekend to Kansas.

Arakawa got a chance to play three games against Mid-Pacific alum Justin Protacio, who starts at shortstop for the Jayhawks.

"We had a long conversation after (Sunday’s) game," Arakawa said. "I’m not surprised at all of the success he’s having. Coming from Hawaii we know we can ball. You see the 2005 Little League World Series team and the 2008 Little League team and you think that in college, they can still probably play baseball, right?"

Arakawa is one of more than 35 Division I baseball players from Hawaii spanning the Big West, West Coast Conference, Big 12, SEC, Pac-12, Mountain West and Western Athletic Conference.

CAREER STATISTICS

NOTES

Yee helps Oklahoma cap perfect season, get ninth title

Oklahoma junior Josh Yee delivered a massive stuck vault to earn a score of 15.000 and help the Sooners finish off a perfect 26-0 season to win their ninth NCAA gymnastics championship on Friday in Norman, Okla.

The Sooners scored 447.050 as a team to fend off Stanford and Penn State to win it all.

Yee, a 2012 graduate of Thompson Academy, finished fifth in the vault to earn All-America honors in the event.

Yee is believed to be the first male gymnast from Hawaii to win a national championship in Division I collegiate gymnastics.

Gonzaga’s Min, Kim on top as they head into WCC finals

Gonzaga teammates Ciera Min and Alice Kim are at the top of the leaderboard heading into the final round of the West Coast Conference Championships on Wednesday in Somis, Calif.

Min, a 2013 Waiakea alumna, shot the only round under par on Tuesday, finishing with a 2-under 70 to take a one-shot lead.

She opened with an 81 but made six birdies on Tuesday to move up from a tie for 13th place after the first round.

Kim, a 2011 University High grad, is one of two players trailing Min by one shot after shooting a 2-over 74 on Tuesday.

The defending champion opened with a 78 before her 74 left her at 8 over for the tournament.

The Zags lead the team standings by two strokes over Pepperdine, which is ranked No. 20 by GolfStat.com. Gonzaga is ranked 50th.

Waves junior Marissa Chow, a 2012 ‘Iolani graduate, sits in a tie for fifth place at 10-over 154. She held the 18-hole lead after shooting a 74 on Tuesday but dropped four spots after finishing with an 80 on Tuesday.

Teammate Alina Ching, a 2011 Punahou alumna, is tied for 21st at 22-over 166. She bounced back from a rough opening score of 88 to shoot a 78 on Tuesday.

AROUND THE NATION

BASEBALL

» Rick Nomura, Punahou ’12: The Arkansas second baseman finished 6-for-11 with a double, a walk, five runs scored and two RBIs to help the Razorbacks win two of three against Kentucky over the weekend.

» Ka’ai Tom, Saint Louis ’12: The Kentucky left fielder was 4-for-14 with a double, two runs and seven RBIs against the Razorbacks.

» K.J. Harrison, Punahou ’14: The Oregon State freshman was 4-for-13 with a double and four RBIs as the Beavers lost two of three to Oregon over the weekend.

» Christian Donahue, ‘Iolani ’14: The Oregon State second baseman started the final two games of the Oregon series and was 2-for-8 with a triple and two runs scored.

» Kalei Contrades, Saint Louis ’11: The San Jose State right-hander allowed one run on three hits over seven innings with four walks and five strikeouts to earn the win and help the Spartans salvage a game in the series against San Diego State, 11-1, on Sunday.

» Turtle Kuhaulua, Kapaa ’14: The San Jose State freshman pitched the final two shutout innings on Sunday, allowing one hit and one walk with one strikeout.

» Beau Branton, Punahou ’14: The Stanford freshman finished 4-for-13 with two runs and four RBIs to help the Cardinal win two of three against California over the weekend.

» Tyler Meditz, Kamehameha ’13: The Santa Clara sophomore started the first two games of the Pepperdine series and went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, a stolen base and a walk in two losses.

» Jensen Park, ‘Iolani ’11: The Northern Colorado center fielder finished 6-for-11 with a triple and two runs scored in three losses to Grand Canyon over the weekend.

» Kai Kealoha, Pearl City ’11: The Grand Canyon senior led off the eighth inning with a pinch-hit single and scored the first of six unanswered runs to lead the Antelopes to a 15-12 come-from-behind win over Northern Colorado on Sunday.

» Reyn Sugai, University ’11: The Northern Colorado middle infielder went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, scored a run and drove in another in Sunday’s loss to Grand Canyon.

» Kewby Meyer, Kamehameha ’11: The Nevada senior finished 4-for-5 with a double, two runs and four RBIs in a 16-4 win over San Francisco on Monday.

» Austin Darmawan, ‘Iolani ’13: The Washington (Mo.) University third baseman finished 6-for-13 with two walks, two RBIs and a run scored as the Bears lost three of four against Grinnell College over the weekend.

» Raymond Pedrina, Campbell ’13: The Lewis & Clark State outfielder finished 5-for-14 with three walks, a double, two homers, five runs, six RBIs and two stolen bases in a four-game sweep of Corban University over the weekend.

» Jayce Bannister, Hawaii Prep ’12: The Holy Names left-hander threw a four-hit shutout with one walk allowed and two strikeouts in a 1-0 win over Azusa Pacific on Friday.

MEN’S GOLF

» Alex Chiarella, Seabury Hall ’12: The San Diego junior carded a 2-under 74 on Tuesday and sits in a tie for 13th place at 8-over 152 heading into the final round of the West Coast Conference Championships in Somis, Calif.

» SeungJae Maeng, Moanalua ’12: The Pacific (Calif.) junior shot the only round in the 60s on Tuesday, improving 17 strokes after an opening 14-over 86 to finish with a 69 and move into a tie for 24th place at 11 over heading into the final round of the WCC Championships.

