Reece Kadota wrapped up a stellar junior season with a solid week of production on Kauai last week that culminated with his team capturing the first Wally Yonamine Foundation Division II State Championship in program history. Brien Ing | SL

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Athlete of the Week: Reece Kadota, Saint Francis baseball
At 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 135 pounds, Reece Kadota may tend to get overlooked in the athletic arena, but make no mistake, the young man can play some ball.

Kadota, a right-handed catcher and third-year varsity member of the Saint Francis baseball team, wrapped up a stellar junior season with a solid week of production on Kauai last week that culminated with his team capturing the first Wally Yonamine Foundation Division II State Championship in program history.

In three state tournament games at Vidinha Stadium, Kadota batted .500 (5 for 10) with five RBI and four runs scored. He started off the week with a 2 for 3 day at the plate with a double and three RBI Thursday in an 11-5 win over Konawaena in the quarterfinals. Kadota, who bats second in the lineup for the Saints, doubled, drew a walk and scored twice in Friday's 11-1 semifinal victory over Radford in six innings. He closed out his week by going 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 10-4 win over Waimea in the title game.

Kadota's production at the plate in the state tournament was of no surprise to Saint Francis coach Kip Akana.

"He did what we expect him to do and he's been doing it all season and he's been doing it his whole career, you know, coming up with clutch hits, he's super active anywhere on the field — it just so happened that he was catching this year — but he didn't do anything different than he's been doing all season and I don't know what special things to say other than he came up with timely hits in two of the three games where we were either down or tied and for an undersized guy, no moment is too big for him," Akana said of Kadota. "There's nobody with a bigger heart than that guy and not only is he a good kid and a respectful kid, but he is one of the best in the state."

For the season, Kadota hit safely in 19 of his team's 20 games. In 62 at-bats, he collected 27 hits (.435 batting average), 22 RBI and 24 runs scored. Of his 10 extra-base hits, nine of them were doubles. Kadota also walked 11 times and stole six bases on the year.

"He had a solid season. The batting average doesn't tell the whole story. He hit over .400, but he just had so many timely hits with runners in scoring position," Akana said. "He's had a lot of clutch hits."

Kadota has been both durable — he has started every game since he was a freshman — and versatile.

"He's played every single position for us except first base over the years," Akana said. "He's a guy that you've had to have watched over his career to appreciate all the things that he does. He's a hard-nosed player and I'm sure when we've had some 12 o'clock games he's exhausted, but you'll never get that from him. He is that kind of a player."

Akana said that what Kadota lacks in physical attributes, he makes up for with heart and desire.

"He has great fundamentals, which he works on Sundays with his mom and one of their friends, so if you have solid fundamentals at whatever position defensively, and then you sprinkle in that heart and desire, you can overcome a lot and I think especially in Hawaii baseball there's been a bunch of guys that made it who would be considered undersized by Division I or pro standards, but it's sound fundamentals, a lot of heart, a lot of desire and just a pure love for the game and you overcome what other people would consider challenges," Akana said. "On the football field I'm sure he'd struggle, on the basketball court I'm sure he'd struggle, but we're talking about baseball."

Akana credits Kadota's mother, Tricia Nakahara, for instilling rigid discipline and an unwavering work ethic into Reece. He recalled a time after a preseason game at Kalaheo when Kadota had a hard-luck game.

"The kids were eating and the mom was hitting rocket ground balls at him on the side," Akana said. "She was hard on him on academics and very generous with her time, but she demands that Reece do things the right way on and off the field. He always has the best attitude and that's because his mom is tough on him; She's tough on him to always do the right things."

Tricia Nakahara was a standout softball player at Kamehameha, where she was a member of the state championship-winning 1987 team, before going on to play collegiately at UH-Hilo. While she provided much of the tough love on Reece, her mother, Nora Nakahara, has bestowed the unconditional love that only a grandmother can. The elder Nakahara has never missed one of Reece's games at Saint Francis and has been one of the team's biggest supporters over the years, known to the players as ‘Granny.'

"She has to come three hours before every game to get her perfect seat behind the backstop," Akana said.

All season long the Saints dedicated their play to Nora Nakahara, who succumbed to cancer Saturday morning. They wore stickers on the back of their helmets with Nakahara's initials in a purple heart, her favorite color.

"You couldn't have scripted it any better for Reece, you really couldn't have," Akana said.

