Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
After securing a state championship, the Honolulu Little League All Stars were served with a reminder of their overarching mission in their upcoming trip to California.
The team had just completed a commanding run through the Hawaii Little League State Majors Tournament on Kauai with a 10-0 win over the host team from Kawaihau Community Little League. But the title and a berth in next week’s West regional in San Bernardino, Calif., weren’t the only takeaways from the afternoon at the Bryan J Baptiste Sports Complex in Kapaa.
“They really went above and beyond to show the aloha spirit and took really good care of our kids and our coaches and even our parents,” Honolulu coach Gerald Oda said of the host league’s hospitality over the five-day tournament. “That was amazing and they did it with just pure kindness.
“What they did for us was a good point for our kids that this is what aloha means. We were the ones who beat them in the championship game and yet after the game, nothing but aloha. ‘Eh, come eat guys.’ And they did that after every game.
“We’re really determined to represent everybody and share the aloha spirit that they showed us.”
It’s been nearly four years since Oda guided the 2018 Honolulu All Stars through the West regional and on to Williamsport, Pa., where they charmed the nation while powering their way to the Little League World Series championship.
As this year’s 14-player group of 11- and 12-year-olds continued preparing for the West regional and the opportunity to extend the state’s run of success in Little League Baseball’s marquee division, Oda asked two members of the 2018 championship team — Sean Yamaguchi and Mana Lau Kong — to share their memories of a title run fueled by a perspective that transcended on-field results.
“We’re trying to stress to the kids that we have a tradition of playing with aloha,” Oda said on his way to practice at Kilauea District Park in Kahala over the weekend. “We can fight, we can be fierce, but there’s a right way to do it.
“I think that was the message Seany and Mana, together with the coaches, were sharing with the kids. … We can show the world that we’re from a little rock in the Pacific, we play good baseball, but we have this aloha spirit. We can do this kindness and compassion still.’”
The 2018 LLWS title was the third for the state and a Hawaii team advanced to Williamsport for the next two tournaments, with the pandemic creating a gap in 2020. Central East Maui reached the U.S. championship game in 2019 before placing fourth overall and Honolulu, coached by Brandon Sardinha, finished third in last year’s modified World Series format.
Along the way, the Hawaii teams have left an impression with their performances and demeanor. Honolulu shared the Jack Losch Little League Baseball World Series Team Sportsmanship Award with Peachtree City (Ga.) in 2018, and last year’s Honolulu team also received the honor after its third-place finish in Williamsport.
Next week’s trip to San Bernardino for the four-team regional will be the third for Oda, and experience in the tournament isn’t limited to the coaching staff, which again includes Keith Oda (Gerald’s brother) and Willis Kato.
Kekoa Payanal was the lone 11-year-old on last year’s Honolulu All Stars (going 8-for-14 with a home run in Williamsport) and returned for another run.
Oda also noted pitcher/infielder Jaron Lancaster’s leadership for the team and the father of infielder Esaiah Wong, Kepa Wong, won a Junior League World Series title with Aiea.
While working toward the goal of advancing out of the regional, Oda said he’s also looking forward to watching the players interact with the other teams gathering in San Bernardino and taking in some “touristy things” in California.
“Obviously everybody wants to win, but there’s only one team that’s going to move forward,” Oda said. “Like I always tell our parents, the most important thing is we want to make sure the kids’ experience is a positive thing. That … no matter if we win or lose, they’re going to look back and (say) ‘wow, we had a great summer.’ ”
As the team focused on the regional opener against the Southern California representative on Aug. 6 at Al Houghton Stadium, Oda said Yamaguchi and Lau Kong were also able to share some practical tips for dealing with the spotlight awaiting them.
“They said, ‘don’t look in the crowd just focus on the field,’ ” Oda said. “And they said expect to have fun. It’s a lot of fun as long as you put it perspective that you’re there to play baseball, but you gotta enjoy it. You gotta enjoy the moment and not worry about whatever happens. Just play hard.”
As Honolulu heads to the regional next week, three Hawaii Cal Ripken teams won Pacific Southwest Region titles on Saturday and will represent the state in world series events next week.
OBRL Homegrown advanced to the Cal Ripken 10U World Series in Vincennes, Ind. Hawaii Kai Elite will represent the Pacific Southwest Region in this year’s Cal Ripken 12u/70 World Series in Branson, Mo., and Hawaii Kai Fear 808 won the 11U regional in Long Beach, Calif., to earn an automatic berth into next year’s 12u/70 World Series.
Yamaguchi (Saint Louis) and Lau Kong (‘Iolani) are among the members of the 2018 team now dotting varsity high school rosters. Lau Kong has already committed to the University of Hawaii as a freshman. Jace Souza, one of six 2018 teammates now playing at Kamehameha, recently tweeted out his commitment to Texas Tech. Aukai Kea, who put on a power display on the mound and at the plate in 2018, is also drawing attention at Kamehameha.
“What happened in 2018 was great but it’s more exciting to see these kids are able to go to college and further their education while playing baseball,” Oda said.
“We told them in 2018 … 20 years from know if you look back and winning the World Series was the best thing you ever did, then as coaches we failed. That shouldn’t be your highlight. That should be the starting point for them to do bigger and better things.”
78