From day one, Madixx Muramoto was the apple of her grandfather’s eye.
The Kalani shortstop grew up playing Little League baseball, excelling against boys. But over time, she switched over to softball and thrived. The senior signed a national letter of intent to play for Hawaii on Wednesday morning, and her grandpa, Les Murakami was right there in the front row to see her ink her contract.
“I’m excited. It’s kind of an unbelievable feeling, like I feel like I’m dreaming right now. I’m really happy,” said Muramoto, who got her name from Braves pitching great Greg Maddux. “I feel like people are definitely going to ask me questions about my grandfather. I’m glad to be able to represent him and carry on his legacy.”
Muramoto was one of 54 seniors at the signing event in Blaisdell Exhibition Hall hosted by Education 1st.
One common denominator between grandchild and grandparent: work ethic. There are times when her father, Richard, pleads with Madixx to take a day off and let her body recover.
“My dad tells me that I need to take days off, but I’m kind of stubborn, so I don’t listen to him,” she said. “Lifting, running, practicing.”
The first signing day of the school year drew signees from a spectrum of sports. A few schools held their own ceremonies. At the Blaisdell, Nolan Souza signed with Arkansas, nearly three years after receiving the offer.
Back in 2020, during the pandemic, Souza was one of three Punahou freshmen who got Division I college offers before even suiting up for the varsity squad. Back then, Souza was a 170-pound shortstop. Today, he is 6 feet, 3 inches and 210 pounds.
“It feels good to represent Arkansas. It’s just really big to finally sign after being committed for two-and-a-half years,” Souza said.
Handling the attention from peers and recruiters could have been tough for a 14-year-old, but Souza has kept a low profile.
“I try to stay humble about it. To me, it’s something that I worked really hard for and not something that I really want to boast about. It’s a really big accomplishment, but at the same time everybody works really hard on my team. I like to push my teammates. I don’t want the team feel separate if anything. I want to keep working hard and stay humble,” Souza said.
After countless hours in the batting cage and weight room, Souza is keeping an open mind about the possibility of being drafted next spring.
“I definitely think that’s an option. Arkansas is a place I love and a place I’d like to spend the next three years at. I love the coaching staff and program,” said Souza, who has a 3.65 grade-point average. “But my dream is to be in the MLB, so if that opportunity comes about and it’s the right one, I will take it.”
He has healthy max numbers in the squat (405 pounds), bench press (295), power clean (295) and dead lift (600).
“I take pride in my hitting, but people are starting to see my speed. Guys at my size really don’t move as quickly as I do,” said Souza, who runs a 6.5 in the 60-yard dash. “Hopefully, I’ll get it down to a 6.4 or 6.3.”
Milan Ah Yat has been a two-sport gem for tiny University Lab School. She will focus on softball at the next level after signing with Loyola Marymount.
“I really like the coaches and the feel of the campus is nice,” said Ah Yat, who plans to major in biology. “Then I’m trying to go into physical therapy and kinesiology.”
Ah Yat and Souza also delivered speeches at the event, representing the group of student-athletes. Asai Gilman of Education 1st also spoke to the future collegians, emphasizing his mantra of “P.O.G.,” or passion, optimism and gratefulness.
