#pacificsw

By: Charlie Hooper 

Team Pacific Southwest’s loss to Southeast yesterday was a very unique game, mostly because of the hour-long rain delay that sent the fans and player off of the field.

There were actually two rain delays, the first only lasted 18 minutes and when they called off play, Coach Maurice “Mo” Matsuzaki looked at me and said, “We play in this all of the time in Hawaii, this is nothing.”

It became clear that the team from Hawaii was no stranger to rain and even welcomed the thunder and lighting. While most of the fans and Team Southeast left the field and went to the concourse to wait out the delay, Pacific Southwest stayed in the dugout the entire time.

Coach Daryl Kitagawa told his players, “I don’t want anyone to leave the dugout, we will stay and focus on what we have to do.”

Before the delay, Pacific Southwest had put two runners on base with no outs and trailed 5-2. Coach Daryl huddled his players together and said, “Let’s shock the world, Dirtbags don’t die!” He and his players were oozing confidence during the delay and never doubted themselves. Coach Daryl even wrote 4 runs on his score sheet, predicting a comeback victory for Pacific Southwest:

The rain delay proved to be a blessing in disguise for me, and was easily my favorite moment of the tournament. It was during the delay that you really saw how close the players, coaches, family and friends from Pacific Southwest are.

Casey Kitagawa didn’t hesitate to take his Bluetooth speakers out of his backpack and play the teams favorite songs. Each player sang every word together and danced in the dugout waving their rally rags as if they were winning by ten runs. Whenever there was a crack of lighting you could distinctly here Stanley McKenzie yell, “There it is!” welcoming the storm and making the most of it.

Family and friends went to the concourse and brought down countless burgers, corn dog bites, homemade snacks and local Hawaiian favorites. It was like Thanksgiving dinner for me as I had about seven different courses, from homemade energy bars, rice cakes, coconut sunflower seeds and I couldn’t even finish it all!

It was so exciting for me to observe and get a taste of the Hawaiian culture that I otherwise may not have seen.

I was amazed to find out that every player on the team had at least one family member make the trip to Aberdeen. When I asked Coach Mo how they were able to get so many people to make the trip he said, “People gave us money and gifts so that we could make our trip to Aberdeen and it is customary in our culture to then bring something back from the states that they could not get anywhere else.” He went on to say, “We have been collecting gifts at the World Series that will bring back home to everyone who helped us make it here.”

Before the World Series, I asked Coach Daryl what he was looking forward to most and he said, “We are just looking forward to soaking in as much of the experience as we can.” Pacific Southwest’s joy, confidence and positive attitude during the rain delay showed that they were making the most of their time in Aberdeen and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

All week I was hearing about how most of the players grew up together and have played together for close to six years and it showed. In my post game interview with Stanley McKenzie he kept referring to his teammates as “brothers,” and I truly believe that the Dirtbags are like a second family for most.

By: Charlie Hooper

Watch Stanley McKenzie hit a two run home run off of the Under Armour Hummer in center field! Pacific Southwest would fall short in today’s U.S. Semi-final game losing 5-2 to Team Southeast. 

The “Dirtbags” from Manoa  had an amazing run and should hold their heads up high knowing that they left their mark on Cal Ripken World Series history!

Watch Stanley Mckenzie hit a rocket over the center field wall under the lights on Cal Sr’s Yard. Pacific Southwest would go on to take down Pacific Northwest 12-2 and stay undefeated in pool play!

Pacific Southwest will play in the U.S. SemiFinals today at 12:30 PM against Team Southeast. Keep up with live updates @CRWS_PacificSW. 

By: Charlie Hooper

In their fourth and final game of pool play, Pacific Southwest defeated Pacific Northwest 12-2 under the lights on Cal Sr’s Yard!

Going into the game, Pacific Southwest was 3-0 in pool play and looked to keep their undefeated streak alive. Player of the Game Jayden Soriano took the mound for The Dirtbags but struggled early.

Soriano gave up hits to the first two batters he faced and after an error in the outfield and an RBI groundout Pacific NW went up 2-0. With some work to do, I asked Coach Daryl Kitagawa what he told his team after the first inning, “I just told them to settle down, just keep going and I figured our bats would come alive.”

Coach Daryl was right, and in the bottom of the second inning, Pacific Southwest put its first run on the board after a deep solo home run from pitcher Jayden Soriano. I asked Jayden how his first World Series homer felt, “I calmed down and just did my thing. It felt great!”

The Player of the Game would go on to throw his second straight scoreless inning, keeping the score 2-1 and giving the bats an opportunity to catch up.

Pacific Southwest would find their rhythm in the bottom of the third inning when and RBI single from Stanley McKenzie put the team in the lead 3-2. The runs would continue to pour in off a clutch double from Patrick Munley that would score two. At the end of the third inning, the score drastically shifted to an 8-2 lead for Pacific Southwest and they would never look back.

After a third shutout inning from Soriano, Stanley McKenzie would send a rocket flying over the center field wall to put Pacific Southwest up 11-2. The game would only go to four innings after another run gave Pacific Southwest the win 12-2 over Pacific Northwest!

Pacific Southwest won their fourth game and will remain undefeated in pool play. When I asked Coach Kitagawa what the undefeated record meant to him, he humbly said, “Whether it be 3-0, 2-2, or 4-0 it doesn’t matter as long as we had the opportunity to advance and first and foremost that was our goal.”