One would be hard-pressed to script a more storybook end to the Saint Francis program, which along with the rest of its athletic teams played their final seasons this spring with the 95-year old school set to close its doors at the end of this school year. The final chapter for the baseball team saw it overcome its past shortcomings to claim the elusive state title.

"This championship is the cherry that's on top; this is just the end product that started with a bunch of alumni that played and endured, that paid in blood, sweat and tears when we weren't very successful early on, but because they believed and their families believed, as we experienced some success we were able to attract coaches and players and every year was part of the progress and this is the tip of the iceberg," Akana said. "There's a lot that happened and did happen for this to be accomplished."

Kadota was one of six Saint Francis players selected by media and the HHSAA to the all-tournament team last week. He was joined on the team by infielders Bubba Akana and Kiyo Perry, as well as outfielder Chase Akana, utility selection Makana Poole and pitcher/outfielder James Yamasaki, who was tabbed as the most outstanding player in the eight-team field.

"I've been saying this all along that we are one of the best teams in the state," Kip Akana said.

The Saints compiled a 16-4 record this season. The 11 underclassmen on the team, including Kadota, will be free to transfer to another school and play next year without sitting out a season.

"He is an all-state player and he's one of the top catchers in the state and one of the guys that I'm really gonna miss," Akana said. "He is a complete player and whoever gets him is gonna get a great, solid player and they'll echo what I'm saying, which is he's just a treat and a joy to have, so whoever gives him a chance will be grateful they did."

BASEBALL
Jalen Ah Yat, Kailua — Batted 2 for 5 with a home run, two RBI and a walk and threw two scoreless innings of one-hit ball to get the win over Maui

Bubba Akana, Saint Francis — Batted 2 for 4 with two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in a win over Waimea

Richard Akana III, Baldwin — Allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in a five-inning win over Seabury Hall

Kaikoa Alquiza, Waimea — Batted 2 for 4 with a triple, double, two RBI and four runs scored in win over Molokai

Dustin Asuncion, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 3 for 4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a win over Waipahu

Tai Atkins, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Allowed two runs on three hits with 14 strikeouts and two walks in a five-inning win over Waipahu

Jayden Borja, Waipahu — Batted 2 for 4 with a triple, double, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over Molokai

Kristian Cardejon, Waimea — Batted 4 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored in a win over Molokai

Landon Carter, Punahou — Allowed two runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and four walks in six innings pitched in a win over Hilo

Breaden Coloma, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Homered, drove in three runs and scored twice in a win over Waipahu, batted 2 for 3 with a triple, double and a run scored in a loss to Waimea and batted 2 for 3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored in a tie against Radford

Christian DeJesus, Kamehameha — Allowed one run on three hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in five innings of relief in a win over Waiakea

Luca DiMartino, Seabury Hall — Allowed three earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks in a five-inning loss to Konawaena

Matthew Fiesta, Waipahu — Batted 3 for 4 with two triples and two runs scored in a win over Molokai

Ocean Gabonia, Hilo — Batted 2 for 2 with a sacrifice and three RBI and allowed four runs on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk in a complete-game win over Kailua

Kaipo Haole, Baldwin — Batted 2 for 4 with an RBI and allowed five runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in 6 1/3 innings pitched in a win over Waiakea

Ty Honda, Waiakea — Allowed four runs on 10 hits with no walks in a complete-game win over Saint Louis

Kayde Iranon, Kailua — Batted 4 for 5 with a run scored in a win over Maui

Rydge Ishii, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles, a walk, one RBI and three runs scored in a win over Waipahu

Benjamin Kafka, Radford — Allowed two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and no walks in five innings pitched in a tie against Kamehameha-Hawaii

Cade Kalehuawehe, Baldwin — Batted 2 for 2 with two RBI in a win over Hilo

Cole Kashimoto, Saint Louis — Batted 2 for 3 with a stolen base and three runs scored in a win over Castle

Joshua Lee, Waipahu — Homered and drove in three runs in a win over Molokai

Shai Lolo-Tamashiro, Kailua — Struck out six, walked three and allowed four hits in five scoreless innings pitched in a win over Maui

Caleb Lomavita, Saint Louis — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBI and allowed three hits with two strikeouts and one walk in three scoreless innings of relief in a loss to Waiakea and batted 2 for 3 with a triple and two RBI in a win over Campbell

Matthew Lukins, Radford — Batted 3 for 3 with a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Seabury Hall and batted 2 for 3 with a stolen base and two runs scored in a tie against Kamehameha-Hawaii

Jacob Luther, Seabury Hall — Batted 2 for 3 with two doubles and three RBI in a loss to Konawaena

