Hunter Sasaki learned how to hit the books to make his dream come true.
The Leilehua senior signed to play baseball for St. Martin’s (Wash.). The plan is to major in civil engineering.
“Luckily, they have it,” said Sasaki, who has a 4.0 grade-point average. “I felt connected with the coaches. I visited the campus a couple of times with my travel team.”
The Saints are in NCAA Division II and play in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
“I have some merit scholarships, maybe $23,000 a year for academics. You can get a lot of money,” Sasaki said.
Sasaki, a pitcher/utility player, also considered Whitman College.
“I feel good. It’s exciting. Adrenaline,” Sasaki said.
The day of his signing, Sasaki met Blaze Wong, Ty Yukumoto and Kalei Akagi on campus. Wong signed with George Fox baseball. Yukumoto signed with Pacific baseball. Akagi signed with Army football.
“All the Leilehua guys did theirs at the gym. I woke up around 4:45 a.m. We went down last night and set up everything. It was worth it, 100 percent. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. We’ll always remember it,” he said.
Lockdown staples
Top 3 movies/shows
1. “Hawaii Five-0” (CBS)
2. “Real Steel” (Netflix)
3. “Eddie the Eagle” (Disney Plus)
Top 3 food/snack/drink
1. Salmon and hamachi, Katsumidori Sushi
2. Samurai ice cream
3. Jamba Juice
Top 3 music artists
1. Lil Skies – “Welcome to the Rodeo”
2. Justin Bieber – “Love Yourself”
3. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – “Jungle”
New life skill: gardening
Perfect gift card: Lululemon
Shout outs
“Shout out to my parents (Gayla and Ross Sasaki) and family for everything they have done for me. Shout out to Coach Bruce Sugawa (Hawaii Rockies) for helping me get to college. Shout out to Leilehua.”
Congratulations Hunter! Very proud of you for your accomplishments. Keep up the good work and have fun at St. Martin’s. Oh yeah, don’t forget to study hard. Lol!