Pacific Southwest will move on to play Team Southeast in the first U.S. Semifinal game tomorrow at 12:30 PM on Cal Sr’s Yard. Keep up with live updates @CRWS_PacificSW

Check out the post game press conference with Coach Daryl Kitagawa and Player of the Game Jayden Soriano here:

Watch as Austin Teixeira hits an RBI double to left field, scoring the eighth and final run in Pacific Southwest’s 8-3 victory over Southwest yesterday. 

Today, Pacific Southwest will be looking to stay undefeated and earn their fourth win of pool play when they take on Team Pacific Northwest under lights at 8:00 PM on Cal Sr’s Yard! 

Keep up with live updates here: @CRWS_PacificSW

By: Charlie Hooper

When I asked head coach Daryl Kitagawa what he told his team before the regional championship, he gave me a response I will never forget, “Play like Dirtbags today! If we do we’ll be just fine.”

At first I was confused and taken aback. Why would a head coach call his 12-year-old players dirtbags?  I wasn’t able to fully understand the pride that came with “playing like a dirtbag,” until I heard the full story.

Daryl Kitagawa grew up in Honolulu, HI, where he learned to love the game of baseball. His passion drove him to play college ball for the Long Beach State Dirtbags, a school and a name that he would learn to love.

Three years prior to Daryl Kitagawa playing for Long Beach State, they were known as the 49ers and won a total of 15 games. In 1989 they made a change and hired legendary coach Dave Snow, who would go on to coach Kitagawa in 1991.

In Snow’s inaugural 1989 season, the team found itself without a home park, had to take regular infield practice on an all-dirt Pony League field that left it filthy and bloodied yet advanced against all odds to the College World Series. The players earned and embraced the name “Dirtbags,” based on their post practice appearance that year and the name stuck.

When Coach Kitagawa came back to Hawaii several years after college, he decided to pass the name onto the youth players and have them emulate that style of baseball. When I asked the head coach what this nickname meant to Pacific Southwest, he said, “The hard nosed style of play is what I want to see from the kids. The never give up attitude and believing in one another will not only help them in the game of baseball but the ultimate game of life!”

Like the players from Long Beach State, Team Pacific Southwest has embraced the “Dirtbag” name and wears it as a badge of honor. If you come by Cal, Sr.’s Yard and Nationals Field you can see fans, players and coaches dressed head to toe in Dirtbag gear. Before each game, Coach Kitagawa leads the team in a, “One, Two, Three Dirtbags!” chant to get his players ready to play.

I have quickly come to learn that, “Playing like a Dirtbag,” is a mentality. It is a quality statement about how you go about your work and how you go about your game.  Pacific Southwest has shown Aberdeen what it means to play like a dirtbag and currently sit on top of their division with a 3-0 record.

When I asked Coach Daryl Kitagawa what his expectations were going into the tournament he simply said, “I truly believe that if they play Dirtbag baseball I will be proud of them, no matter the result.”

By: Charlie Hooper

Team Pacific Southwest was able to stay undefeated this afternoon after an 8-3 victory over Team Southwest on National’s Field.

Both teams were undefeated going into the game and hoping to keep thei respective win streaks alive. Pacific Southwest worked hard in the cages this afternoon to give the defense some run support and get the bats going early.

Their practice paid off in the bottom of the first inning when Kalae Harrison hit a double off the right field wall. Maka Malama would go on to put the first run on the board with an RBI groundout. Pacific Southwest would take the 1-0 lead going into the second inning.

After two more shut out innings from Player of the Game Kainoa Holt and aggressive base running from Jarrin Sato, The Dirtbags found themselves up 2-0 going in the bottom of the third. Kalae Harrison would get the offense going yet again with a deep sac-fly that scored a man from third, extending the lead to 3-0 going into the fourth.

The bats continued to catch fire in the bottom of the fourth, starting with an RBI single to center field by Kainoa Holt, who had yet to give up a run from the mound. When I asked kainoa about his second at-bat he said, “I had two strikes, so I was just trying to get the ball in play.” A clutch RBI double from Patrick Munley scored another run for Pacific Southwest who would enter the top of the fifth leading 6-0.

Desperate for an answer, Southwest saw a glimmer of hope after a few deep singles from Cole Berry and Ethan Webber brought the lead down to 3. Pacific Southwest went into the bottom of the fifth leading 6-3.

The story of the tournament for Pacific Southwest thus far has been their ability to get insurance runs and give themselves a cushion when they are leading. Today was no different, and with the help of Stanley McKenzie’s powerful base running, Pacific Southwest was able to score two runs in the bottom of the fifth.

After giving up a few hits to start the sixth inning, Jayden Soriano was able to calm down and get his team out of the inning with another impressive victory in pool play. Pacific Southwest will go on to play Pacific Northwest tomorrow night on Cal Sr’s Yard at 8:00 PM.

Keep up with Pacific Southwest’s journey at the 2015 Cal Ripken World Series @CRWS_PacificSW

Check out the post game press conference with Coach Daryl Kitagawa and Player of the Game Kainoa Holt below:

By: Charlie Hooper

Watch as Kainoa Holt hits a double deep off the right field wall to score two runs and put Pacific Southwest up 6-0 against Team Maryland! Pacific Southwest would go on to win the game 6-0 and stay undefeated in pool play. 

Pacific Southwest’s next game will be against Team Southwest today at 12:30 PM on Nationals Field. Keep up with the action and follow live updates @CRWS_PacificSW.