Yukumoto Shares Baseball Mana‘o

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Garett Yukumoto burst onto the coaching scene with a flourish in 2000, when he led Leilehua to an OIA West Division championship in only his first year. Four successful seasons later, including 2005, when he led the Mules to another West crown as well as a fifth-place finish at the state baseball tournament, the Royal Kunia resident found himself tabbed as the man to lead the HPU program.

A former standout as a player at the school in the early ‘90s, when he was a teammate of current assistant coach and former Major League Baseball player Benny Agbayani, Yukumoto brought instant credibility to the job, given his reputation as a player. Now five years into his tenure at HPU, the future looks bright for him and for HPU. The Sea Warriors are coming off a 39-12 season in the spring, which saw them make the NCAA West Regional Championships in addition to winning the PacWest title. Yukumoto, who was named Coach of the Year in the league, took some time away from his schedule recently to answer some questions for MidWeek‘s West Oahu Islander.

What’s your earliest sports-related memory? I would say playing in all the different baseball leagues throughout the years, beginning when I was 6.

When did you know you wanted to be a coach? I think it was after playing college baseball (at HPU). I love being able to pass on information to the younger generation.

Who do you consider your mentor for how you run a program? I wouldn’t say there was just one. I’d say all of my previous coaches would be my mentors.

Who in the HPU program is ready for a break-out season in 2011-12? I’d have to say Blake Amaral (of Hilo), our left fielder/third baseman. We recruited him as a third baseman and found we needed an outfielder. He was athletic enough to make the transition, and with his experience of having gotten better and better the last two years, the third year is the year when he can show what he’s made of.

When you go about recruiting, do you begin with a region or area in mind? What’s your starting point? Our starting point would be our homegrown kids. We have a lot of local kids playing for us now, and we hope to attract a lot more in the future.

Who has had the biggest impact on you in your life? My parents (Pat and Wayne) and my family. They overcame their disabilities and persevered in life. (Yukumoto and his wife Darcy have two sons, Trey,12, and Ty, 6.)

What is your least-favorite household chore? Cleaning the house - it’s the additional time spent when you could be doing other things.

What movie could you watch over and over? Major League - it’s a good comedy.

What’s in your iPod? I have an iPhone with music, movies and games. As far as music, I have Hawaiian, reggae, rock - whatever my kids put in there.