In football, safeties are considered center fielders.
For the Hawaii baseball team, Matthew Miura is a center fielder who considers himself a safety.
“I stand out there like a (defensive back),” said Miura, who started at center in all four games of last weekend’s season-opening series against Ole Miss. “I played football as a DB, a safety (for Pac-Five). I think of myself as a safety out there. That’s how I go about it.”
In constructing his third UH team, coach Rich Hill wanted an athletic middle. “Especially on this turf and in this big place,” Hill said, gazing around spacious Les Murakami Stadium.
The ’Bows’ up-the-middle defense features catcher DallasJ Duarte; shortstops Elijah Ickes and Jordan Donahue; second baseman Stone Miyao and Miura.
Hill praised Miura, who succeeded Matt Wong in center.
“He was spectacular in the fall and in January just tracking down everything,” Hill said of the 6-foot, 185-pound Miura. “He has a good feel for the wind patterns out there, and he’s getting more and more comfortable every game.”
Through day and evening scrimmages during fall training, Miura figured out the swirling winds at Murakami Stadium.
“I know how everything blows during the day, it’ll blow in,” Miura said. “I’ll always look at the flags. At night, (the winds will) push out to the gaps. Depending on Kona winds, it might blow out to the left. I’m comfortable with it.”
He also has adjusted to the wall lights on the top level.
“They’ll kind of get into your eyes when the ball’s in the gaps,” Miura said. “You have to keep running, trust the route, and then wait until (the ball) gets out of the light.”
Miura relies on the scout cards assistant coach Dave Nakama distributes before games, and his new 2024 Julio Rodriguez A2000 outfield glove. He picked the 12.75-inch glove from a catalogue provided by UH’s equipment staff.
“It’s a little bigger than my last glove,” Miura said of the Navy blue and tan model with teal lettering. “I like the colors on it.”
He breaks in gloves the old-fashioned way. “I just pound it, hit the pocket, just catch with it, and it’s good,” he said.
Borrowing from Wong, Miura prefers to retreat for fly balls.
“I’m more comfortable going back than going in,” he said. “I’m worried about my gaps. I’m focused on my gaps. It helps when I go back.”
Miura, who can sprint 60 yards in 6.5 seconds, has the speed to cover from alley to alley.
Miura started 14 games, including 12 in left field, as a freshman in 2023. Last summer, Miura was told he would take over center for the ’Bows.
“All through summer ball, I was like, ‘You know what, it’s my job to lose,’” Miura recalled. “I had a lot of help. A lot of people helped me get here. A lot of resources. Matt was a big help. He was a good role model, a good leader.”
In four games this year, Miura has 13 putouts and no errors.
“I feel like I’m a center fielder,” he said. “That’s my position. That’s what helps my game. I give everything to play defense, especially up the middle. I take a lot of pride in it.”
