Five words led to one of Royce Fukuroku's greatest experiences, meeting his favorite baseball player, Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki.

The former University of San Francisco second baseman met Suzuki prior to Seattle's game at the Oakland Coliseum June 29, speaking for a few minutes about baseball and Hawai'i.

"(It's) probably up there, maybe second, besides playing college baseball, which got me to meet him," said Fukuroku, of where he would rank meeting Suzuki.

"I only talked to him for a couple of minutes, because it was before the game and he had his rituals," said the 2001 Maui graduate from Wailuku, who said the ritual included an hour-and-a-half massage.

Suzuki spoke some English, and "he asked if I spoke Japanese, and I said 'No, I'm from Hawai'i,' and he said, 'Aloha!' " Fukuroku said.

"Then he said, 'Aloha means hello and goodbye,' " Fukuroku added. "And I gave him candies and he said, 'Mahalo.' "

"And he said, 'You have pop.' " Fukuroku said. "And I said, 'No, you do,' and he was like, 'No, weak!' "

Fukuroku said the 5-foot-9 Suzuki was "pretty much" the size he expected him to be, "but he can hit some home runs."

Associated Press sport reporter Janie McCauley, who covered Suzuki in his rookie season, set up the meeting. McCauley interviewed Fukuroku for an article during his senior season and mentioned a possible meeting with Suzuki after reading in Fukuroku's USF media guide bio, "Favorite athlete is Ichiro Suzuki."

"She read that he was my favorite player, so she hooked it up when he came to play Oakland," he said.

He credited the Dons' success last season as the reason he received so much media attention.

"We had the best record in school history, so that helped a lot," he said after the team went 38-18.

Fukuroku, who was a Freshman All-American and All-West Coast Conference second-team selection, was an honorable mention selection his final season. One of the shortest players in NCAA Division I baseball at 5 feet 3, he hit .329 in 56 games, was tied for second on the team with 11 doubles, and hit five home runs.

He was honored at the team's awards banquet with the Green & Gold Glove Award for best defensive player.

Fukuroku was able to walk on the field at Oakland Coliseum before the game, and watched the game from the press box. It wasn't the first time he had been on a major league field; the Dons played their alumni game at San Francisco's SBC Park.

Fukuroku is staying in San Francisco for the summer, helping out with baseball camps put on by the Dons. He graduated in May with a business degree, and is considering playing in a professional league in Europe in March, another perk from the Dons' success this season.

His senior season was a success, "probably because of my mindset, being my last season I figured I would try my hardest because I didn't want to have regrets."

He also earned a scholarship in his final semester.

Also playing for USF were designated hitter Cy Donald (Mililani), pitcher Patrick McGuigan (Mid-Pacific) and outfielder Travis McGaughy (Iolani).

"It was easier for us, being in the Mainland together," Fukuroku said. "We just come from good high schools where we learn to work hard, and it showed during the season."