Waimea coach Pat Baniaga said last week the Kaua’i softball team was improving at a surprisingly quick rate. No one ever thought it would be this quick. The Red Raiders, who many thought wouldn’t be a factor in the KIF
Waimea coach Pat Baniaga said last week the Kaua’i softball team was improving at a surprisingly quick rate.
No one ever thought it would be this quick.
The Red Raiders, who many thought wouldn’t be a factor in the KIF due to their inexperience, have jumped out to a 2-1 record in KIF play and are climbing the ladder of success-in terms of efficiency-at an alarming rate.
They came from losing three out of four in the Waimea Tournament Thanksgiving weekend, to losing by three to Waimea (shutting out the Menehunes for five innings) and beating Kapa’a twice in a double-header last weekend.
They committed eight errors against the Menehunes, they only committed three against the Warriors.
“We are happy with our improvement in the past few weeks,” said Red Raider coach Jackie Inouye of her young team. “We just try to come out and play better every time we get out on the field. That’s what we [her and her assistants brother Kelii Inouye and Katherine Medeiros] expect from the girls.”
Inouye said it was natural for her to say Kaua’i’s goal was to win a KIF championship. But she stressed improvement as being the key to acheiving the team’s goals on the diamond.
“It is common for every team to say they want to win a championship,” says Inouye. “But it is more important to know that we are continuing to show improvement every time we go out there. If we practice hard and play hard, that should be the likely result.”
Kaua’i will face Waimea for the second time this Saturday.
