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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, February 7, 2007

HOMEGROWN REPORT
Ex-MPI standout hits the jackpot

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Troy Hanzawa

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Any time Troy Hanzawa has a question about hitting, he can be confident about the answer he'll get.

After all, his coach at San Diego State is Tony Gwynn, the .338 career hitter of 20 seasons with the San Diego Padres. The same guy who will be formally inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame along with Cal Ripken Jr. this summer.

"He knows what he's talking about when it comes to hitting," Hanzawa said in a telephone interview. "Just in a semester, I picked up so much on hitting from him."

It's showing so far. Hanzawa (Mid-Pacific 2003) batted 6 for 14 over the weekend in a three-game series at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif., where the Aztecs went 1-2. Hanzawa went 3 for 6 with three RBIs in Friday's 9-5 win in the season opener. He also went 2 for 4 in an 11-6 loss the next day. The shortstop bats second in the Aztecs' lineup.

After graduating from Mid-Pacific, Hanzawa spent the next two years at Hawai'i. Although he played in two seasons (5 for 20), he qualified as a redshirt in one of them. Looking for more playing time, he transferred to Yavapai, a junior college in Arizona. He originally planned to go there after high school until UH came into the picture. While at Yavapai, he did well during the fall scrimmages, where SDSU assistant Mark Martinez noticed him.

"They were the first to offer me," Hanzawa said of the Aztecs. "They flew me out there, got me a visit. I liked what I saw. It's pretty much the closest weather to Hawai'i. I like it. It's nice."

One of the reasons Hanzawa's playing time at UH was limited was the play of shortstop Joe Spiers, who batted .307 with 31 steals, earning freshman All-America honors. Spiers eventually lost his starting role to Eli Christensen last year. Ironically, Spiers transferred to SDSU. But with the smooth fielding Hanzawa entrenched at shortstop, Spiers was moved to first base.

"At first it was weird, but it's just another familiar face on the team," Hanzawa said of being reunited with Spiers. "I don't really mind it. We're teammates. It's just the same."

Although Hanzawa is an ocean away from his former team, he still stays in touch with some of the Rainbows, such as MPI alums Jon Hee and Ryan Asato, and Derek DuPree, his former roommate.

Hanzawa said he is getting used to San Diego.

"It's fun," he said. "We still go to the beach, but not the same kind of beach (like in Hawai'i). There's stuff to do, even though we're swamped with baseball. You got PETCO Park, the (NFL San Diego) Chargers. I hope to get there (PETCO Park) this coming season, see a couple games."

Of course, he also has a famous coach.

"I guess you get used to it, he being a Hall of Famer," Hanzawa said of Gwynn. "You talk to him every day, you see him every day. You just get used to him being your coach."

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.