Zama's Michael Thompson, shown batting in a DODDS Japan baseball tournament game against Robert D. Edgren, and his teammates will be looking to unseat the two-time defending Far East Division II Tournament champion Eagles. (Kayla Bodwin/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Zama's Michael Thompson, shown batting in a DODDS Japan baseball tournament game against Robert D. Edgren, and his teammates will be looking to unseat the two-time defending Far East Division II Tournament champion Eagles. (Kayla Bodwin/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Right-hander Izzy Leon, shown pitching in a DODDS Japan baseball tournament game against Matthew C. Perry, and Robert D. Edgren are gunning for a third straight Far East Division II Tournament title. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
They won their first Okinawa district title since 2005. Now, the Kadena Panthers will aim for one thing the team has never done in its hstory -- win a Far East Division I Tournament title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kadena right-hander Justin Sego brings a 3-1 record with one save, plus a team-high batting average of .407 and a team-leading four home runs into this week's Far East High School Division I Baseball Tournament. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa – A good yardstick of a team’s chances of winning a Far East tournament title in a sport such as baseball may not be their total win-loss record as much as whether they’re peaking as the tournament begins.
Two teams that can make the claim they are peaking at the right time are American School In Japan, a prohibitive Far East Division I Tournament favorite, and Kadena, the team some observers say has the best chance of halting a Mustang charge to the title.
Cases in point from Saturday, the last day of regular-season games:
-- Kadena swept a doubleheader from Uruma, a Japanese team, 8-7 and 12-2, improving to 9-3 on the season. They’ve won their last four games, beating out Kubasaki – the reigning D-I champion – for the Okinwa title for the first time since 2005. The Panthers’ hottest hand may be Devin Shea, who belted two homers and had four RBIs against Uruma.
¬¬-- ASIJ ran the table for a 22-0 regular season, including another Kanto Plain title, plus two season-opening wins over Kubasaki. In doubleheader sweeps of Zama and Nile C. Kinnick on Friday and Saturday, Miami (Ohio)-bound Mizuki Shumsky went 8-for-11 with a double, five home runs – four of them grand slams – and 18 RBIs.
ASIJ looked unbeatable a year ago as well until Kubasaki did just that, 1-0 in the D-I semifinal en route to the Dragons’ second Far East title.
“We will not take anything for granted,” longtime Mustangs coach John Seevers said. “We’re playing well, we’re hitting good, we’re healthy. We’re looking forward to the competition.”
That competition is scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, with D-I at Naval Air Facility Atsugi’s Bandy Field and St. Mary’s International School, and D-II at Camp Zama’s Rambler Field.
ASIJ brings a team batting average of .423 and has averaged 11.2 runs in its 22 games, only being pushed in two of them, a 2-1 win over Kubasaki and a 5-3 win over St. Mary’s.
Shumsky leads the way with a .484 average, five homers and 25 RBIs. Fellow senior Justin Novak, ticketed to play at Virginia next year, is at .471-5-29, Best batting average among players with 60 or more at-bats is John Yonamine’s .521.
Shumsky’s weekend had even Seevers gushing, especially since it happened so close to Far East. “It’s something to be put into that situation, much less get it done,” Seevers said. “That was special.”
Special, too, was Kadena hitting seven total home runs in the twin-bill sweep of Uruma, the Panthers’ last tune-up before Far East. Coach David Compton says it’s a sign that the Panthers’ bats are coming alive.
With the heavy rain that typically falls on Okinawa at this time of year, “we’ve been in batting cages,” Compton said. “And I think it showed today. And that’s a good thing. We’re peaking at the plate, toward the end of the year we’ve cut down on the errors.”
Shea leads the pitching staff with a 5-1 record. Justin Sego, at .407, led the team heading into the Uruma games in batting and in home runs, with four, while Cody Prince (.400) had a team-high 15 RBIs. Shea was batting .391, while his brother Dom (.292) raised his average 100 points in the last month.
But how to answer the question of beating ASIJ?
Both Compton and Kubasaki coach Randy Toor say it takes a combination of timely hitting and lockdown defense, doing the little things and making the routine plays.
“It can be done,” Compton said. “We’ve got to cut down on errors and swing the bat, we’ve got to get on base. They have some outstanding pitching. If we get on base, we can score.”
“If you make routine plays, if you don’t walk their batters, you’ll be right in it,” Toor said.
Expected to contend again this year after a mostly junior team won in 2013, Kubasaki went 10-11 overall. Tommy Warren had a team-best 3-2 record and led the Dragons at the plate with eight homers and 30 RBIs, while Renton Poole had a team-high .523 average.
Better for ASIJ to carry the favorite’s Bull’s-eyes front and back than Kadena, Compton said. “Let them have all the pressure. We’ll just sit quietly behind the scenes and win games.”
In Division II, Robert D. Edgren has replaced much of its rotation after unexpected transfers, but has seen Izzy Leon and Isaac Victorino make strong strides, coach Steve Bennett has said over the course of the season. The Eagles are seeking their third straight title.
They may get a stern challenge from host Zama, with sophomore do-everything duo of Keiyl Sasano and Keanu Cruz.
“They’re well coached, they have some athletes,” said Seevers, whose Mustangs played twice against Zama this season. Asked if they have a chance at their first D-II title, he said: “I wouldn’t be surprised.”
