Trio will help in rebuilding effort
| • | Lee gets starting call for baseball season opener |
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
It didn't take long for Ohio native Josh Sorge to adapt to Hawai'i.
On Nov. 16, his wife, Dana, gave birth to their first child. To mark the special moment, they gave Turner a Hawaiian middle name, Makana, meaning "gift."
"We wanted Matthew and Makana was the closest," explained the 28-year-old Sorge.
When Trapasso took the UH job, he didn't hesitate in taking Sorge, the volunteer coach at Georgia Tech the past two seasons. Sorge is in charge of batting and catching. He said his coaching career has been fortunate.
Upon graduating from Ohio University, where he earned American Baseball Coaches Association All-America honors in 1996 — "I was probably the only All-American not drafted" — Sorge stayed on the next season as a graduate assistant.
In 1998, he coached baseball at Holy Name High in Parma, Ohio, where he also taught sophomore English. After returning to Ohio to complete his master's degree in physical education and sports science in 1999, he went to Georgia Tech.
"I've been real fortunate, the places I've been," Sorge said. "After coaching at Ohio University, which I feel is one of the better programs in the Midwest, then going down to Georgia Tech and then here, I've been to some pretty premier places and been fortunate to meet guys like (Georgia Tech coach) Danny Hall, Coach Trap (Trapasso) and Coach (Joe) Carbone, the guy I played for at Ohio."
Sorge was the envy of colleagues at a recent coaches meeting on the Mainland. They kept asking how it was in Hawai'i.
"I keep telling everyone that it's like a National Geographic magazine," he said. "Everyday you see something that blows you away. It's a tremendous place, the campus, the facility and what the University of Hawai'i has to offer. The sky's the limit from a baseball standpoint."
Sorge has been married for 2 1/2 years to his college sweetheart. The former Dana Ferraro was a field hockey player at Ohio.
Chad Konishi
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
After spending 11 years of his adult life in the Bay Area, Chad Konishi (Punahou '89) finally found his way back home. Although he had applied for the job that went to Trapasso, Konishi still ended up at UH. And that suits him just fine.
Chad Konishi applied for the head coaching job.
"I applied for this job to be a head coach," Konishi said. "Whether I was ready or not ready, it was just to show my interest that I would like to be in some capacity a coach here.
"When I was in San Francisco, I never said I wanted to be a head coach because if I could work for somebody who was going to take care of me, then I'd continue to (coach), which is recruiting and coaching pitchers, competing out on the field and giving kids a chance to play at this level. I can be happy with that. Maybe in a few years down the road I'll have different aspirations. But at this time, no."
After a stellar four-year varsity career at Punahou School, where the right-handed pitcher helped lead the Buffanblu to a state title in 1989, Konishi walked on and eventually earned a partial scholarship at California-Berkeley under then-coach Bob Milano. During Konishi's playing career, the Bears made it to the regionals twice and made it to the 1992 College World Series.
After his eligibility ended, Konishi served as a graduate assistant at Cal, before spending one season as an assistant at City College of San Francisco in 1995. It was that junior-college experience — succeeding despite playing on a field "like the old Ala Wai Field" — that made him realize his calling.
"From then, I knew I wanted to get into coaching," said Konishi, who spent the past six years as an assistant at San Francisco, where he successfully recruited Hawai'i players for the Dons.
When Trapasso got the head coaching job, Konishi quickly inquired about an assistant position. He had sought endorsements from his supporters, but later found there were others lobbying on his behalf. "I am forever grateful to them for the opportunity," he said.
Konishi, 30, is single. He will handle the pitchers and coordinate recruiting.
Keith Komeiji
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
The only coach with a direct tie to the Rainbow program, Keith Komeiji is the team's volunteer coach.
Keith Komeiji played for the Rainbows in 1982.
That means he puts in the same hours as the other assistants, but doesn't get paid and isn't allowed to recruit.
"This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, just coaching in general," said Komeiji, who played one season for the Rainbows in 1982. "I was coaching at Iolani for seven years. I think I got something out of it, just by coaching the kids at the high school level. The last two summers I coached up here with the (Island) Movers, just to see how it is to coach at the next level. The opportunity (at UH) came up and I took my chance and threw my name in the hat to see what happens."
Like Trapasso, Komeiji has experience in pro ball. A batterymate for former major leaguer Sid Fernandez while at Kaiser High, Komeiji transferred to Orange Coast junior college after his freshman year at UH so that he would immediately become eligible for the pro draft.
The plan worked, as Komeiji was a first-round pick in the winter phase of the 1983 draft by the Seattle Mariners. He spent six years in the organization, reaching as high as Triple-A. He played another two years professionally in Italy.
He spent the past 10 years working for Japan Airlines, but quit that job because of the demands of being a volunteer coach with the Rainbows. He has found work in the merchandising department for Paradise Beverages. He said company president Mike Shibuya has been very supportive.
"He's a big baseball fan," Komeiji said. "He understands and I'm thankful for that."
Like Konishi, Komeiji experienced playing for a state championship baseball team while at Kaiser in 1981.
Komeiji has two children, Rylen, 14, and Tiana, 9.
