Practicing At Game Pace Keeps Mules Ready To Compete
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usLeilehua head baseball coach Lane Watanuki bought into the adage “practice is game pace” a long time ago. With 14 underclassmen on his 20-man roster, getting the team to the right place mentally is a recurring theme.
“If they bring the right mentality to the field, we can compete with anyone,” said Watanuki, who is in his second season at Leilehua and 22nd overall following a long run at Campbell.“I hate to use youth as an excuse, but with young kids, you never know. It depends on which team shows up. We have to make sure our kids come ready to play. We had a good hard practice yesterday, and hopefully the kids buy into the fact that we have to work hard to be successful.”
The Mules entered the weekend - which included a pair of games with Waianae - at 2-4. That marked the halfway point of their OIA Red West slate. The league’s top five teams make the post-season tournament next month, so the Mules find themselves at a critical juncture. They opened league play with a sweep of Aiea, but then dropped four straight to Campbell and Red West favorite Pearl City, the three-time defending OIA champion.
“Versus Campbell and Pearl City, I didn’t think we gave as much as we could have,” Watanuki said. “It wasn’t our best effort. Pearl City is one of the best teams in the state, no doubt about it. To play with them, we have to do it in practice first. That’s been our message, and it will be for the rest of the season. When you practice the way you want to play, the game (and performance at a high level) becomes second nature.”
While youth fills the lineup, a core group of five seniors has provided leadership: Bronson Smythe, Jeremy Sugitan, Wayne Pacheco, Alfred Paas and Lopaka Chandler.
“Our older boys are trying to lead by example,” Watanuki said. “Sometimes your younger kids need that extra little push from their peers.”
Smythe leads the way as a four-year letterman. He holds down a spot at either first or third base most games. “He has a lot of game experience,” Watanuki said. “He has a good demeanor - he doesn’t get rattled - and we’d like the younger kids to follow and emulate his work habits.”
Sugitan plays multiple positions and is currently batting cleanup. He has been designated hitter lately, while Pacheco is a middle infielder. Both are model students, according to Watanuki. “Jeremy is a good student, and he works extremely hard in the weight room. He’s one of our stronger hitters. He has some pop. Wayne is another who will go on to college and be successful. He has good values, and he has his priorities straight.”
Paas and Chandler are still making their way into shape, having had abbreviated preseasons while finishing up their winter sports on the wrestling and basketball teams, respectively.
“Alfred is a good team player - he knows his role and plays within himself,” Watanuki said of Paas, an outfielder. “It’s a matter of catching up right now and getting his timing down.
“Like Alfred, Lopaka is also getting his timing down.
He’s a good student who’s working hard to catch up.”
Leilehua’s last four games should figure big in its post-season fate, with none looming bigger than this Saturday’s double-header at 11 a.m. at Mililani. From there, the Mules play a pair against Kapolei April 7, (away) and April 10 (at Fred Wright Park) to close out their Red West slate.
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