Whirlwind Game Schedule For Castle’s Boys Of Summer

Wednesday - June 13, 2007
By Jack Danilewicz
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The American Legion League’s playoffs may still be a few weeks away, but in a sense, the Castle baseball team is already in post-season mode.

Knights’ baseball coach Joe Tom offers player Brandon Kon some pointers. Pictured at right is Castle’s Pulama Silva, preparing to pitch. Photos by Nathalie Walker, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

“We’re getting to the meat of our schedule,” Castle coach Joe Tom said.“These games are a good test for us.”


Over the past five days, the Knights were to have played Mid-Pacific, Moanalua and four-time defending state champion Punahou. A game against Damien on Wednesday at Central Oahu Regional Park also figures big in their schedule. A year ago, Castle made it all the way to the ALL Championship series before losing to Kalani. Tom is hoping his team can hit its stride at the right time once again.

“Overall, we’re off to a good start. If we can stay healthy, we can make another run at playoff time. It’s a matter of training and getting guys ready. We have to get by this week.”

The Knights have a number of veterans in the fold for their ALL season, including Pulama Silva, Kainoa Tom, Joshua Serrano, Coby Agres and Codey Cabael. Silva was a First Team All-Conference selection in the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s Eastern Division this spring, while Agres and Cabael were Second Team selections. Tom is also high on up-and-coming pitchers Bryan Raines and Kris Kahanu, while a

pair of former Knights - David Mohika and Dallas Olsen - are also in the fold.

“They bring some maturity to the team,” Tom said of the pair, who have completed their high school eligibility. “It’s a good group overall.”

Castle had taken a 4-2 record into the weekend, which should bode well for the Knights’ playoff

hopes. The two losses came to perennial powers Kailua and Aiea. The top eight teams (out of 20) qualify for the American Legion Playoffs, which will begin July 16.

As was the case during their recently completed OIA regular season this spring, the Knights have relied on their defense in summer play.

“Pitching has been our strength - we’ve pitched well enough to win in every game,” said Tom. “We’ve been getting good performances (on the mound) overall. Bryan (Raines), Pulama (Silva) and Joshua (Serrano) have been carrying us. And Kainoa (Tom), although he hasn’t pitched yet, has been throwing hard in the bull pen. I think he’s throwing harder than he did during the (regular) season.”


Offensively, “we need to pick up the bats,” Tom said.“We’ve won our games by manufacturing runs, but we had 11 hits in our last game against Campbell (a 7-1 victory), so maybe we’re coming around.”

Under ALL guidelines, players must use wooden bats as opposed to the aluminum bats that are normally favored by high school players.

“I think it (the wooden bat) is a good thing,” Tom said. “You can’t rely on those aluminum hits. It helps you to get a proper swing. You have to hit the ball on the sweet spot.”

Monday’s game with Moanalua was to mark the midway point of the Knights’ 18-game ALL schedule.

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