Hawaii baseball’s Maaki Yamazaki named to Big West first team
BRUCE ASATO / ASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii infielder Maaki Yamazaki, right, touched helmets with first baseman Alex Baeza after scoring on his solo home run, May 19, that went over the right-field fence in the eighth inning of the game against UC Santa Barbara at Les Murakami Stadium. Yamazaki today was named as a utility player on the All-Big West first team for baseball.
University of Hawaii shortstop Maaki Yamazaki today was named as a utility player on the All-Big West first team for baseball.
Outfielder Scotty Scott was selected as the league’s Freshman Field Player of the Year.
Pitcher Dylan Thomas and third baseman Ethan Lopez were named to the second team. First baseman Alex Baeza and Scott received honorable mention.
Yamazaki, who was born and raised in Japan, hit .308 while striking out a team-fewest 7.6 percent of his at-bats during his senior season. He played in 47 games, starting 45, despite suffering an injury to his right shoulder on April 24. Because the ailment made it painful to make deep throws from short, Yamazaki was used as the second baseman and designated hitter the final 13 games of the season. He hit .324 after suffering the injury.
Scott, who grew up in Houston, hit .291 while leading the Rainbow Warriors in runs (36), triples (four) and steals (six). He played in all 50 games as the leadoff hitter. He opened the season as the left fielder but moved to center when Adam Fogel suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the third series of the year.
Thomas rotated between starting and relieving before returning to the closer’s role. In 20 appearances, Thomas averaged 9.89 strikeouts per nine innings with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 59-to-13. He had a 1.14 earned-run average against Big West batters.
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Lopez led the ’Bows 20 extra-base hits, including a team-high five home runs and 13 doubles. Lopez started at short after Yamazaki was injured.
Baeza was solid at the plate and at first. He hit .278, including .571 with a runner on third and less than two outs, and committed only two errors in a team-high 449 chances.