WOMEN’S GOLF

» Kacie Komoto, Punahou ’13: The Northwestern sophomore closed with a 3-over 75 to finish in a tie for fifth place at 5-over 151 in the 2015 Silverado Showdown on Tuesday in Napa, Calif.

» Brittany Fan, Kamehameha ’14: The Colorado freshman closed with her best round — a 1-over 73 — to finish in a tie for 11th place at 6 over in the Silverado Showdown.

» Cassy Isagawa, Baldwin ’11: The Oregon senior shot a final-round 76 to finish the Silverado Showdown in a tie for 26th place at 11 over to help the Ducks win the tournament.

» Nani Yanagi, Waiakea ’12: The Washington State junior closed with a 4-over 76 to finish in a tie for 53rd place at 19 over in the Silverado Showdown.

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

» Tracie Villanueva, Moanalua ’13: The Seattle Pacific sophomore finished third on the bars at the USAG Collegiate National Championships with a score of 9.800 to earn All-America honors on Sunday in Philadelphia.

» Kristi Hayashida, Homeschool ’13: The Seattle Pacific sophomore earned the bronze medal on the beam with a score of 9.825 to earn All-America honors at the USAG Collegiate National Championships.

SOFTBALL

» Kristi Belshe, Kalani ’11: The Texas Tech catcher finished 5-for-11 with a homer, two runs, four RBIs and a stolen base to help the Red Raiders win two of three against Kansas over the weekend.

» Krystin Kubo, Leilehua ’12: The Weber State junior finished 3-for-6 with a triple, homer, two runs and six RBIs to help the Wildcats win two of three against Southern Utah over the weekend.

» Cyanne Fernandez, Moanalua ’14: The Texas A&M-Commerce right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits in 61/3 innings with two walks and five strikeouts to earn the win in a 4-3 victory over Midwestern State on Saturday and was 3-for-8 at the plate in the other three games of a series the Lions won 3-1.

» Kylee Oshiro, Moanalua ’11: The Pacific (Ore.) catcher hit two homers and drove in five runs to salvage a split against Pacific Lutheran on Saturday with a 13-9 win in eight innings in Game 2.

» Kylee Yamamoto, Hawaii Baptist ’12: The Pacific (Ore.) junior went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs in the win over Pacific Lutheran.

» Nalani Antonio, St. Francis ’12: The Pacific (Ore.) first baseman finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to help the Boxers complete a doubleheader sweep of Puget Sound on Sunday.

» Jaci Young, Punahou ’13: The Puget Sound sophomore finished 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in two losses to Pacific (Ore.).

» Kristi Nagamine, Mid-Pacific ’13: The Puget Sound outfielder finished 3-for-7 with a double and a run scored against the Boxers.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

» Karly Pang, Hawaii Baptist ’12: The Marist (N.Y.) junior won 8-0 at No. 1 doubles and dropped only one point in a victory at No. 1 singles to help the Red Foxes beat Saint Peter’s on senior day Sunday.

» Alyssa Tobita, Mililani ’14: The Oregon freshman won at No. 1 doubles against a team ranked 23rd in the country in a 4-3 victory over Arizona on Sunday and won at No. 2 singles in a 4-2 loss to Arizona State last Thursday. Tobita entered the ITA rankings in doubles as the No. 60 team in the country.

» Kristen Poei, ‘Iolani ’13: The CSUN sophomore clinched a 4-3 victory over UC Irvine on Sunday with a three-set win at No. 5 singles. Poei is now 13-3 in singles matches this season.

» Bobbi Oshiro, ‘Iolani ’12: The Boise State junior won her match at No. 1 doubles to help the Broncos shut out College of Idaho 7-0 on Sunday.

» Sarah Kukino, Kauai ’11: The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps senior scored the clinching point in a three-set win at No. 3 singles to give the Athenas a 6-3 win over Pomona-Pitzer on Friday. Kukino won in straight sets at No. 1 singles on Saturday in a 7-0 victory over Caltech.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

» Gabriel Vega, ‘Iolani ’12: The Stanford outside hitter totaled 21 kills, 12 digs, two aces and two assists in two three-set losses to Hawaii over the weekend.

» Evan Enriques, Kamehameha-Hawaii ’14: The Stanford freshman totaled a team-high 15 digs in two losses to the Rainbow Warriors.

» Michael Fisher, Hawaii Baptist ’13: The UCLA sophomore hit .385 with six kills, two blocks and an ace in a sweep of UC San Diego on Saturday to remain in contention for the MPSF playoffs.

WOMEN’S WATER POLO

» Sarina Shibata, Punahou ’12: The Villanova junior scored a team-high four goals in a 10-8 win over Iona on Sunday and finished with five total in two matches the Wildcats won to clinch a berth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament.

» Naomi Ng, Punahou ’12: The Villanova junior scored three goals in an 11-8 victory over Siena and added three more against Iona.

» Liz Barr, ‘Iolani ’14: The Gannon University freshman scored three goals in a 19-10 loss to Hartwick College and added four more in a 14-10 loss to Bucknell later on Saturday to close the Gannon Tournament.

» Gina-Bella Mata’afa, Lahainaluna ’11: The Notre Dame (Ohio) leading scorer had four of the team’s five goals in a 15-5 loss to George Washington on Sunday.

» Roxy Kiessling, Punahou ’14: The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps freshman scored a goal in the third quarter of a 7-5 win over Chapman on Saturday.

Compiled by the Star-Advertiser’s Billy Hull. To submit an athlete for publication, email bhull@staradvertiser.com.