Recent Konawaena graduates have been popping up on the radar all around college baseball.
A trio of 2013 graduates in JJ Kitaoka (University of Hawaii), Ryan Torres-Torioka (Hawaii Pacific) and Domonic Morris (Oregon Tech) made an impact for their teams, while Evyn Yamaguchi — a 2014 graduate — ended his first year at Eastern Arizona on a high note.
Kitaoka has worked hard for every opportunity at the Division I level, and it began to pay dividends at Manoa this season.
After a redshirt year at Hawaii, Kitaoka has started 33 games for the Rainbow Warriors at second and third base. He hasn’t had a terrific year, hitting .202 with 17 RBIs, but has garnered valuable experience with three years to improve. Hawaii wraps up its season in Tucson, Arizona this week, but currently sits at 21-29, with a 12-12 record in Big West play.
Dave Distel, Kitaoka’s coach at Konawaena, praised his former player’s work ethic and expects him only to progress the next three seasons.
“JJ was a just a pure hitter, and improved with all the work he did on his own hitting throughout the years,” Distel said.
When Kitaoka locked up a roster spot at UH in 2013, he accomplished a personal dream, but also saw it as a way to show West Hawaii kids that playing college ball at the next level is a possibility. It is a statement that becomes especially relevant with the PONY Baseball Memorial Day Tournament in town — an event Kitaoka played in growing up.
“It wasn’t just for me, it’s for the community,’’ Kitaoka said of playing for Hawaii in 2013. “I want to open up the gates, just like Kolten Wong did for all of us — be someone the kids can look up to and come to for help.”
Kitaoka’s former teammate, Ryan Torres-Torioka, has also made the most of his time at the college level.
Torres-Torioka hit .272, scoring 23 runs in 2014 during his freshman year with the Sharks, providing some power with three doubles, two triples, a home run and 21 RBIs.
Torres-Torioka did not face any sophomore slump in 2015. The three-time All-BIIF first team selection led all HPU starters, hitting at a .368 clip with a .480 slugging percentage and adding 24 RBIs as the Sharks reeled off a 27-20 record.
His best game offensively came against UH-Hilo on April 11. The 5-foot-5 second baseman went 4 of 5 from the plate, knocking in two RBIs. He nearly mirrored that performance a little more than a week later, once again recording four hits and two RBIs against the Vulcans.
While he performed well offensively, defense is where the former Wildcat really stands out.
“The strongest part of Ryan’s game is his speed and soft hands on defense,” Distel said. “He also had a very quick release on his throws, and a very high baseball IQ.”
Evyn Yamaguchi joined the college ranks this season with Eastern Arizona, playing in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference, a 14-team wood bat league.
“Evyn was the team leader from behind the plate and was the most influential leader on the team both years (at Konawaena),” Distel said. “I let him call probably 95 percent of the game behind the plate — that is a lot of trust from the coach and a lot of pressure on the player, but he thrived on it.”
Yamaguchi appeared in 19 games at DH and catcher for the Gila Monsters, hitting .313 with nine RBIs. Eastern Arizona finished the season 21-31.
Kolten Yamaguchi — Evyn’s brother and a 2011 Konawaena grad —is nearing the end of his college career at Pepperdine. The 2013 All-West Coast Conference first teamer is hitting .252 with three homers and 18 RBIs so far in his senior campaign, with the WCC Championship game against Loyola Marymount up Saturday.