WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. >> Moments after Honolulu Little League defeated Kawaihau to claim the Hawaii state championship, the players were invited to enjoy a big dinner with their opponents.
“We are all family in Hawaii,” assistant coach Keith Oda said. “We don’t have friends. We have uncles and aunties. It symbolizes how we view each other in Hawaii. We are family.”
From that moment on, Honolulu Little League became more than just another team navigating a postseason tournament. It became a symbol for the islands as a whole.
“Once you say you’re from Hawaii there’s an understanding that you support each other,” Oda said. “It really is amazing.”
Hawaii has been supportive of the players and coaches throughout its journey to Williamsport. Oda said he has received text messages and emails from all over the islands as people wanted to help encourage the team.
“Of course, they want us to win, but more importantly we want to represent Hawaii and make them proud,” Keith Oda said. “It was really important that we told the kids we don’t just represent us, but places like Kawaihau. They had a really good baseball team. The world will never get to see them, but we are representing them. We will not forget them.”
Manager Gerald Oda, who has rejoined the team after a five-day stint away due to health protocols, spoke about representing not just Honolulu, but the entire state of Hawaii. Honolulu plays Nolensville, Tenn., at 9:30 a.m. Saturday for the U.S. championship. The game will be televised on ABC.
“We all want to win this tournament, but there’s a right way to do it,” Gerald Oda said. “It’s our culture that we play that way. We tell our kids that of course we are playing in Williamsport and representing Hawaii, but we are also ambassadors of aloha and showing how great our state is with our behavior on and off the field.”
Honolulu Little League has started to gain a following in Williamsport as coaches and players on other teams have started to pick up the positive vibes.
In Monday’s 6-0 win over the Southwest, Cohen Sakamoto drove a ball into the right-center field gap. He hustled around the bases and slid into third just before a throw could be made.
When Sakamoto stood up, Southwest third baseman Kaiden Shelton exchanged a fist bump with the Honolulu Little Leaguer. It was a small moment that might have gone unnoticed, but it spoke volumes on the impact Honolulu has had with its competition.
Despite pounding the competition, producing the most hits and home runs of any team, Honolulu has been supportive. So much so the other teams have mimicked them, leading to fist bumps after game- breaking hits.
“I’m just super proud of our kids to perform at this level,” Gerald Oda said. “You can show the world that you can play baseball at a high level, but you can do it the right way. We can be pono about it.”
Being the United States team with the most ground to travel to compete in the West Regional Tournament and the Little League World Series is massive. The players and coaches have been on the road for more than a month.
Having a piece of the culture and extending it to others has helped dealing with the time away. The parents have given the players island staples like musubi to help remind them of home. They’ve even shared that with curious mainlanders.
As a big part of the culture, the players and coaches have shared those positive aspects of the islands as well.
“We get to see our parents occasionally and that really helps,” Sakamoto said. “They always bring us musubi so we can eat before the game.”
Whether it has been supporting opposing players on the field with in-game handshakes and pats on the back after dramatic plays or shifts in the competition, Honolulu has accomplished it.
As the final game in Williamsport drifts away into Little League history, Honolulu Little League will once again leave a lasting impression on fans, workers and even media at the Series.
“Being able to represent Hawaii in front of the world is great,” Jaron Lancaster said. “They are always sending us love and support. Hopefully we can show them and the world what we can do with it.”
Since that 10-0 victory over Kawaihau, a responsibility has been met by the Honolulu Little League representatives. They have passed on a positive culture that has seeped into the lore of representing Hawaii at the Little League World Series.
“Everybody at home is a great person,” Lancaster said. “You see your neighbors and you give them a wave. Back home in Hawaii, whenever you make a turn and see somebody you throw out the shaka.”
U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP
Williamsport, Pa.
>> When: Saturday, 9:30 a.m.
>> Watch: KITV
>> Opponent: Nolensville, Tenn.
