The ’Bows of Summer will be seeking baseball titles in Green Bay, celebrating the accompanying bath-tub races on the Vancouver Island city of Nanaimo, and making a stand in Waterloo, Iowa.
“I really believe summer ball is the biggest development tool there is,” said Rich Hill, who recently completed his first season as the University of Hawaii’s head baseball coach. “We have all these resources at the Division I programs. But when it’s all said and done, if you ask baseball players what their greatest experience was in their college years, 90% would say, ‘summer ball.’ It’s that profound.”
Hill and his staff have helped placed most of the returning Rainbow Warriors on summer baseball teams across the country. Host families provide accommodations for the players.
Seven newcomers who will be joining the ’Bows in August are on summer rosters.
“In college baseball, we need (newcomers) to be good, and we need them to be good early in their career,” Hill said, noting summer leagues “really shorten the learning curve when (players) get up there and play on a college team even before they step on campus.”
Left-handed pitcher Junior Flores and infielders Matt Aribal and Kody Watanabe recently entered the NCAA transfer portal with the intent to leave UH. The ’Bows honored the pledge to place them on summer teams.
“We made a commitment to those guys and their development,” Hill said. “We honor those. Hey, those guys are great kids who gave everything they had for UH, and they deserve to have this experience, no matter what.”
Hill said summer teams fill a void in baseball communities. “Major League Baseball has cut 142 minor-league teams over the past couple years,” Hill said. “All of those small towns across America now are craving for some baseball. … We’ve got (players) all over in these small towns with great crowds. … These guys get to be in a high-octane, summer-ball environment, which has that much on the line for that town. It’s important for those teams to win. They spend all year recruiting. They spend all year raising money, putting banners on the fences, packing the stadiums.”
Hill added: “It’s important to win, which means our guys feel that. It’s not travel ball. It’s not going to Arizona for a month playing games just to play. There’s consequence. Just like real life has consequences. They need to know what it’s like to have to produce to keep your job.”
Unlike the NCAA, the summer leagues use wooden bats. “It teaches the guys the strike zone, for sure,” Hill said. “It’s real baseball. We all love to hear the crack of the bat when you walk into the stadium rather than the ping of the bat, at least for me, anyway. They learn how to approach the offensive side of things with the wood bat. It’s much more difficult. It prepares them for the metal bats during the (NCAA) season.”
Player Pos. League Team
>> *Cole Alexander P Alaska Fairbanks
>> Matt Aribal IF Northwoods Kokomo
>> Naighel Calderon OF Northwoods Waterloo
>> Nainoa Cardinez C Northwoods Green Bay
>> Jordan Donahue SS Northwoods La Crosse
>> Kyson Donahue IF Calif. Collegiate Santa Barbara
>> DallasJ Duarte C Northwoods Traverse City
>> Junior Flores P Cal Ripken
>> *Logan Gibson P/OF West Coast Nanaimo
>> Harry Gustin P Northwoods Traverse City
>> Connor Harrison P Northwoods La Crosse
>> Blake Hiraki C Alaska Fairbanks
>> Jacob Igawa 1B Northwoods Wisconsin
>> *Tobey Jackson OF West Coast Nanaimo
>> *Grant MacArthur 3B West Coast Nanaimo
>> *Matthew Miura OF West Coast Victoria Harbour
>> Stone Miyao 2B Northwoods Wisconsin
>> **Blaze Koali‘i Pontes P Calif. Collegiate Santa Barbara
>> Jared Quandt OF/C Prospect Danville
>> Dalton Renne P Prospect Danville
>> Bronson Rivera IF Appalachian
>> Cory Ronan P Northwoods Eau Claire
>> *Kahiauy Schenk P West Coast Portland
>> *Xander Sielken IF/P West Coast Nanaimo
>> Aaron Ujimori 3B Northwoods Waterloo
>> Tai Atkins P Northwoods Waterloo
>> Kody Watanabe IF Prospect Illinois Valley
* Newcomer
** Expected to train in Hawaii ahead of MLB Draft
