Legacy is what Kalae Harrison cares about.
The future, though, is no less crucial. The talented middle infielder signed a letter of intent to play for Texas A&M on Wednesday morning, becoming the first island player in a generation to play baseball for the Aggies.
“The coaches, the facilities. It’s big, real nice, it’s new,” Harrison said. “It’s a big-time program in the SEC. I’m hoping to play right away as a freshman.”
Punahou went 25-5-1 last season, capturing the Division I state championship for the first time since 2010. Harrison was stellar with the glove, moving from second base to shortstop during the state tournament when Jake Tsukada suffered an injury.
Harrison was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in a semifinal win over Kaiser, then drove in two runs in the title game with Mililani. Harrison was voted to the Star-Advertiser All-State third team last season as a junior, and was a second-team selection as a sophomore.
His older brother, KJ, also starred at Punahou and became an All-American at Oregon State. He was a third-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers and is currently a first baseman with the Class A Fredericksburg Nationals.
Kenny Harrison, their father, played at Hawaii and later coached at Punahou.
Texas A&M made a scholarship offer to Kalae Harrison in the summer of 2018, before his junior year. He committed to the Aggies by September. Under Rob Childress, A&M has won two Big 12 titles and one SEC crown.
The Aggies were 39-23-1 last spring and finished ranked No. 19 nationally. They reached the NCAA tournament for a 13th year in a row.
Harrison is looking forward to settling in at College Station in a few months.
“I’m just appreciative of my family, helping me to get to this point,” he said.
Just don’t ask the smooth-fielding Harrison what an Aggie is.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” he said.
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