Tsai: UH teams have freshmen worthy of a look
HONOLULU — For many, the freshman year at the University of Hawaii can be jolting.
The packed lecture rooms, the parking and … how the heck does Sodexo food add 15 pounds ?
But then the past week showed the refreshing wonder of a freshman year. Consider these student-athletes’ first spring semester.
Rainbow Warriors pitchers There was uncertainty about the 1980 Rainbows’ pitching staff with the departure of 20-game winner Derek Tatsuno. But energized by freshman pitchers Chuck Crim and Bryan Duquette, the Rainbows came within a game of winning the 1980 College World Series.
No, it would be outrageously optimistic to extrapolate the past weekend’s pitching performances of two games in a season-opening series to the accomplishments by Crim and Duquette. But Zacary Tenn, Isaiah Magdaleno and Itsuki Takemoto provided entertaining once-upon-a-time starts to this baseball season.
A year after undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair a UCL tear in his right (pitching ) elbow, Tenn worked out of a bases-loaded situation he inherited in the first inning against Ole Miss on Sunday. He also pitched a scoreless second inning, and would have gone longer except for head coach Rich Hill’s workload limits.
With 45 minutes notice ahead of the Saturday doubleheader’s second game, Magdaleno allowed two hits in the first four innings. His best weapons were a changeup and his poise. “I saw the look in his eyes before the game, ” catcher DallasJ Duarte said. “He was more than ready to dominate.”
Takemoto, who struck out six of the 11 batters he faced in three scoreless innings on Saturday, has drawn widespread interest since committing to UH last spring. The Japan-reared Takemoto is a two-way player who struck out six of nine at the Perfect Game All-American Scrimmage at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field in July 2022, and has pitched in front of 40, 000 at a national tournament.
A television crew has followed Takemoto for a week. The documentary will air in Japan as two 30-minute shows.
Recognizing the significance of their debuts, broadcaster Harrison Kuroda — a former UH pitcher — gave copies of his scoresheet to Magdaleno and Takemoto.
Basketball guard Tom Beattie The’Bows have had a share of tall freshman guards. Beattie certainly is not Reggie Carter, who turned down offers from North Carolina and Maryland to have a remarkable freshman year with UH. Nor does Beattie possess the smooth shooting motion of Chris Gaines, the program’s career scoring leader. Nor the all-around game of Carl English, who redshirted after suffering an ankle injury as a true freshman and then the next year was named Most Outstanding Player of the WAC Tournament.
But on a team with six seniors, the 6-foot-4 Beattie has been a significant contributor as a playmaker, driver and aggressive man-to-man defender. Noel Coleman and Beattie often take turns guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
Quarterback Micah Alejado Saint Louis School graduates Timmy Chang and Chevan Cordeiro were heralded UH freshman quarterbacks. Now Alejado, who attended Saint Louis through eighth grade before enrolling at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, has drawn attention in spring training.
During the recruiting process, Alejado decided he would complete his high school studies in December and enroll at UH for the 2024 spring semester. That meant trying to earn credits in nine classes in the fall. Alejado did that while also leading the Gaels to the national championship. Alejado did not throw an interception all season.
While Brayden Schager is viewed as the starting quarterback, Alejado has impressed with his accuracy, mobility and quick grasp of run-and-shoot concepts. At 5 feet 10, he has not had difficulty navigating the passing lanes during spring practices. He played behind a towering offensive line at Bishop Gorman. Because the Gaels have a year-round conditioning program, Alejado was fit when he joined the Warriors.
The Warriors’ spring game is set for Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Ching Complex.
