2004 ALL-STATE BASEBALL TEAM
Kuroda, Pate share top honors

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Left: Harry Kuroda went 7-4 with one save and a 1.90 earned run average for Mid-Pacific Institute. The senior also had a batting average of .412. Right: Jared Pate, a junior for Punahou, went 7-2 with a 1.63 earned run average this season. He had 47 strikeouts while walking just 12 in 66-plus innings of work. Advertiser library photos

Fittingly, the vote for 2004 Advertiser State Player of the Year also went down to the wire, but this time there was no separation. MPI's Harry Kuroda and Punahou's Jared Pate each received six votes from a panel of 16 coaches, officials and sports writers from around the state, with no other player receiving more than two votes.

As a result, the two right-handed pitchers are The Advertiser's Co-Players of the Year.

The two were different in appearance and approach — Kuroda a stocky, hard-throwing senior bulldog who would fearlessly challenge batters in crunch time; Pate the slender junior, a crafty corner-painter who was just as happy inducing ground balls or the routine fly.

Their common thread was the way their teams turned to them time and again when the stakes were high, and the way they usually came through in the clutch.

Kuroda did it all for Mid-Pacific as the Owls' ace, closer, left-fielder and No. 3 batter. He went 7-4 with one save in ILH play, meaning he was a factor in 12 of MPI's 21 pitching decisions. Kuroda's earned run average was 1.90, while also batting .412.

But his value could not be measured in statistics alone.

"Harry was the guy who they looked to lead them; he has that personality," Punahou coach Eric Kadooka said. "He took on more of a bigger load this year, and he physically developed himself to handle it. They could rely on him to do various things — start, come on in relief, play left field, hit — and the team just rallied around him."

Kadooka knows first-hand how valuable Kuroda could be.

In the season's fourth game, Kuroda tossed 2á innings of scoreless relief and batted 3 for 3 to help the Owls hold off Punahou, 2-1. And in the ILH championship game, he pitched six innings of scoreless relief — striking out nine, walking none and setting down 17 batters in a row during one stretch — to lift Mid-Pacific to a 3-1 victory over the Buffanblu.

Kuroda has signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Hawai'i at Manoa next season.

"I think we're lucky he's staying home to play for UH," Kadooka said after the first loss. "He's a self-made pitcher who worked hard to get to where he's at, and he'll give you 100 percent all of the time."

Kadooka also feels lucky to have Pate among his talented returnees for next season.

Pate quietly put together an outstanding junior year, going 7-2 with a 1.63 ERA with 47 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 66-plus innings. But he especially stepped it up in the state tournament, pitching a five-hitter to help Punahou defeat Kaiser, 3-2, in the first round, then tossing a three-hitter with six strikeouts and one walk to lift the Buffanblu to a 6-0 win over MPI in the championship game.

In the two tournament games — just 72 hours apart — Pate allowed one earned run in 14 innings and held opponents to a .191 batting average.

"He doesn't have dominant or overpowering stuff, but he's always around the plate and he knows how to pitch rather than just throw," Kadooka said. "He's actually been throwing like that the past two years, but this year he matured and was able to do it more consistently. He started throwing pitches lower and got more ground balls."

Like Kuroda, Pate also displayed a value that does not show up in box scores.

"He was able to throw strikes in some tough situations," Kadooka said. "In the (state title) game, we were going to ask him how he feels and if he said OK, we were going to use him for just three innings. I thought we would use a committee, but he said he felt fine and he ended up pitching the whole game on guts and adrenaline."

Kuroda and Pate are joined on the Advertiser All-State first team by 12 others: first baseman Kepa Wong ('Aiea), second baseman Michael Lam (Punahou), third basemen Danny Lee (Saint Louis) and Matt Patterson (Waiakea), shortstop Randy Rundgren (Mid-Pacific), outfielders Nick Freitas (Kamehameha), Dylan Libadisos ('Aiea) and Mark Veneri (Punahou), catcher Aaron Asher ('Aiea), pitcher Myles Ioane (Waiakea) and utility players Shaun Kiriu (Punahou) and Spencer Omalza (Leilehua).

