Mililani catcher Korrey Siracusa leads Trojans into state baseball tournament

Maybe someday Korrey Siracusa will secure the nickname “Korrey Clutch.”

By choosing to play baseball next season for Cal State Fullerton, the Mililani senior is already following the path of a Hawaii catcher who made it big in the sport. That player, Kurt Suzuki, went from Baldwin High to the major leagues and is still playing for the Atlanta Braves. In between, “Kurt Clutch” won a national collegiate title with the Titans in 2004.

“The (Fullerton) coach told me I remind him a lot of what Kurt was like before he went there,” Siracusa said before a Trojans practice Wednesday. “That’s a high standard to go by. That’s an honor to be put in that same area. He’s one of best catchers to come out of that school and one of the best to play the game.”

Last month, Siracusa and his Mililani teammates wrapped up their first OIA championship since 1997. They are playing in the Division I state tournament that starts today at Les Murakami Stadium. On Wednesday, the Trojans open with a quarterfinal against Tuesday’s ‘Iolani vs. Kalani winner.

“We earned it,” Siracusa said about the league championship in which they beat Campbell 6-5 in the semifinals and Kailua 5-4 in the final. “Campbell and Kailua are two of better teams in the OIA, so we came in with the mind-set of nothing to lose and everything to gain. Most importantly, we played for each other. Coach Mark (Hirayama) always talks about getting the next guy up, sacrificing yourself for the next guy, your teammate. That’s when it really clicked. One guy is not going to win it for us. Gotta rely on everybody on our bench and in our lineup. Things clicked at the right time. We got key hits, got guys on base when we needed to, got people wearing pitches (getting hit by pitches) to get the next guy up with two outs, and we had people diving after balls and making plays.”

The state tournament, however, is a different animal, and Mililani (12-4) has never won the whole thing.

“If we stay within ourselves, I know that we’re capable,” Siracusa said. “We didn’t play our best baseball in the OIAs. … There’s another level that no one has seen, not even we’ve seen before.”

The importance of togetherness that Siracusa talked about comes straight from Hirayama, too.

“Korrey and our other captain, (shortstop) Bryce Yonemori, came up and asked me how to motivate the players after a rough stretch of losses to Campbell, Pearl City and Leilehua,” Hirayama said. “I told them the biggest thing is keeping the guys all together and on the same page.”

A two-year starter with a .500 batting average this season, Siracusa was the designated hitter and did some catching a year ago. With summer travel teams in California and Arizona, he played some infield and outfield as well as catcher, but behind the plate is where he is most comfortable.

“He does all the right things, on and off the field, at the gym,” Hirayama said. “He’s a good student and a complete person. He’s always been a hitter, a strong kid and he has matured a lot this past year. At Cal State Fullerton, they always bring in a bunch of guys, so a lot of times it’s what you do after you get your foot in the door. His biggest attribute is he’s not going to get outworked.”

In one situation during the OIA tournament, Hirayama allowed Siracusa to run the bases instead of pulling him for a courtesy runner. After a walk, Siracusa noticed that no fielders were covering second base so he immediately took off and easily made it to the bag.

Siracusa takes baserunning seriously and knows it’s one more tool that will help him in the long run. He continues to work on zipping his throw down to second base faster and with quicker footwork. He also works out seven days a week in the offseason.

That’s what players hungry for baseball do, and Siracusa’s passion for the game was set in motion after a Pinto division snub at age 7.

“I made the Pinto all-star team and I thought I was going to start,” Siracusa said. “The coach thought differently and I sat on the bench. What really stuck with me was we were beating a team 33-0 and he put everyone else in except for me. I was on the bench thinking, ‘This sucks.’ I didn’t want to feel it ever again. That really stung. That’s what gives me the motivation to keep going. I’m glad it happened. It shaped me into what I am today.”