Left-hander Luka Koja has been the leading pitching option for Kubasaki the last three seasons. He went 6-1 with a 0.49 ERA this season. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa – Pitching is a premium position where the Far East baseball tournaments are concerned.
DODEA-Pacific’s rules state that each pitcher is limited to 125 pitches over the four-day tournaments. Pitchers may not make more than two appearances in a day.
Coaches will want to save their best arms for later in the week during the single-elimination playoffs. But to get a higher seed and perhaps a first-round bye, teams also have to win, which means maybe having to use an ace arm when a coach would rather not.
How tough a tightrope is that to walk?
“Pitchers are worth their weight in gold, especially with rosters limited to 13 players,” Kadena coach Frank Macias said.
For most coaches, “it’s about having a gameplan,” coach A.J. Edwards of Matthew C. Perry said.
“Who your bullpen arms are going to be. When will we pull the guys. Being patient. Having people keep the pitch counts,” Edwards said.
Taking the necessary steps toward the banner is not about “being pretty,” but about winning games in whatever manner the wins come, Edwards said.
“It’s about scoring runs and getting people out,” he said. “It’s really a team game. The defense has to be on its toes. Batters have to be patient. A two-pitch flyout is better than a six-pitch strikeout.”
But while the team banner is the ultimate prize, what happens when a pitcher has a chance to finish a no-hitter? There have been plenty of those this season – 16 total, on the baseball and softball diamonds combined.
“Individual honors take a back seat to the ultimate goal of winning the championship,” Macias said.
“No-hitter or not, the needs of the team come before any personal accolades,” said Aaron Fisk, coach of D-I pre-tournament favorite Kubasaki.
Perry left-hander Aira Fujinuma tossed a no-hitter, one of 16 thrown by Pacific pitchers this season. (Ren Foslin/Special to Stripes)
Levi Kuns is one of Edgren baseball's pitching options. (David Shepherd/Special to Stripes)
Senior Lukas Gaines is a strong option at the plate and on the mound for Kubasaki. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Junior right-hander Hajime Reed is in his second season with Kadena after transferring from Edgren. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
The Dragons (18-3), led by seniors Luka Koja and Lukas Gaines and sophomore Asher Romnek, hope to regain the D-I title they won in 2023 but lost in last year’s final to American School In Japan.
The four-day D-I tournament features round-robin play followed by a single-elimination playoff, as does the D-II tournament.
The Mustangs aren’t playing this year, but Kubasaki will face the four other teams: St. Mary’s (6-4), Kadena (4-9), Humphreys (7-5-1) and host Nile C. Kinnick (4-3) at Yokosuka Naval Base’s Berkey Field.
The D-II tournament at Zama this year features just the five DODEA-Japan D-II schools, including the two-time defending champion Trojans. Zama (3-14) and Perry (11-12) are joined by Yokota (12-9), Robert D. Edgren (11-8) and E.J. King (4-13).
As much as coaches face a delicate balance regarding pitching arms, “our gameplan really doesn’t change much,” Fisk said.
“Pitchers throw strikes and limit walks. Defense must take care of the baseball and make the routine plays. This should translate to manageable pitch counts. It never hurts to put a crooked number on the scoreboard, either.”
The Dragons are led at the plate by Gaines (.541, 31 RBIs, 14 stolen bases) and Romnek (.592, 20, 8) and on the mound by Koja (6-1, 0.48 ERA, 74 strikeouts in 43 innings).
Kadena is young, led at bat by Adam Santana (.400) with junior Hajime Reed a solid mound and batting contributor. Arashi Blocton (.571) and Keanu Serban (.583) pace the Red Devils at bat.
The big unknown in the D-I field is Humphreys, which didn’t have any DODEA opponents this season and played exclusively against Korean clubs and high schools. Beckett Babb (.480), Bradley Miller (.435) and Eric Ji (.407) paced the Blackhawks at the plate.
Round-robin play features shortened games, which “does help keep the pitch count low,” Blackhawks coach Derek Miller said.
“Dive for balls, save a run. Use the body to keep the ball in front of you. Quality at-bats, then hand the bat to the next guy in the lineup. Trust each player to do their job and stay confident. We’re only as strong as our weakest link,” Miller said.
The D-II field appears to be an open affair, with all the teams having played against each other.
Charles Richardson (5-3, 1 save, 3.40 ERA) heads the Eagles’ pitching staff, while Perry’s Aira Fujinuma (4-4, 1 save, 0.63 ERA) has one no-hitter to his credit. King has won three of its last four games; Jayden Arocho (3-3, 2.17) has three wins for the Cobras.
Casey Bumpers (.550, 20 RBIs, 25 SB) is the glue that keeps the Panthers together; he also has thrown a no-hitter. Toro McClendon leads the Trojans in batting and pitching and is one of a handful of returners from the two-time D-II champions.
“We’re excited to be a part of it,” Edwards said. “We’ve played competitive games against competitive programs. You can’t sleep on anybody this year.”
Sidewinding left-hander Dale McNamara is one of five pitching options for Kinnick. (Erick Chedd Ricardo/Special to Stripes)
Charles Richardson has been the ace of Edgren's pitching staff, going 5-3 with a save this season. (Erick Chedd Ricardo/Special to S)
Casey Bumpers has been the ace of Yokota's pitching staff and the Panthers' leading batter (.550) this season. (Greg Holladay/Special to Stripes)
