Kailua’s Sasaoka: At Bats Are Great, Leadership Even Better

Wednesday - June 23, 2010
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share Del.icio.us

Kory Sasaoka at the plate for the Surfriders. Photo by Don Baldwin.

The next step in his development as a baseball player, Kory Sasaoka admits, is to become a leader.

“I don’t really like to tell people what to do, but the coaches always tell me I can be a leader by example and to keep hustling and the others will follow,” said Sasaoka, a senior-to-be at Kailua High. “The dynamics of our team have changed, and all the leadership has left (by way of graduation), so the upcoming seniors all have to step it up.”

As center fielder and lead-off hitter, Sasaoka is positioned to set the tone for the team, which reached the midway point in its American Legion League season late last week.

The weight room is a second home for Sasaoka and his teammates this summer, but it’s also an opportunity for him to show he can lead.

“Lifting is optional, but all of us older players are trying to go regularly,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of weight training with (Kailua assistant) Coach Travis (Teshima). We go every day. Even before games, we go and do some light lifting. It should help my power when hitting. We know how much it will affect our hitting, so it’s important.”


 

Sasaoka stepped into the lead-off spot and outfield at the midway point of his sophomore year. He has started every game since, including this spring when Kailua finished 14-4 and took fifth in the Division I state baseball tournament. Sasaoka hit .500 exactly in the lead-off spot as a junior. He also was first in Kailua’s batting hierarchy as a freshman when he played JV.

“The coaches told me they’ve been grooming me to be our lead-off hitter since I came to Kailua,” he said. “I feel like I can make a difference. If I get on (base), I feel like it gives the team more momentum. There’s not much pressure (in the lead-off spot). My teammates always have my back.”

Kailua coach Corey Ishigo praises his workmanlike approach: “He’s a real hard worker, and he makes a lot of plays for us, defensively.”

Sasaoka has been an out-fielder since PONY league days and wouldn’t have it any other way. “Infield is more complicated - you have to learn the picks and bunt defense. Playing in the outfield is more see-the-ball and catch-the-ball. It’s more simple.”

Although he hit for a good average as a junior, offense remains Sasaoka’s area of emphasis in the ALL. “I want to work on my hitting mostly. This past season was probably the best I did in my life, but I think I can become an even-better hitter.”

Kailua, which was 6-4 through its first ALL games, plays a pair of key contests this week. They visit Mid-Pacific Wednesday for a game at 4:30 p.m. and will host Punahou at 9 a.m. Sunday. Kailua won the ALL state championship last June and advanced to the semifinals of the Western Regionals in July. Whether it can repeat that feat remains to be seen, but Sasaoka knows that cohesiveness is always a key.


“We kind of lose our bond a little when the (spring) season ends (and people graduate), but as we play more games together, we always gain it back,” he explained. “After the 2009 state tournament, we still really hadn’t hit our peak, but we did in the summer. It’s the same way this year, so hopefully we’ll peak.”

 

 

E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS

Most Recent Comment(s):

Posting a comment on MidWeek.com requires a free registration.

Username

Password

Auto Login

Forgot Password

Sign Up for MidWeek newsletter Times Supermarket
Foodland

 

 



Hawaii Luxury
Magazine


Tiare Asia and Alex Bing
were spotted at the Sugar Ray's Bar Lounge