Marauders Rebuilding After Back-to-back Division Titles
By Jack Danilewicz
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The by-product of Waipahu’s back-to-back OIA Division II baseball titles the past two years is that the Marauders find themselves in the rebuilding mode this season. That much was expected, but the key factor is how soon they can regroup.
“The potential is there - it’s a matter of putting it all together,” longtime head coach Milton Takenaka said. “Right now, we’re just not a good baseball team. But the positive is that they come to the park every day to work hard, and that’s all we can ask - that they come out and give 100 percent.”
Takenaka’s sentiments are not unlike those of three years ago at this time when the players quickly transformed themselves. Then he pinned his team’s hopes largely on up-and-coming players Tryton Gante, Kaimi Haina and Ignatius Mackenzie. The trio developed into good leaders as well as good players en route to spearheading the team’s runs of 2008 and 2009.
“We didn’t expect that their losses would be as big a factor as it has been,” said Takenaka, whose team went 12-3 in 2009. “We haven’t had a real good preseason.”
As in 2007, Takenaka has a handful of talented sophomores who gained valuable innings last season for Waipahu, including second baseman Jarinn Abreu and pitcher Drake Yoshioka, who threw a one-hitter versus Kahuku in the season-opener late last week. Also back are seniors Sam Chee (third base), Aldrin Padilla (catcher), Shane Estanique (right field) and juniors Ed Agag (left) and Jonathan Casamina (center).
A greater challenge for the group at present is to find leadership to go with the experience the Marauders do return. “We have some seniors, but they are not real assertive-type kids. It’s hard for the younger kids to tell the older ones what to do, so we’re still waiting for someone to take charge and pick it up. Hopefully, that will happen like in past years.”
Yoshioka has a hold on the No. 1 pitching slot for the present and will be at shortstop when not on the mound. Abreu will move to his more natural position of second base in those situations.
“Drake is a competitor,” Takenaka said of Yoshioka. “He’s just young and needs to mature a bit. Not getting discouraged is something he needs to work on.
“Right now, defense is definitely Jarinn’s strength,” he added of Abreu, who will be at shortstop when Yoshioka pitches.
Chee is a four-year starter and will anchor the infield at third. “We’ll look to him to supply the power, offensively.”
Padilla played first base last year, but will shift to catcher this season to compensate for the loss of Mackenzie.
A bright spot at the end of preseason was offensive improvement, in the coach’s view. “If one phase of your game isn’t working, we always talk about picking it up in another area. Pitching has been a real problem so far. We’ve been walking too many guys and not making good pitches. Offensively, we’ve hit the ball better the last few games, so hopefully the bats will come around.
“Ed has been a surprise in preseason with the bat, and Shane is more of an offensive threat right now.”
Takenaka can be counted among those who believe that peak performance begins in the mind. “As the two-time defending champs, we need to come out with more of an attitude,” he said. “Mentally, we have to come out prepared. That’s our problem right now. We haven’t been that strong there.”
Waipahu returns to action at 3:30 p.m. today (March 17) with a game at Waipahu before a week off to get ready for a home date against Farrington on March 24.
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