Catchers, by nature, observe anything and absorb everything.
Humid conditions. The first droplet from the sky. A low-lying sun creating glare for his third baseman. Foul tips careening into every inch of uncovered body parts.
Beau Sylvester loves every second of it. He leans into all of it. After Kamehameha played Mililani twice in preseason, Trojans coach Mark Hirayama called the Warriors’ pitching staff the best in the state.
“I agree 100 percent. I don’t think there’s any (staff) better. There’s the depth. ‘You don’t feel it today? I’ll just throw this (other) person.’ That’s the confidence we have in our sophomores up to our solid seniors. Guys who can make big pitches in big situations,” said Sylvester, who has a 3.9 grade-point average. “We played Farrington and we had two or three guys come in for one batter (each). One guy came in, threw one pitch, got the job done and passed the ball down the line.”
He doesn’t just think the game. He chats it, dreams it, lives it. Having a good rapport with the coaching staff, led by Daryl Kitagawa, is instrumental in the team’s development. Kamehameha (4-0, 0-0 ILH) is ranked No. 3 by coaches and media in the Star-Advertiser Baseball Top 10.
“Coach Meij (Keith Komeiji) and our coaches have a lot of experience not just on the field, but as coaches. They’ve been at high levels. They know what the pro style is so that’s what they instill even in the games,” Sylvester said.
His production and potential led him to the Washington Huskies, with whom he signed along with Saint Louis shortstop Aiva Arquette and ‘Iolani pitcher Zac Tenn. All three grew up playing youth baseball in Kailua. Now, each of them is vying for a league championship in the gauntlet of ILH baseball. Sylvester turned down opportunities with Hawaii, Oregon State and Portland.
“UW doesn’t have criminal justice and law, so I’m going into some kind of business (administration). Accounting would be cool, too,” he said.
Back in freshman year, English teacher Abraham Yi made a prediction of sorts, and a request of Sylvester.
“I was not a very good English student at all, but I did not even know how much I was learning because of how much fun I was having. Then I go to English 11 and I was so much better at writing and comprehending. He said, ‘Wherever you commit to college, I want a jacket.’ So after my visit to UW, I got him one,” Sylvester said.
The Warriors have a row of formidable foes this week as the regular season begins. They travel to ‘Iolani on Tuesday and Mid-Pacific on Thursday. Next week, Kamehameha meets Saint Louis, Damien and Punahou. In the span of 12 days, nearly 40 percent of their regular-season schedule will be done. They will count on Sylvester, who has experienced combines and tournaments across the country for the past year, including tourneys in Las Vegas and Houston as recently as January with Hawaii Elite.
“Beau is just physically and mentally maturing. He’s one of the leaders on our team, for sure, and one of the better hitters in the state. He just has great hand-eye,” coach Kitagawa said. “As a freshman, he started for us and he’d swing at bad balls, but he would get a hit. There’s some things you can’t teach and he has that knack. He’s aggressive and finds a way to get barrel to ball. Good things happen when you make solid contact.”
Sylvester remembers those early years.
“That was definitely freshman ball. Oh yeah, it just comes back to the amount of reps. I never played summer ball before freshman year. Everything just comes with reps. I would be, this isn’t a very good pitch, but I think my bat can reach it, I could hit this. But now, I’ll wait for a better pitch.”
One of the factors that opened the eyes of scouts is that rifle arm.
“He’s got a plus arm for sure. He’s gotten better at receiving and his presence at the plate. He’s got a bright future, potentially professional ball,” Kitagawa added. “It’s going to be fun to see him play in the future.”
The intensity and parity of the seven-team ILH Division I schedule is a wonder of its own. The only component missing would be a site like old Honolulu Stadium for fans to enjoy double- and tripleheaders. Kamehameha got four games in during preseason, including two wins over OIA powerhouse Mililani. The Warriors won 5-4 and 12-4.
“I think Mililani was a good test for our team. All our guys putting up good at-bats, getting the ball in play. It was a good test for our pitchers. Our pitchers, especially our seniors, and our younger guys are in midseason form already,” Sylvester said.
The Warriors were depleted by graduation.
“Coming in, Coach Daryl tells us all the time, ‘Sixteen seniors lost, this is a brand-new team and a lot of people don’t expect a lot from us.’ Our team can string quality at-bats together and produce runs,” he noted. “That Mililani game on Tuesday, our top (of the lineup) produced very little, and the back half won us that game. I believe in our lineup and our pitching holding it down. You can expect low numbers all year.”
All close finishes are affected by injuries. A bad hop. Weather.
“For now, I expect something of value like winning ILH or winning states. Something significant should come from this team,” Sylvester said. “State tournaments, they’ve had some teams catch fire, get some luck, the ball bounces their way. We can’t assume, we’re a solid team, we’ll win states. But we’ve got a lot of next men up and it showed in preseason. Our backups got it done against (Mililani’s) Jaden Miranda. He was chucking.”
Sylvester has worn jersey No. 18 since he was a young tee-ball swinger.
“18 was my dad (Mark)’s number. I’ve worn it since tee-ball and Kainalu Little League. I had 30-something, but ever since then, my dad said, you get 18 from now on. I never asked why, but I would see older pictures of him and he wore 18. My brother Kiai wears 18. It just runs in the family,” Sylvester said.
The game has already provided him with irreplaceable memories. During the fall of 2020, while much of the state was under heavy restrictions, Sylvester played on the West Coast while his grandfather, Jim Sylvester, and younger brother, Gage, came along. The five-week journey ended in Arizona.
“My grandpa never played baseball. He got into tennis late in life. He’s learning baseball as I grow up. He’s so eager to learn the mechanics, the way the game is played,” he said.
When Sylvester’s backup catcher’s mitt needed mending, his grandfather embraced the challenge.
“My (Wilson) Pudge ripped. It wasn’t the oldest and wasn’t used. It sat for a little while, but it wasn’t beyond repair. My grandpa took it,” Sylvester said. “He likes random little projects, so I think he fixed it. He uses all the (glove) oils.”
BEAU SYLVESTER’S FAVORITES
>> Movies/TV shows: “Gladiator,” “Criminal Minds,” “Waterworld”
>> Food: Homemade chicken katsu curry. “My mom (Kapua) and dad (Mark) make it.”
>> Music artists: Pooh Shiesty — “50 Shots”; Moneybagg Yo — “Time Today”; Taylor Swift — “You Belong with Me.”
>> Favorite classes: English 9 and 10, microeconomics
>> Time machine: “I read an article, ‘A Sound of Thunder” (by Ray Bradbury) and there’s not a chance I would step foot on grass in the future.”
>> New life skill: CPR. “I’ve completed my whole lifeguarding course (at Kamehameha).”
>> Athlete: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
>> Bats: DeMarini. “I prefer wood, but when it comes to metal bats, I don’t pay attention to year, make and model.”
>> Batting glove: Franklin Chrome series
>> Catcher’s mitt: Rawlings Heart of the Hide. “They use Rawlings at UW.”
>> Cleats: Adidas Adizero Afterburner 5. “They’re hard to find now, but their newest one is the most similar to the 5s.”
