Campbell Begins Switch To A Fall Season For Softball

Wednesday - June 27, 2007
By Jack Danilewicz
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Campbell High’s Everett Pico fields a ball. Photo by Nathalie Walker

Campbell High’s Everett Pico fields a
ball. Photo by Nathalie Walker,
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Campbell High School junior varsity softball coach James Suster can’t help feeling akin to a car stuck in neutral these days.

With the Hawaii High School Athletic Association’s recent decision to move the junior varsity softball season from winter to fall, practice has already begun for the upcoming season. But progress has been limited for the Sabers, who have had only five players present. Unlike in past years, when the summer served as the so-called off-season, Hawaii’s prep JV teams now begin the third week of June in preparation for a season that will start in August.

Word of the change has been slow in getting out, according to Suster, who is hoping for a large turnout from Ilima Intermediate, which has provided the Campbell program with more than its share of great players in past years.


“Once we can field a team, it will be wonderful,” Suster laughed. “We’ll be able to begin weight training and conditioning - two things we’d like to be taking care of in the summer. The final decision wasn’t made until it was too late to do anything (about notifying incoming freshmen). In future years, we’ll be able to send fliers to the school and go over to the school and meet with the kids who are interested in playing softball.”

Suster stressed that beginners are welcome among the incoming ninth-grade class. The Campbell program has had a lot of success in past years with players who took up the sport for the first time during their freshman year.

Campbell High baseball player Sebastian Locquiao prepares to swing. Photo by Nathalie Walker
Campbell High baseball player Sebastian Locquiao prepares to swing. Photo by Nathalie
Walker, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

“Even if they have no softball experience, they should come out,” he said.

Over the long haul, Suster sees more positives than negatives with the shift in seasons, once they overcome the transitional period.

Under the new guidelines, the varsity softball season will move from winter to spring, effectively separating the JV and varsity seasons.

“It will be weird not having them at the same time, but it will (adversely) affect the varsity program more than us,” he explained. “Because they’ll be playing during baseball season, the fence will have to be removed, and the game will change. We’ll get the field and the (batting) cage to ourselves (in the fall).


“Also, kids who play JV as a sophomore can also play varsity the following spring, giving them (what amounts to) a fifth year. It also means that Dave and the varsity coaches will be able to help us out, too.”

The varsity team is coming off one of its best seasons ever last winter when they went 12-1 during the regular season en route to winning the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s Western Division. They were the overall OIA runnerup to Mililani and made a second straight appearance in the state softball championships under coach Dave Perriera.

Prospective junior varsity players can call Suster at 222-1998 for more information.

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