Limahai Steps It Up For Surfriders After Elbow Injury
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.usNo one has to remind Kailua’s Jordan Limahai that his eligibility clock is ticking.When the senior first baseman injured his elbow in the Surfriders’ second preseason game, he was already getting acquainted with life after baseball.
“I basically missed the entire pre-season,” he said, “and I thought I was going to be out for the season. Mentally, it was frustrating. It was hard to stand on the sidelines and watch the other kids play. I wanted to get back out there the next day.
“I would go to the field every day and run or work on my cardio(vascular). I’d try to hit and I’d get hurt again, so I had to take it slow.”
When he battled back to regain a spot in the lineup for Kailua’s opener March 5 against Moanalua, it was clearly a personal triumph. Limahai has gone on to become one of the catalysts for the Surfriders, who took a 9-2 record into last Friday’s key OIA East Red game with Kaiser. He entered the weekend with a hefty .500 batting average, including a slew of extra-base hits of late. His impact was especially felt in Kailua’s riveting come-from-behind win over Kaiser March 26, when his RBI single with two outs in extra innings drove the Surfriders across the finish line in an 8-7 win.
Last year,Limahai was a part-time starter for the Surfriders, having been removed from the lineup at times because of what he termed “a bad attitude.”
“Coach wasn’t happy with me, and he sat me down,“said Limahai. “He used to tell me that I had all the tools, but that it was my head that was messing me up. Without him, I think I’d still be the same way. I have a different perspective now.
“If I’m having a bad game,I know I can still help the team by being supportive in the dugout,” he added.“Before, if I was having a bad game, I would shut down, basically.”
Said head coach Corey Ishigo: “He’s matured a lot in a year. He’s been with us since his sophomore year, and he’s always been a little immature and selfish at times. Now, he’s the most positive he’s ever been before, and he’s leading the team. We’ve been waiting for that - it was a just a matter of time.”
Baseball has always been an all-consuming activity for Limahai, who gave up football and basketball once he began high school at Kailua. His father, John, was a high school teammate of Ishigo’s at Kailua before moving on to play at Hawaii Pacific University.
“I picked up a baseball before I could walk,“said Limahai, who lives with his mother, Milia and stepfather, Garrett. “I used to be at my dad’s (HPU) games all the time.
“When I got hurt, I realized how much I love baseball. I have more drive now. My senior year is coming to an end, and I want to help this team win a state championship. I worked hard in the off-season. I take the game more seriously now, and I want to better myself and the team.”
The Surfriders will likely earn either the No 1. or No. 2 seed out of the East for the OIA playoffs, which begin Wednesday. Either seed would guarantee Kailua a first round bye and move them closer to earning one of the OIA’s five berths for the Wally Yonamine Foundation state baseball tournament next month. Limahai expects the Surfriders to be at their best come playoff time. Heading into last Friday’s game, Kailua held a one-game lead over Kaiser in the East.
“We need everybody,” Limahai said. “When we come out lazy, we play like junk. In the games we lost (to Moanalua and Roosevelt), we thought we’d win, took them for granted, and lost. Now this team’s coming together, and we’re working together as a team.”
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
