Talented Sumner, Kailua Teammates Have Eye On OIA Title

Wednesday - April 15, 2009
By Jack Danilewicz
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Kale Sumner is a powerhouse behind the Surfriders’ home plate. Photo by Nathalie Walker, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

By the time he was just able to walk, Kale Sumner already was filling his day with baseball.

“I used to always go into my back yard,and I’d throw the ball up to myself, hit it and chase it. I’d keep doing it for hours,” Sumner said.“I must have been about 2 or 3.”

Fast forward to the present at Kailua High School, where he’s the starting catcher and reigning Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East Player of the Year,and little has changed.

Baseball has plainly become a lifestyle for Sumner, who already holds scholarship offers from both Hawaii Pacific and UH-Hilo.

“Baseball is pretty much my whole life,” he admitted.“I’ve always loved it.”

The visions of glory that pervade Sumner’s thoughts these days are of making a big impact in a big game,much as he has done each of the past two years with Kailua. The Surfriders have come up just short in the post-season of late, with back-to-back runner-up finishes in the OIA to Pearl City. But they look very much a team capable of securing the top spot themselves this time around, having taken a 7-1 record into the weekend.


 

“In practice, we always go through situations,” he said. “We imagine it’s our last at-bat in the state championship game.”

An OIA championship and state title would be the ideal send-off for Sumner, who has had a stellar career,first at third base his sophomore and junior seasons,and this year as the team’s catcher.

Through his first eight games,Sumner was batting just over .500 with five extra base hits, including home runs versus both Kalani and Kaiser. In fact, his home run against Kaiser came in his very first atbat of 2009 and sent the Surfriders on their way to a 15-6 victory.

Sumner’s offensive output has come through limited opportunities, as opposing teams are well-aware of his abilities following his breakthrough junior season.

“I was getting more pitches to hit last season,” said Sumner, who batted .514 as a junior to go with four home runs and 16 RBI. “I’m seeing a lot of off-speed pitches this year.”

Behind the plate,he also has been solid, yielding only one stolen base through last week. “I’ve played all nine positions in my life, so I’m comfortable anywhere on the field. The coaches decided to put me there at the beginning of this season. They thought more plays would come my way and that it would give me more of a chance for a scholarship.”

If anything,his new position behind the plate tweaks his ultra-competitiveness as it puts him at the center of action. “I like when people try to run on me,” he said.

Sumner added another title this year within the Kailua program - that of team leader. “I’m trying to lead more by example this year, to show the younger kids what Kailua baseball is all about.”

He stopped short of saying the team is playing its best baseball of the season, but he likes the position they’re in, with the East’s No.1 seed for the upcoming OIA playoffs still a good possibility.

“There’s always room for improvement, but our pitching has been really good this year,“he said. “This team also shows a lot of heart when we play.”


In Kailua coach Corey Ishigo, Sumner also has found a mentor and could find his way into the coaching ranks himself one day.

“I could see myself doing that,” he said.

While he entered Kailua as a good player for his age, Sumner credits Ishigo with helping him to maximize his potential. “He still comes out and plays at practice and shows us how to do things,” Sumner said of Ishigo, a former University of Hawaii player before beginning his successful run as Kailua’s coach. “We’re always fascinated by how well he can do stuff.

“Our coaches, especially coach Corey, saw something in me, and they’ve pushed me to reach my potential. I’ve learned a lot from him.”

 

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