A Year Brings Many Changes For Kobayashi & Chargers
By Jack Danilewicz
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The waiting, as Tom Petty once sang, is the hardest part.
Pearl City High’s Kyle Kobayashi can relate to those sentiments.A year ago at this time, he struggled for playing time as a junior on a senior-dominated baseball team that was en route to capturing a second straight OIA title. During his soccer season this past winter, a sprained ankle sidelined him for seven of the Chargers’12 games.And after finally securing his spot as starting second baseman during camp, a hamstring injury forced him to miss the entire preseason.
“I thought my senior year would be my break-out year in both soccer and baseball,“he admitted,“but it’s OK.”
It’s not too late for him to make a huge impact on the baseball diamond, however. Kobayashi has been making up for lost time with his offensive output for Pearl City, which is once again the team to beat in the OIA. In a pair of wins over Waianae recently, he broke through for four extra base hits and drove in six runs to lead the way. He’s also been solid at second base for the Chargers,who return to action April 18 in a doubleheader against Kapolei.
Kobayashi won’t find a bigger fan than Gary Nakamoto, now in his second season as varsity coach. Nakamoto has been Kobayashi’s coach since the sixth grade. The pair were together three years at the intermediate level and then again for two years when Nakamoto was the Chargers’ JV coach. When the late Mel Seki retired from coaching after the 2007 season, Nakamoto was promptly promoted, guaranteeing him and Kobayashi another two seasons together. Their alliance even survived last year when Kobayashi found himself on the bench for the first time in his career.
“I was bummed at first, but I accepted it as the season went along,” Kobayashi said of the 2008 season when he was a reserve. “It was the first time I’d ever been on the bench.
“Coach has taught me a lot, like how to be a team player,“he added. “I thought I could come back sooner (from injury) during preseason, but coach told me he would rest me for the rest of preseason.I’m 100 percent now,and I’m glad he rested me.”
If the Chargers were a cohesive bunch last season, they are even more so now.“The team chemistry is really great - we all get along,” Kobayashi said. “This year it’s way better.We all hang out together after games, and we have a lot of fun.”
As the two-time defending OIA champions, Pearl City is used to being on the receiving end of every opponent’s best effort. Far from feeling pressured,they go about their business in a workmanlike manner while having fun at the same time.
“Coach is laid back - he’s not the kind to yell at you,” Kobayashi said.“There are moments when we have to be serious, but we can go out and have fun (and still be successful).”
Kobayashi has been around baseball as long as he could remember. He used to follow his older brother, Scott, when he played Little League.
The pair remain close, although Scott is currently in Iraq with the U.S.Army.He’ll return in September, when Kobayashi expects to be attending college locally.
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