Matt Campos’ first time on Les Murakami Stadium’s outfield was a dizzying experience.
Between innings of a University of Hawaii baseball game, Campos was among the kids competing in the dizzy-bat race in which participants stand their bats vertically, place their foreheads on the knobs, spin around and race to the finish line.
“I was undefeated in that,” Campos said. “It was just beating my friends. There was a little inside competition, a little motivation to win. I never wanted to lose.”
He also caught a T-shirt tossed in the first-base stands, where he used to run around while attending about half the Rainbow Warriors’ home games each season.
Murakami Stadium “is where I grew up watching baseball,” Campos said.
Tonight, Campos’ field of dreams becomes a reality. He is expected to make his UH debut in the opener of the four-game series against North Dakota State. Campos is projected to play second in place of Aaron Ujimori, who suffered a thumb injury in last week’s season opener against Hawaii Hilo. Ujimori was scheduled to undergo surgery to repair torn ligaments on Thursday, and is projected to miss at least six weeks. Campos and Stone Miyao will split time at second.
“When I was a kid, I looked up to these guys a lot,” Campos said. “Hopefully, I can be that guy people can look up to now.”
Campos has prepared since he was 2, when his father gave him a plastic golf set to develop a swing. Campos played T-Ball when he was 4. At 12, he was on the Waipio team that won the American title at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. At ‘Iolani School, he was twice named to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s All-State first team. Campos was a catcher/infielder at San Francisco for two years before transferring to UH. He redshirted during the 2019 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules.
Campos said it was difficult to practice but not play in games last season. “What helped me was looking at the long run, and working hard and putting in my time. This is what I worked for.”
Campos can catch and play all the infield positions. He has five gloves in his locker. “I want to be a team player, and do what’s in the best interest of the team, and do what I can to produce,” Campos said. “Wherever they need me, I’m totally fine with it.”
Jeremy Wu-Yelland and Vince Reilly have embraced the same approach. Both are helping to bolster the ‘Bows’ bullpen.
Against Hilo, Wu-Yelland pitched three scoreless innings, striking out three. Wu-Yelland has the tools — fastball that touches 97 mph — but he established command of his pitches at the elite Cape Cod Summer League. Excluding a bad inning, he had a 1.49 ERA and averaged 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings last summer.
Back on campus, left-handed Wu-Yelland reshaped his body (he is between 205 and 210 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame) and tweaked his motion and release point. “I just want to help us win whether it’s the first six innings or the last three. Whatever it takes, I’m willing to do it.”
For now, that means being used as a reliever with range — three innings in a game, or multiple appearances in a series. “Whenever Coach (Mike Trapasso) calls my name, it’s my time,” Wu-Yelland said.
Reilly, a freshman, was a center fielder and closer at Thousand Oaks (Calif.) High. While he is expected to get some work in the outfield this season, he has proven to be a reliable closer. It took only 12 pitches to retire all six Hilo batters he faced. A key to his success? “Don’t look up at the fans,” said Reilly, who had previously played before fewer than 100 high-school fans. “Stare right at my catcher.”
