Kaiser High Cougars Aiming For Post-season Baseball
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.usThe finish line may be in sight in the hotly contested OIA Eastern Division baseball race, but a more relaxed air prevails around the Kaiser baseball diamond these days.
“Last year we were stronger, but we seemed to play with a lot of pressure,” Kaiser coach Peter Ho said.“This team doesn’t press when it’s down. They enjoy game by game. We want the baseball field to be a place where there’s no stress, where they can put everything aside and just play baseball. It’s a very close-knit group, and we’re letting them play. I told them, ‘we can only coach you.’ They have to do it. They have to make the plays.”
The Cougars have been solid to that end. Kaiser took a big step toward its second East title in three years with a 11-5 win over defending OIA champ Kailua last Wednesday, and was tied for first with Moanalua in the East at 6-1 heading into the weekend. At press time, the Cougars had three games remaining (with Kahuku, McKinley and Kaimuki) against teams with a combined record of 6-11 in the East.
Ho likens his current team to his 2004 edition, which made the school’s last state tournament appearance.
“They have the same kind of makeup we had two years ago,” said Ho, who has a 23-4 record in regular season games since 2004.“We don’t have any superstars, but they play real well together. It’s a senior-driven team. They make plays, get on base, and put pressure on other teams.”
The 2006 Cougars are built around their four senior captains: third baseman Colby Ho, catcher Jarryd Maeda and brothers Scott (center fielder) and Andy Uehara (shortstop).
Ho, the coach’s son, had a pair of doubles and drove in two runs in Kaiser’s win over Kailua and took a .375 batting average into the weekend. He was a First Team East All-Star in 2005.
“He’s a rock at third base, one of our mainstays,” said the coach. “They’re pitching around him a lot. He’s been intentionally walked seven times already, so he hasn’t been getting a lot of opportunities.”
Andy is batting .300 in the lead-off spot , while Scott is a two-time East First Team All-Star.“Scott is the best center-fielder in the state right now,“Ho said.“He doesn’t have blinding speed, but gets good jump and gets to balls others can’t get to. Andy is our vocal leader, a very spunky ballplayer.”
Ho said Maeda is batting “over .500” and is a four-year starter behind the plate.“Jarryd is top-notch.”
Adding assistant Mark Rassmussen (a former HPU assistant) was a big boost to the program.“He takes them to the next level,” Ho said.
The Cougars meet McKinley at 10 a.m. Saturday, with Toby Inouye on the mound. He takes a 2-0 record into the game as a starter, having earned wins against Roosevelt and Castle earlier.
A year ago, Kaiser finished its regular season 8-2, but an upset-loss to Pearl City in the first round of the OIA playoffs ended state title dreams.
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
