In baseball, it’s you against only one other person — pitcher vs. hitter. When one wins, one loses, and everybody sees it. There’s going to be so much failure involved, but you have to be resilient, grow from it, and keep grinding. You can carry those skills through life.
America’s pastime is taken pretty seriously at HPA, where the game is played on lush green fields that thrive in the Waimea weather. The program is fueled by the incredible drive of the athletes, the versatility and patience of coaches, and the family-like bond between team members.
Baseball is a game of failure. Even hitters that fail 70 percent of the time can be considered great. So the key for HPA student-athletes who pick up a glove and bat is learning how to learn from their mistakes and respond to adversity. There’s also a feeling of inclusivity throughout the roster that has proven to be the catalyst for Ka Makani in the past.
“As a freshman I was nervous about joining the team because I never thought I was that good of a ball player,” Braden Kojima ’17 said. ”But the boys really opened up to me and accepted me.”
While schools on the east side of the Big Island have historically dominated in the sport, HPA broke through for the BIIF title in 2009, the program’s first in nearly three decades. Ka Makani are routinely in the mix in the league playoffs, competing for a title.
Head coach
Jeremy Lustik
Recent Players Accolades
2021-22:
Arel Urbanozo, Second-Team All-BIIF
