The Hawaii baseball team restocked arms during this signing period.
Of the 12 high school and junior college prospects who signed, seven are pitchers, including three 6-foot-7 hurlers.
“We met our needs,” coach Mike Trapasso said.
Trapasso cautioned how November signings can lead to June sighings. “You have to look at what this group looks like in June after the draft,” Trapasso said, referencing Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft. “But we’re excited from a tool standpoint. This is a very, very versatile and athletic group. There’s a lot of talent there. Sometimes to get the power arms, you’ve got to get guys who can develop. We’ve shown we can do that. This is a group that is conducive to that. A couple of these guys will come in already as high-velocity guys. We’re very excited about that. We’ll see what happens.”
The NCAA extended the signing period for baseball from one week in the fall to now from November through the spring. “We’re still actively recruiting,” Trapasso said.
Here’s the recruiting class:
NAINOA CARDINEZ
>> Catcher/utility
>> Kapaa High
>> Mike Trapasso: “Nainoa is a big, physical, strong kid. I think he has a chance to be a good player. Just the tools alone. He has a strong arm. He’s a tremendous kid. We signed him primarily to be a catcher. But he can play catcher, first base, outfield.”
D.J. CARPENTER
>> Right-handed pitcher
>> Central Arizona College
>> Trapasso: “D.J. is a high-profile recruit. We’ll have to wait and see what Major League Baseball has to say (in the 2020 draft) on him showing up. He’s 6-8. He’s 93 to 95 (mph), right-hander. He’s already an 18th-round draft (choice) out of high school. That also tells you he turned down 18th-round money out of high school, and wanted to go to school, and values education. D.J. is a guy you can look at as a front-line starter if he’s here.”
RYAN GIL
>> Left-handed pitcher
>> Sierra College
>> Trapasso: “Ryan is a lefty who had a good year as a freshman but continues to get better. His velocity has been increasing steadily to where he’s a high 80s, touch 90 lefty with pitchability. He’s a guy who we signed to compete for a lot of innings on the weekends.”
CAMERON HAGAN
>> Right-handed pitcher
>> Chemeketa (Ore.) Community College
>> Trapasso: “Cameron is 6-7, but an athletic body, three-pitch command (fastball, changeup, curve). High 80s, low 90s. Really, he’s raw, so he hasn’t even touched his potential yet. That’s what we’re excited about him.”
MICHAEL HUGHES
>> Left-handed pitcher
>> Hawaii Prep Academy
>> Trapasso: “Michael is a super athlete. We signed him primarily as a left-handed pitcher and he continues to just get better every year I’ve seen him in high school. He’s a superb athlete. He runs about a 6.4 (seconds) 60 and can really play outfield. We signed him as a two-way guy, a left-handed pitcher first, but he’s such a good athlete we want to see how things look as a two-way guy.”
KALANI MARQUEZ
>> Outfielder
>> Kamehameha-Hawaii
>> Trapasso: “His best baseball is ahead of him. We like his swing. We signed him as an outfielder. We think as he gets stronger … he’ll have a chance to play at the next level. We’re looking at him more as a corner guy.”
KONNOR PALMEIRA
>> Catcher/infielder
>> Kamehameha-Maui
>> Trapasso: “We think he can be a run-producer early in his career. We think he’s a middle-of-the-order bat. He’s a strong, physical guy. The bat has advanced right now to a point where we think early on he could help us offensively.”
DALTON RENNE
>> Right-handed pitcher
>> Chemeketa Community College
>> Trapasso: “Dalton is exciting because he’s 6-7, but he’s a special athlete. He also plays basketball at Chemeketa. He dropped 29 the other night with 12 rebounds. We’re excited about him as a back-end-to-the-bullpen guy. The fact he’s played baseball and basketball his entire life, and he’s so athletic, when you put that athletic body on the mound, and his mind is solely on baseball, I think we can see the baseball side start taking over. I think the potential is really high.”
JACOB SHARP
>> Right-handed pitcher/catcher
>> La Mirada (Calif.) High
>> Trapasso: “We signed him as a pitcher, but he also can catch. He also can play a lot of positions. He comes from the same high school as (former ’Bow) Ethan Lopez. He’s a tough, competitive kid. While he’s not big in size, he’ll surprise you on the mound because he’s up to 92 (mph) with the velocity and very competitive.”
KENJI SUZUKI
>>Shortstop
>> Eastside Catholic (Seattle) High
>> Trapasso: “He’s a high-profile recruit. He’s a guy we think can be an impact player as a freshman.”
AUSTIN TEIXEIRA
>> Left-handed pitcher
>> Saint Louis School
>> Trapasso: “Tex is another two-way guy. I think that his potential on the mound is super high. He’s athletic. He comes from a three-quarter arm slot. I can’t wait to work with him. He hasn’t come close to touching his baseball potential yet. He’s a fastball, curveball, change.”
SAFEA VILLARUZ-MAUAI
>> First baseman/outfielder
>> Waiakea High
>> Trapasso: “Safea is high-profile case, first baseman, left-handed hitter, plus-plus power. He has an opportunity and come in early in his career, even as a freshman, and be somebody who can drive the ball, and even hit some home runs in Les Murakami Stadium.
