Baseball
Punahou catcher Harrison commits to Oregon State


Wes Nakama
January 22, 2012, 6:15pm


Punahou sophomore catcher KJ Harrison made a verbal commitment yesterday to play baseball for Oregon State University.

Harrison made a recent visit to OSU's campus in Corvallis and also visited Washington and Oregon, but called Beavers coach Pat Casey on Saturday to make his commitment.

"It feels awesome," Harrison said. "I went up there on a trip and I loved it, I loved the coaches. It's a great program."

Oregon State is ranked No. 24 in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll. The Beavers return 15 lettermen from last year's team that went 41-19 and finished No. 10 in Collegiate Baseball's final poll after advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals.

Harrison batted .317 with four doubles and 10 RBIs in 17 Interscholastic League of Honolulu games last season.

"They (Oregon State) love him, they told him he's their guy and that he fits perfectly with what they want at Oregon State," said Kenny Harrison, KJ's father and Punahou's head coach. "We felt blessed they think so highly of him, and when we talked it over, we said, 'Why wait, what are we waiting for?' "

KJ Harrison said he is comfortable with committing even before his sophomore season.

"I wanted to commit early, because it's a big choice in my life and I didn't want it to get too stressful," Harrison said. "Ever since I was little, I wanted to play in the Pac-10, now the Pac-12. Oregon State has great coaches, and that's what it came down to. It's a big step for me, I like it. It's awesome."



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