LIHU‘E — Baseball is just around the corner for Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation programs and Kaua‘i High School welcomed its 2010 season with its annual baseball clinic and Red-and-White game, Saturday at Vidinha Stadium. “We leave Wednesday to play on O‘ahu,”
LIHU‘E — Baseball is just around the corner for Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation programs and Kaua‘i High School welcomed its 2010 season with its annual baseball clinic and Red-and-White game, Saturday at Vidinha Stadium.
“We leave Wednesday to play on O‘ahu,” said Kaua‘i head coach Hank Ibia. “This is the final workthrough before leaving. When we return, we’ll be in the Waimea Invitational Baseball Tournament and then the season will be on us.”
Players of all different age levels from the Lihu‘e Baseball League gathered at Vidinha Stadium where the Kaua‘i High School coaching staff and players were broken down to head drills and exercises through all phases of the game.
“This is not just infield, outfield,” said Aaron Uyeda, a Kaua‘i coach. “We’re making the players go through all the phases of being a baseball player.”
Those drills worked players through pitching, catching, fielding, learning the different positions and working hitting exercises involving bunting, curveballs and fastballs.
“This is great,” said Tim Ibia, an LBL coach and former Kaua‘i High School standout at first base. “We never had anything like this when I was young. If we had this kind of training, who knows where we would have ended up.”
Hank Ibia said ever since he became a coach at Kaua‘i High School he wanted a program like this for the younger players, many of whom come to Kaua‘i High School home games following their LBL matches.
“We are lucky,” Hank said. “We have players and coaches who believe in the system and that leads to a higher standard of play. They come out and help the younger players who also end up believing in the system.”
Milton Koga, an LBL coach, said the clinic is also good for the high school players who get to experience the teaching side of baseball.
“Now, they have the feeling coaches have when they talk and it appears the players aren’t listening,” Koga said. “It gives them a different side of the game.”
Following the two-hour clinic where young players worked through the diamond, the players were treated to the annual Red-and-White game.
The Waimea High School Baseball Invitational tournament runs Feb. 25-27 at both the Waimea High School field and Hanapepe Stadium.
The KIF opens the 2010 baseball season March 6 when Kaua‘i hosts Kapa‘a in a doubleheader at Vidinha Stadium. The first game pitches at 10 a.m. with the second game following 30 minutes after the completion of the opener.
KIF baseball games are played Wednesdays and Saturdays. Wednesday are single game events with the first pitch going at 3:30 p.m. Saturday are double-headers with the first pitch thrown at 10 a.m.
