In five years as a University of Hawaii catcher, Chayce Ka‘aua has suffered a broken finger, a hernia and a pulled hamstring.
Each baseball game, he is a metaphorical stack of carnival cans struck by in-the-dirt pitches. Sometimes, he is the pinata for a batter’s back swing.
“Catching is a tough job,” Ka‘aua said. “We get beat up every game. I caught Sunday for the first time in a while. I paid for it on Monday. I started feeling it.”
Despite the battle wounds, Ka‘aua said, “it’s a good feeling knowing you’re out there giving it everything you have.”
But there are two aches that Ka‘aua cannot ignore. He expressed melancholy for this weekend’s series against Long Beach State, the final homestand of his Rainbow Warriors career.
And he also has empathy for the people suffering from the volcanic activity on the Big Island.
Ka‘aua said his family home is “a 10-minute drive from where everything is going down. It’s been pretty scary since it happened. I can’t get it off my mind. One of the fissures started up (Tuesday) night, which is a little closer to my house. I have a hard time sleeping some nights. You have to stay positive and hope for the best and hopefully this will end soon.”
Baseball games have been three-hour distractions for Ka‘aua. But the images on television and the Internet can be overwhelming.
“We see it in movies,” Ka‘aua said. “You always hear of it happening back in the day. I never thought I’d be around to witness it. It’s pretty sad to see some people lose their house. We have to stay strong as an island. We’ve been through a lot — hurricanes, floods, and now this eruption. We have to stay positive. I know we’ll get through it.”
The Big Island’s woes have overshadowed what has been a resilient career at UH.
“Chayce is near and dear to my heart,” UH coach Mike Trapasso said. “Five years he’s been here. He’s as good a leader as you’ll find. He’s an amazing kid. He’s going to be successful in whatever he decides to do.”
Ka‘aua has earned a bachelor’s degree in human development.
“I always wanted to come here,” Ka‘aua said. “When they gave me an offer, I was the happiest kid in the world. It was my dream to play for the home team, play in front of my family, play for the pride of Hawaii.”
Every member of this senior class has earned a degree. Colin Ashworth also has graduated, but an NCAA medical exemption will allow him to play as a sixth-year senior in 2019.
JEDD ANDRADE
>> Outfielder
>> Degree: Sociology
>> Best UH memory: “Getting an opportunity to play, and getting a degree.”
>> Trapasso: “Jedd’s a great kid. He came in as kind of a recruited walk-on, and just got better and better. He comes in every day ready to work regardless of whether or not he’s going to be playing. He gives you everything he’s got every single day. That’s a testament to his character.”
MATT ESTES
>> Pitcher
>> Degree: Sociology
>> Best UH memory: “Probably the LSU trip we took this year. Going to LSU and witnessing their fan base and all that energy was something special.”
>> Trapasso: “He’s dealt with some adversity, and had some highs and lows, but when you think of Matt — and you can ask all our guys — he might be the hardest worker on our team, which is pretty impressive considering he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities. Yet, he’s always worked.”
BRODY HAGEL-PITT
>> Pitcher
>> Degree: Economics
>> Best UH memory: “This whole environment is exciting. New climate, new culture for me. It’s fun to be out here. The first day I was here, that was the first time I went to the beach in my life. It was pretty scary and exciting. I had a great time.”
>> Trapasso: “What a great story he is. He didn’t even make our first road trip. But he’s now going to finish the year as one of our starters. He’s pitched extremely well in that role. That’s the great example for being ready when your opportunity comes.”
TROY KAKUGAWA
>> Infielder
>> Degree: Civil engineering
>> Best UH memory: “Probably walking on here, the whole tryout process, and seeing it all come together and work out.”
>> Trapasso: “Troy made the team as a walk-on and put himself in a position to play against left-handed pitching and play well. We were talking a couple weeks ago, and he said he’s been through a lot to get to the place where he is, and it’s taken a lot of work and he’s dealt with some injuries. But he’s a super-high-character kid. He’s a great student. I’m happy for him.”
JORDAN LAFAVE
>> Infielder
>> Degree: History
>> Best UH memory: “Probably coming to the field every day (and) getting after it.”
>> Trapasso: “It’s been a tough year, but I think he’s handled it with a lot of poise and a lot of grace. We redshirted him for the year, so he’ll actually have the opportunity to play again. He’s a great kid and helped us out in a lot of ways this year that are behind the scenes.”
DAVID NOWORYTA
>> Catcher
>> Degree: Communications
>> Trapasso: “He’s one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached in 30 years. You look at David and the tangible things like his performance on the field do not show how valuable he’s been to our team. The leadership role he takes in the bullpen, just being the most consummate team guy and working behind the scenes. Any time you need anything, David’s the first guy to volunteer. He’s a special kid.”
ERIC RAMIREZ
>> First baseman
>> Degree: Human development
>> Best UH memory: “I’d say my whole four years here. Baseball-wise, being able to play in this beautiful stadium.”
>> Trapasso: “One of my favorite kids because he’s been here for four years. He’s had highs. He’s had lows. But yet he’s kept an even keel the entire time he’s been here. He’s always focused on doing the best that he can. I’m so proud of him not just being the first in his family to go to college, but to graduate.”
MATT RICHARDSON
>> Pitcher
>> Degree: Communicology
>> Best UH memory: “The first night at The Les.”
>> Trapasso: “He’s a pretty fun-loving kid who has had some pretty good games for us. He’s embraced the role of long relief, which is not a glamorous role because you have to wait for your starter to go down early, which doesn’t happen very often. But when he’s been called on, he’s come in and settled a lot of games for us and given us a lot of quality innings.
NEIL USKALI
>> Pitcher
>> Degree: Sociology
>> Best UH memory: “My complete-game shutout against Minnesota at Minnesota in the U.S Bank (Stadium). It was an absolutely awesome experience. That was last year. It probably was my favorite outing of my two years.”
>> Trapasso: “He’s had two tremendous years for us. You think about Neil, you think about consistency. He’s always going out giving you a quality start, competing. He’s a tough kid.”
DYLAN VCHULEK
>> Center fielder
>> Degree: Communications
>> Best UH memory: “First night at The Les, playing NC State, and leading off the game. That probably was my coolest memory. Hitting a line drive back off the pitcher, and having my family in the crowd. It was pretty incredible having that adrenaline rush.”
>> Trapasso: “Great energy is the first thing I always think about with him. He’s a lot of fun to be around. He really struggled early in the season this year, but if you look at his second half, it’s been pretty productive. I think that’s a great way to send him off.”
JOHNNY WEEKS
>> Outfielder
>> Degree: Economics, with a minor in business
>> Best UH memory: “I would say our freshman-year tournament at Minute Maid (Park in Houston). That was a pretty cool experience going there. If not that, winning the tournament in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota. Those were both really good experiences.”
>> Trapasso: “Johnny is a four-year starter who came in as as walk-on and played four different positions in four years. He’s as selfless a player, as much a team player, as anybody I’ve ever had.”
