The University of Hawaii baseball team has kept busy this summer, adding three more highly regarded prospects — including a basketball legend’s grandson — to the 2021 recruiting class.
Right-handed pitcher Ben Whipple of Valor Christian High in Colorado, left-hander Junior Flores of Mountain Pointe High in Phoenix, and left-swinging infielder Kody Watanabe of ‘Iolani School have pledged to sign with the Rainbow Warriors on Nov. 11, the first day baseball recruits may put their commitments in writing.
Those three join left-handed pitchers Cory Ronan and Joshua “Anu” Reis and shortstop/third baseman Bronson Rivera as UH’s 2021 commitments.
Whipple’s grandfather is Dan Issel, a Hall of Fame power forward/center who was a prolific scorer for six seasons in the ABA and nine with the Denver Nuggets in the NBA. Issel also is the University of Kentucky’s career scoring leader.
Whipple is finding success in his sport. A year ago, Whipple’s fastball averaged about 84 mph. Because of the pandemic, Whipple’s junior season was canceled in the spring. But Whipple, who is 6 feet 5 and 230 pounds, has impressed in showcases this summer. Whipple’s fastball is now touching 92 mph.
Flores, who is 5-9 and 170 pounds, said he notified the UH coaches of his decision a few days ago. “The coaching staff made me feel so welcomed and wanted, it was hard to pass up the offer,” Flores said. “And it’s Hawaii.”
Flores’ side-armed delivery has drawn comparison to UH left-hander Tai Atkins’ pitching motion. Flores relies on an 89-mph fastball to set up a change-up and slider.
This summer, Flores’ club team, consisting of high school seniors and juniors, played in a tournament in Phoenix. “We were playing against juniors and seniors in college,” Flores said. “We ended up getting second place in the whole tournament.”
Watanabe noted UH was a family based choice. “One of the main things is it is home,” Watanabe said. “I get to play in front of my family and friends. I can’t get that on the mainland.”
Watanabe has been playing baseball since he was 4. He said his coaches used to take his youth teams to UH baseball games. “It was a surreal experience,” Watanabe said, “and the stadium is really nice.”
He was a member of the Pearl City Thunder, a team that won Babe Ruth Baseball’s 14U World Series in 2017. “That was a pretty insane experience,” Watanabe said. “We fought through adversity in the regionals. I think regionals is where we met our best match against a team from Arizona. We lost to them the first time. We played them again in the championship and came out on top. When we got to the World Series, it was an insane experience. It was hard to think some kids from a small island could compete with bigger kids up in the mainland.”
Watanabe is 5-9, 158 pounds, and capable of running 60 yards in 6.9 seconds. Watanabe is being recruited as a shortstop but he can play second, third and in the outfield.
Ronan, who will be a senior at Routt Catholic High (Jacksonville, Ill.), averages 90 mph with his fastball. Reis, a senior at Mililani High, also can touch 90 mph. Rivera, who is 6-3 and 180, is a Konawaena High senior who can play shortstop and third. The speedy Rivera can run 60 yards in 6.9 seconds, and sprint from home to first base in 4.2 seconds.
