The odds of three homegrown baseball prospects signing with the Washington Huskies baseball team are long enough.
Even longer, catcher Beau Sylvester of Kamehameha, shortstop Aiva Arquette of Saint Louis and pitcher Zach Tenn of ‘Iolani all hail from the 96734.
From Kailua to Seattle they shall travel in 2023. Imagine what that trio would have done if they had stayed home and played high school baseball for the Surfriders.
“That would be scary,” Sylvester said. “We are childhood friends. We are all from Kailua, all live within a mile of each other.”
Sylvester and Arquette are probably the top two baseball prospects in the state. Sylvester also considered Oregon State, Hawaii and Portland.
“Washington is a place I could call home aside from the baseball, and on the baseball aspect, the coaches were awesome and really seemed invested,” said Sylvester, a power-hitting catcher with tremendous arm strength and good speed. “I wanted to compete at a Power-5 school.”
National letter-of-intent signing day, on Wednesday, is now in the books.
“I feel different in the sense that I’m done with a portion of my life. It was a goal I’ve been chasing my whole life, but at the same time, the work doesn’t change. I have more goals for college and beyond, and I feel relieved that I can start really working. I’m stoked and can’t wait to get to work,” Sylvester said.
The UW campus and baseball program offer what he was looking for.
“I loved everything about it. The campus is beautiful, had some beautiful scenery. The baseball field and facilities, and really anywhere I’ll be spending my time at, were all places I felt I could call home,” he said.
The baseball universe has been a busy place for Sylvester, who traveled nearly non-stop through the summer to play in tournaments, get looks in front of MLB scouts, week after week. But Sylvester also looks back a bit and thinks about a slightly different perspective if he were do it all again.
“I would tell myself to have more fun with the process of everything. Nothing makes me happier than playing baseball and I think the process of everything was fun, as well. I’d just tell myself not to take all those workouts and hitting sessions and whatnot for granted,” he said. “Those were some of the best times in my life. Even the college process, I would tell myself to have some more fun with it and not to stress about it, just go with what you believe in and what you’re confident in. Believe in yourself when no one else does.”
Sylvester plans to major in Criminal Justice and Law, or Business, possibly Accounting. He has a 3.9 grade-point average.
Beau Sylvester’s lockdown staples
Top 3 movies/shows
1. “Gladiator”
2. “Waterworld”
3. “Criminal Minds”
Top 3 food/snack/drink
1. Chicken katsu curry (homemade)
“My parents (Mark and Kapua Sylvester) make it.”
2. Steak
“Steak cooked by my grandpa (Jim Sylvester).”
3. Teddy’s Bigger Burgers
Top 3 music artists
1. Pooh Shiesty – “50 Shots”
2. Kodak Black – “No Flockin’ ”
3. Taylor Swift – “You Belong with Me”
Favorite class: English 9 and 10
Favorite teacher: Mr. Abraham Yi
Time machine
“I would go back in time to when safety checks and recon was being passed and tell them not to pass either of them.”
New life skill: CPR
“I just learned CPR and rescue breathing. Shout out to kumu Kristin Young.”
New life skill
“I’m able to set off some car alarms without actually touching them.”
Favorite athlete: Bryce Harper
Gear
Bats: Old Hickory Black Label; M-Powered Pro-Jecktor; OTW
Batting glove: Franklin Chrome series
Catcher’s mitt: Rawlings Heart of the Hide; Wilson Pudge series
Fielder’s gloves: Rawlings Heart of the Hide
Cleats: Adizero Afterburner 5’s
Shout outs
“My parents (Mark and Kapua Sylvester. My grandparents, Jim and Bert Sylvester. Uncle Chris Yamaguchi. (Hawaii) Elite coaches Brandon Toro, Ashkhon Kuhaulua, Justin Protacio, Billy Pieper. High school coaches Daryl Kitagawa, Keith Komeiji, Jason Doi, Uncle Brent and Auntie Linell (Sylvester).
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