Wong, a repeat selection, has been one of the state's most feared hitters the past two seasons. He came through in some of Na Ali'i's biggest games, hitting a two-run homer in a 7-2 victory over Kaiser in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association semifinals and going 2 for 3 with a triple and RBI in the OIA championship win over Roosevelt.

He and Libadisos anchored a potent 'Aiea lineup that helped Na Ali'i win 13 straight games after a season-opening loss to Leilehua. Libadisos went 2 for 2 with three RBIs in the OIA title victory over Roosevelt.

Asher also was a productive hitter but mostly was recognized as the best defensive catcher in the OIA and for being considered the toughest catcher in the state to steal on.

Lam was a spark plug for Punahou on offense and defense. He batted .363, with four triples, 15 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, nine walks and three sacrifice bunts. Lam's two-run triple broke open the Buffanblu's 5-1 state quarterfinal win over Baldwin, and the night before, he took part in two double plays to help Pate's cause.

Veneri batted .375 despite a nagging injury at the end of the season which reduced him to designated hitter duties. But he was Punahou's main power threat throughout the year, hitting five doubles, two triples, two home runs and driving in 24 runs.

Kiriu was one of the Buffanblu's most valuable assets, playing third base and batting .293 with five doubles, one home run and 11 RBIs, plus drawing a team-high 14 walks and stealing seven bases. He also went 6-2 with one save as a pitcher and had a 1.89 ERA in addition to a team-high 59 strikeouts against 14 walks.

Lee and Patterson played similar roles for their respective teams. Lee batted .400 when not helping the Crusaders as a starting/relief pitcher. Patterson batted an astounding .657 in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation and slammed two home runs in a 5-1 state quarterfinal victory over Pearl City. He also pitched.

Ioane completed a brilliant career by going 8-0 in BIIF play with a 0.78 earned run average, 72 strikeouts and just six walks in 34 innings pitched. In the state tournament, he held Pearl City to one run and struck out five in a complete-game effort.

Rundgren's smooth defense steadied MPI's infield, and Freitas — the only other repeat selection besides Kuroda and Wong — did the same for Kamehameha's outfield while batting .410.

Omalza, the OIA Western Division Player of the Year, batted .500 in the regular season and went 4-1 as a pitcher when not playing shortstop. He helped the Mules earn a share of the OIA West title.

Punahou's Kadooka was voted Coach of the Year after guiding the Buffanblu through the maze of the ILH regular season, league tournament, special playoff for a state berth and finally, four state tourney wins.

Honorable Mention

First base: Ryan Rodrigues, Kailua, Jr.

Second base: J.J. Eno, Baldwin, Sr.; Johnny Gentry, Saint Louis, Sr.; Tyler Harrison, Kailua, Jr.; Aaron Sato, 'Aiea, Sr.

Third base: Colby Ho, Kaiser, So.

Shortstop: Milton Loo, Moloka'i, Sr.; Landon Nakata, Punahou, Jr.

Outfield: Justin Ariki, Punahou, Sr.; Joshua Danz, Roosevelt, Sr.; Tony Flores, Mililani, Sr.; Landon Ka'aua, Kaiser, Jr.; Chaz Miyashiro, Mililani, Jr.; Glen Taijeron, Moanalua, Sr.; Scott Uehara, Kaiser, So.

Catchers: Matt Bell, Farrington, Sr.; Jarryd Maeda, Kaiser, So.; Kip Masuda, Mid-Pacific, Jr.; Jesse Matsuura, Leilehua, Sr.; Jowen Murray-Thornton, Saint Louis, Sr.

Pitchers: Tyler Fujiwara, Lahainaluna, Sr.; Tony Ganigan, Pearl City, Sr.; Blake Lamug, 'Aiea, Sr.; Ronnie Loeffler, Waiakea, Sr.; Marc Nobriga, Saint Louis, Sr.; Kirby Yates, Kaua'i, Jr.

Utility: Tony Aquino, Mililani, Jr.; Andrew Blomberg, Moanalua, Jr.; Colin Dumlao, Kapolei, Sr.; Jared Furtado, Roosevelt, Sr.; Kelsey Nakata, Mililani, Jr.; Bryan Padayao, Kapolei, Sr.; Noah Phillips, Punahou, Sr.; Kekoa Sua, Kailua, Jr.