Pono Lyman, Kaiser — Allowed three earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks in a complete-game win over Campbell

Noah Matsumoto, Kaiser — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple, walk and four RBI in a win over Kailua

Safea Mauai, Waiakea — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, walk, two RBI and a run scored in a loss to Baldwin

Matt McConell, Punahou — Allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks in a complete-game win over Kaiser

Jaimison Medeiros, Konawaena — Allowed two earned runs on nine hits with no walks in a five-inning win over Seabury Hall

Zakaia Michaels, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Allowed two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in six innings pitched in a loss to Waimea

Stone Miyao, Waiakea — Batted 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored in a win over Saint Louis

Lacin Montemayor, Waimea — Homered and drove in three runs in a loss to Saint Francis

Kade Morihara, Punahou — Batted 2 for 3 with a triple and two RBI in a win over Kaiser

Makana Murashige, Punahou — Batted 2 for 3 with a grand slam, a sacrifice and five RBI in a win over Hilo

Jarrett Nam, Kaiser — Struck out three, walked none and allowed five hits in a five-inning shutout of Kailua

Damon Nelson, Radford — Batted 3 for 3 with a triple, RBI, stolen base and two runs scored in a tie against Kamehameha-Hawaii

Brayden Nomura, Saint Francis — Allowed one earned run on five hits with eight strikeouts and one walk in a complete-game win over Waimea

Kelden Ogawa, Hilo — Allowed two run on six hits with one strikeout and a walk in five innings pitched in a loss to Baldwin

Gyson Oshiro, Kaiser — Batted 2 for 3 with a double, three RBI, a walk and two stolen bases in a win over Campbell

Dante Park, Kamehameha — Batted 2 for 2 with two doubles and two runs scored in a win over Waiakea

Javyn Pimental, Kamehameha — Struck out seven, walked one and allowed two hits in five scoreless innings pitched in a win over Castle

Makana Poole, Saint Francis — Batted 3 for 4 with a triple, two RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored in a win over Radford and batted 2 for 2 with two doubles, a sacrifice, an RBI, three stolen bases and two runs scored in a win over Waimea

Christian Reasoner, Kaiser — Batted 2 for 3 with a walk, RBI and two runs scored in a win over Campbell

Bronson Rivera, Konawaena — Batted 3 for 3 with a home run and four RBI in a tie against Waipahu

Dayton Robinson, Campbell — Allowed three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks in five innings pitched in a loss to Kaiser

Kalai Rosario, Waiakea — Batted 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and two run scored in a win over Saint Louis and batted 3 for 4 with a home run, double, two RBI and two runs scored in a loss to Baldwin

Landon Shigeta, Kaiser — Allowed no runs on three hits with one strikeout and one walk in five innings pitched in a loss to Punahou

Jason Shiigi, Mililani — Struck out nine, walked one and allowed two hits in a complete-game shutout of Kamehameha

Tyler Shimabukuro, Punahou — Allowed one run on three hits with three walks in 4 1/3 innings of relief in a win over Mililani

Ayzek Silva, Campbell — Struck out eight, walked two and allowed four hits in a complete-game shutout of Maui

Levi Snowden, Waimea — Batted 2 for 4 with three RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in a win over Molokai and batted 2 for 3 with a home run and three RBI in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Maximus Stineman, Saint Francis — Batted 2 for 4 with a double, three RBI and a run scored in a win over Konawaena

Quintin Tanaka, Seabury Hall — Batted 3 for 3 with three runs scored in a loss to Konawaena

Jake Tsukada, Punahou — Batted 2 for 4 with two doubles nd two runs scored in a win over Punahou

Tysson Unciano, Waimea — Allowed one run on seven hits with three strikeouts and one walk in a complete-game win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Jencen Villanueva, Waipahu — Allowed three earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and one walk in a complete-game win over Molokai

Charles Winchester, Mililani — Allowed one run on seven hits with one walk in six innings pitched in a win over Baldwin

Boden Woodard, Maui — Allowed no runs on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks in five innings of relief in a loss to Campbell

James Yamasaki, Saint Francis — Batted 2 for 3 with a double and three RBI and allowed one unearned run on two hits with four strikeouts and three walks in a six-inning win over Radford and batted 3 for 4 with a double, RBI and a run scored

Bennet Ziegler-Namoa, Baldwin — Allowed one run on one hit with three strikeouts and three walks in five innings pitched in a loss to Mililani