Damien Baseball

In the heart of Kalihi, baseball season is underway as the Monarchs gear up for another exciting season. With the excitement building among fans and players, all eyes are on the Monarchs as they try to win their third state title in a row. Following their triumphant back-to-back title victories, the team faces the challenge of maintaining their winning momentum amidst key transitions. The Monarchs are very aware of the opportunities and challenges they have in front of them this season. This year, the team will be without star utilityman Jamieson Pabalan, who graduated after last season. Though, they have a chance to put themselves in the dynasty conversation. Since 2018, the Monarchs have won three of the four state tournaments that have been played. Ke Ali’i spoke to juniors Rydge Kohagura and Nainoa Begonia about their thoughts on this year's team and the possibility of winning three state titles in three years.

Ke Aliʻi asked Nainoa what it would mean to him if he won his third state championship this year. He replied, it would mean a lot to him because he would have won a title in all three seasons that he has been in high school, and not many people can say they did that. Both players made it known how important Jamieson was for the team on and off the field. When asked about what he meant to the team, Nainoa responded by saying, “He gave us energy. He could play all the positions, but without him this year I think we have a lack of leadership.” Despite the lack of leadership, the team remains motivated to defend their title and pursue further success on the field. In our interview, Rydge said that the team's main goal was simply to win a state championship again. 

Under the guidance of Coach Skyler Tengan, the Damien baseball team enters this season with a mix of seasoned upperclassmen and lots of promising young players. The upperclassmen recognize this, with Rydge telling me that the main difference between this year’s team and the other two teams that he was on is that, “this team is a lot younger.” This year's seniors Carl Julian, Francis O’Connor, and John Paparo will have to ascend into leadership roles this season and be able to improve their on-field production as they try to lead a young team to another state championship.