Head Coach Wayne Wakumoto, his coaching staff and players have begun their quest for the Pony baseball region-al title in California. The group took off from Lihu‘e Airport yesterday, after practicing for the past two weeks, preparing for a long
Head Coach Wayne Wakumoto, his coaching staff and players have begun their quest for the Pony baseball region-al title in California.
The group took off from Lihu‘e Airport yesterday, after practicing for the past two weeks, preparing for a long journey that will hopefully take them all the way to the Pony World Series.
Wakumoto has said that if the Kaua‘i team wins the regional tournament, then they will head straight to the Pony World Series. The team will be followed by a contingent of parents, who are still feeling the effects of an unbelievable run on O‘ahu for the state title.
“These boys come from all around the island, so Kaua‘i is well-represented and now we’re representing the state as well,” Wakumoto said.
The exposure has also brought attention to some of the players, who are either making their way to the high school level, or already at the prep level.
Most notably is the attention Kalani Brackenridge is getting from coaches at the next level.
Kaua‘i coach Lyle Brackenridge, who was an accomplished player himself, is the father of Kalani, so the good baseball genes are in the family circle.
The 14 players on the Kaua‘i Pony AllStar team have one goal in mind and it looks as if they could reach it.
“Their bats started to perk up towards the end of the state tournament, so we’re still looking for the hitting to come around,” Wakumoto said.
