Hajime Reed and Kadena's baseball team hope for some takeaways this weekend at Iwakuni to help prepare them for Far East tournament play. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa – What better way to prepare your baseball team for playing its Far East Division I tournament on fields that resemble the one at host Camp Humphreys?
Kadena’s Panthers are visiting Matthew C. Perry this weekend, in an inter-division weekend series of games being played at Atago Kizuna Stadium. The dimensions there – and at Humphreys – closely mirror those of Foster Field 1, where they play their home games this season.
Panthers coach Frank Macias says he welcomes the challenge, particularly that of having more ground to cover in the outfield, putting their gloves and arms to serious work.
“This really puts a premium on playing good defense, unlike the smaller fields we’ve been playing on,” Macias said Monday, three days before boarding the flight to Iwakuni’s Kintaikyo Airport.
Until this season, the Panthers played their home games at Kadena Air Base’s Four Diamonds complex, which is being overhauled this spring.
That leaves Foster Field 1, where the Panthers, led by senior right-hander Hajime Reed and sophomore Kai Redden, take turns being home team with island rival Kubasaki.
As well as having to turn on their outfield hustle, Macias says it’s getting close to that time when he and his assistant coaches start paring down their lineups to resemble those they’ll use at Far East.
“We’ve been playing 17 players, so hopefully, we can start cutting down and finding the right mix,” Macias said. Far East traveling rosters can only contain 13 players.
Aside from all that preparation, Macias says he always looks forward to visiting Perry. It’s where he taught and coached for 12 years. He transferred to Kadena two years ago after spending nine months at Fort Campbell, Ky.
“I can’t wait to go home,” Macias said.
This is the last full weekend of scheduled competitions for DODEA-Pacific teams before the one-week spring break begins March 27.
The Panthers are scheduled to play the host Samurai, with ace left-hander Aira Fujinuma, and Nile C. Kinnick, featuring two live arms in senior submariner Dale McNamara and freshman Kaiden Conley.
One other Kadena entity will visit Iwakuni this weekend; the Panthers girls soccer team, featuring strikers Allie Sims and Sophia Fineman, has matches scheduled this weekend against host Perry and another Division II team, Yokota.
On the Korea diamonds, Osan’s baseball and softball teams and Daegu’s softball squad head to Humphreys for a DODEA-Korea jamboree scheduled for Saturday.
Daegu’s soccer teams host Dulwich College Seoul on Friday and Osan entertains Seoul International on Saturday.
Justice Owens and Kinnick's girls track team has held sway thus far during the Japan season. (Danny Galvin/Special to Stripes)
Annabelle DuBose and Kinnick's girls track team have performed solidly thus far during the eJapan season. (Jenna Vaughan/Special to Stripes)
Track and field has Kadena hosting Okinawa teams Thursday and Friday. Korea teams converge on Humphreys for its weekly league-wide meets, while Japan teams gather at Zama for the fourth meet of the season.
Kinnick’s girls have held sway thus far in Japan, which Red Devils coach Luke Voth credits to continuity.
“Their experience and consistency,” Voth said. “Most of them were here last year, so it’s been easier to develop (them) as a team.”
On the Japan pitch, Yokota’s boys soccer team also travels to Iwakuni, while Robert D. Edgren visits E.J. King on the weekend. Zama’s girls soccer team hosts Kinnick, while the Red Devils boys entertain the Trojans.
The Japan diamonds have Edgren visiting Zama and Yokota traveling to E.J. King. And on Okinawa, Kadena’s softball team plays Kubasaki at Foster Field 3.
