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Kapolei Takes Preseason By Storm, Ready For OIA Race

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Kapolei head softball coach Tony Saffery saw enough of his team in pre-season to know his Hurricanes can more than hold their own in a high-scoring game.

That realization has prompted the veteran coach to put all the more emphasis on getting the most mileage from his pitching staff.

“Our strength will be our ability to match the other team hit for hit,“he said.“We don’t have a dominating pitcher (as in past years), but I have five kids I can go to. I’m hoping we can work in an opener, a middle reliever and a closer. It’s kind of a baseball mentality (by using multiple pitchers in a single game). That’s the game plan.”

Kapolei, which won OIA titles in both 2004 and 2005, is coming off a 12-6 season in 2007, and would seem on schedule to be a factor in the OIA race again if they can maintain their level of play of the last month. The Hurricanes entered last weekend having won 11 of 12 preseason games to date, with the only blemish on their slate a 2-1 loss to Kamehameha in a game called prematurely due to inclement weather.

Much has happened since the Hurricanes’ 2007 season ended. With the varsity softball season switched from winter to spring this academic year, a much longer off-season followed for Kapolei and its fellow OIA programs. Because the JV season is played in the fall, thereby separating the two, a handful of underclassmen were able to move from their recently completed JV season right into varsity softball. Under the new arrangement, a freshman could potentially gain an additional season of softball if she makes the varsity in the same academic year.

“We’re really pleased with the kids we have up from the JV,” Saffery said.“Before, it was rare that we would bring someone straight up from the JV (to the varsity). Now, I have a chance to watch the youngsters play and see who we need.”

Even with an impressive freshman class, the Hurricanes’ immediate hopes are tied to the play of their veterans. In seniors Ka’ili Smith and Ashlynn Ashby, as well as junior Tehane Kaaihue, Kapolei figures to have three of the league’s better players at their respective positions.

Smith, who plays center field in addition to catcher and first base, is coming off a stellar off-season that saw her receive and accept an offer to play next year at Mississippi State. She was among the members of the Hawaii Pearls 18-and-under team Saffery took to Colorado in July to be exposed to college coaches.

“Their assistant coaches fell in love with her and went back and told their head coach (Jay Miller),” Saffery said of Smith. “They’re looking forward to having her up there. Her strength is her feel for the game. I just let her go. She’s dynamite out there.

“When she came to us as a freshman, she’d played baseball all of her life,” he added.“It was her first year of organized softball, and she had to make that transition. She rolled right in as a freshman. She tore it up on the national level this summer.”

If Mississippi State has its way, Kaaihue could be in a Bulldog uniform in the near future as well. A shortstop entering her third year on the varsity for Kapolei, she’s among the prospects MSU is currently courting.

“She has tremendous speed,” Saffery said. “She has a real sense of urgency when she moves to the ball.”

Behind the plate, the Hurricanes figure to be in good shape with Ashby back in the fold. A steady performer in the past, she took a break from softball last summer to participate in the Miss Teen Hawaii pageant, where she finished third.

“She hung up the cleats and put on the heels,” he said. “She really made us proud. I told her that this (Miss Teen Hawaii) was something that may never come around again and that she wouldn’t want to wish later that she had gone. We can work on softball next year, I told her.”

On the playing field, Ashby’s maturity level has “skyrocketed,” he said. “This year we’re putting our faith in those seniors and their leadership.”

On the mound, Saffery envisions Kai Clark, Shavanna Holt-Santiago, Kahana Higa and Dorian Acierto getting much of the work.

“They all throw good strikes, and they’re all good defensive pitchers (in the field) as well,” Saffery said. “We’ll have to work harder on defense, but we definitely have the capability of being a good defensive team, and we’ll need to be offensively strong. I think we’ll be able to score runs.”

The Hurricanes, who were to open their regular season Tuesday against Pearl City, return to action at 3:30 p.m. Thursday when they visit Campbell for a key OIA Red West encounter.