Omura finds comfort zone

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

"I'm pretty much the same hitter I was last year," Isaac Omura says. "It's just that I'm more prepared now for the challenges that college baseball has to offer." Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser UH baseball preview The Advertiser will preview the University of Hawai'i baseball team in a series of stories. Here is the lineup: Thursday: Outfielders Yesterday: Catchers Today: Infielders Tomorrow: Pitchers Alumni game facts WHEN: 1 p.m. today WHERE: Les Murakami Stadium TICKETS: Open-seating general admission. $5 adults, $4 ages 65 and older, $3 students PARKING: $3 TV/RADIO: None

Omura, who batted .301 in 45 games (44 starts) with 10 doubles, two triples and a home run, is one of three returning starters in the infield. Senior Brian Finegan is at shortstop and Andrew Sansaver, another senior, is at first.

Sophomore Rocky Russo started the season at third, but finished at DH. He and freshman Mike Griffin, a Canadian national team member, are vying for third base.

Omura, a freshman All-America selection, admits he struggled with collegiate pitching. But a stint with the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Coastal summer league was his remedy. The experience gave him a chance to see better pitching frequently.

"I was really looking to (getting used to) adjusting to the speeds I'd be facing," Omura said of his summer league experience. "Last year, I was overmatched a lot of the times.

"I'm pretty much the same hitter I was last year. It's just that I'm more prepared now for the challenges that college baseball has to offer."

Although Omura was an Advertiser All-State second baseman at Mid-Pacific Institute, the college game sort of took him by surprise.

"In high school, there's your good ones and your bad ones," Omura said. "But in college, everybody's like an all-star. To play against that competition everyday, it was a good test to see where I was at."

The veteran Finegan, who came to UH from Cuesta JC, said he was impressed with the way Omura handled himself as a freshman.

"There's nothing else I can describe (about) his game other than solid," Finegan said. "Offensively, defensively. He knows every little thing, like his swing and how to field the ground balls inside and out."

For Omura, it's the little things that got him to where he is. He played basketball through his sophomore year before realizing where his talents really belonged.

"I realized I didn't have a future in basketball because of my size, so I really started focusing on baseball," said Omura, generously listed as 5 feet 9. "I never really thought of it. I hoped that my work ethic in the weight room and the cages and stuff — the small things — would pay off in the long run. It did for me and I'm thankful for that."

Omura was listed as the best defensive second baseman in the Western Athletic Conference by Baseball America.

Omura and Finegan give the Rainbows a stable middle infield. Finegan's health was a concern after last season when he took the summer off because of a sore elbow he played with the final month of the season. His steady play at shortstop — he led the WAC with 221 assists — did not indicate any problem. He was the only Rainbow to start all 56 games. He hit .280 with a team-leading 17 doubles and tied for the team lead with 32 RBIs.

Also bringing stability to the infield is Sansaver at first base. He led the conference with 579 chances. His range was evident by his 45 assists. Baseball America lists him as the WAC's best defensive first baseman. His fellow fielders appreciate his glove.

"I just don't have the strength I used to have so I can throw with confidence," Finegan said. "He tells me, 'If you're going to miss, miss low. You know I can't jump, so just keep the ball low, then I'll have a shot at it.' If I give him a pretty good hop, he's a wall over there. He'll save it from going into the dugout at least. He's saved me a lot of times."

The Rainbows have depth in the infield. Returnee Schafer Magana can play all four infield positions. Freshman shortstop Troy Hanzawa out of Mid-Pacific, is an excellent fielder, coach Mike Trapasso said.

Other infielders are JC transfer Andrew Castillo at second base and Pakilika Lum at first. Lum, who played two season at USC and was off for the past two seasons, also can play the outfield.

Jonathan Hee, another freshman from Mid-Pacific, is a third baseman. The 6-3, 170-pounder will red-shirt this season

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.