Numata And Chargers Living Up To Fans’ Expectations
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.us
|
Pearl City’s quest for a fourth consecutive OIA baseball title is contingent, in part, on its leadership. To that end, Chargers head coach Gary Nakamoto has supreme confidence in co-captain Chace Numata, Pearl City’s steady shortstop.
“He’s a very respectful kid, very personable, very courteous to his coaches,” Nakamoto said.“It is always, ‘Yes, coach’ with him. He’s our team leader and one of our captains (along with Jordan Oshiro).
“He’s always out there working hard on the field, and he has a great attitude. Even if he has a bad day himself, he’s out there picking the other kids up.”
The Chargers were right on track for the 2010 season with a 2-0 record in the OIA Red West heading into last weekend. They return to action this week with a pair of key games versus neighboring Aiea. The teams play at Pearl City at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and meet again at 7 p.m. Saturday at Hans L’Orange in Waipahu.
Numata recently took some time away from the practice field to visit with the West Oahu Islander.
What’s your earliest sports-related memory? When I picked up a toy (baseball) bat and played with my Mickey Mouse baseball glove. I was somewhere around 1. I grew up in a baseball family. It was kind of meant to be.
Pearl City’s success on the baseball field has been well-documented in recent years. Does this add extra pressure on you guys as you go through your OIA season? We have our expectations. We always want to win, but we are able to just go out and play. We all work hard, so whatever happens, happens.
What areas of your game did you focus on in the off-season? I would have to say my hitting. I worked on my hitting a lot. It’s hard to produce runs without hitting. I’ve still been staying after practice, working on my hitting in the (batting) cage and on the weekends, I’m still out there hitting.
Who’s had the biggest impact on you in your life? It would have to be my parents (Nathan and Cheryl). They always push me to do better than them. They’re always there to support me, and they want the best for me. They always keep me up.
What Internet site do you frequent the most? YouTube. I like to watch music videos and some baseball clips.
What is your least favorite household chore? Picking up dog doo-doo. We have a lot of dogs - I love dogs - but that is the worst chore.
What movie could you watch over and over? The Little Rascals. I first saw it when I was tiny.
Who is your most competitive teammate at Pearl City practices? My brother (Chevas, a junior). I am always competing with him. And my friend (senior) Royce Murai. We’re always trying to see who can field better or who can hit better. We always push ourselves to be better.
What’s in your iPod? I have some AC/DC and some Aerosmith in there - I have a lot of rock in my iPod. I also have some house music. I listen to that a lot, and I like calm music, like John Mayer. Ten minutes before a game, I usually play some AC/DC.
Do you play video games? I actually haven’t bought anything since seventh or eighth grade, so I have the original Xbox, but I always go to my friend’s house to play his Play Station 3. We play UFC (a martial arts game) and MLB-‘The Show.’
Are you a neat freak or messy? I’m half and half. I can kind of go both ways. There are times when I can be messy and times when I am neat. When I am in the cleaning mode, I clean everything.
If you could have your pick, what celebrity would you choose as your prom date? I’d have to say Selena Gomez. She has her own show on the Disney Channel.
You’re stuck on the island of Kahoolawe. You can have an endless supply of one food. What would it be? InN-Out double-double hamburger. We don’t have one (In-N-Out) down here yet. I first had one in San Diego. It’s the greatest hamburger ever.
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
