Okay, this was tough. Picking an all-time University of Hawaii team can be a thankless assignment, and is sure to be met with skepticism, ridicule and responses that usually start out with, “Are you crazy…?” In this instance, coming up with an all-time UH baseball team is doubly difficult, especially when your boss is himself a candidate for inclusion. (You just missed the cut this time around, Matt Apana. I TOLD you you should have given me that raise.) But what’s a worthy endeavor without risks? So here, without further ado, is our all-time Rainbow Warrior team:

 

STARTERS:

C – COLLIN TANABE (1978-81). UH all-time RBIs leader. 1x All-American, All-WAC.

1B – KEVIN MACDONALD (2007-10). Second all-time in fielding chances and putouts. 24 career HRs.

2B – KOLTEN WONG (2009-11). Selected to multiple All-America teams in 2011. 3x 1st-Team All-WAC. 25 career HRs. Career .358 batting average.

SS – GREG GARCIA (2008-10). 1x 1st-Team All-WAC, 2x 2nd-Team All-WAC.

3B – VINNIE CATRICALA (2007-09). Started 147 games. 1x 2nd-Team All-WAC. Batted .349 with 44 RBIs and 13 HRs in junior season. Finished UH career with 20 HRs,

OF – GREG ONIATE (1989-83). Hawaii’s all-time leader in career RBIs and doubles. Also in Top 10 in career batting average, HRs and hits. 1x 3rd-Team All-American.

OF – KENNY HARRISON (1990-93). 1x 1st-Team All-American. 1993 WAC West Division Player of the Year. Career .342 batting average.

OF – MARIO MONICO (1982-85). 2x All-American, All-District/Region and All-WAC..367 career batting average tops UH record book. Holds school for most RBIs in a single game (10).

DH – JOHN MATIAS (1986-89). Hawaii’s all-time HR leader (30). 1x 1st-Team All-WAC.U

SP – DEREK TATSUNO (1977-79). Hawaii’s all-time leader in wins and strikeouts. Only pitcher to record 20 wins in a single season. Voted Collegiate Baseball’s “Co-Player of the Century.” Career .870 win percentage.

SP – CHUCK CRIM (1980-82). Second all-time in UH career victories. Pitched 27 complete games. Posted .791 winning percentage.

SP – BRYAN DUQUETTE (1989-82). Second all-time in career strikeouts. Ranks fourth in career victories. Posted .299 career ERA. 2x All-District/Region Team.

SP – STEVEN WRIGHT (2004-06). 1x 2nd-Team All-American. 2006 WAC Pitcher of the Year. Career 3.12 ERA.

RP – LENNY LINKSY (2009-11). 1x All-American. Recorded single-season UH record of 14 saves in 2011. Ranks second all time in career saves.

 

THE SECOND TEAM:

C – TODD TAKAYOSHI (1988-91). 1991 All-District/Region Team. In Top Seven in the following UH record book career categories: at-bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, RBIs and stolen bases.

1B – JEFF VAN DOORNUM (2008-11). 2x All-WAC. Posted 23 HRs in career, including 14 in one season.

2B – TODD CROSBY (1984-86). 1x All-District/Region. 2x 1st-Team All-WAC. Scored 200 runs in his career, including 90 in one season.

SS – THAD REECE. (1978-81). 2x All-District/Region. 1x All-WAC. Holds UH record for most hits in a season (113). 312 career hits places him second on all-time list.

3B – ETHAN LOPEZ (2016-19). 2x 2nd-Team All- Big West. Started 117 games. Led UH in HRs, doubles and RBIs in his senior season.

OF – GLENN BRAGGS (1981-83). Posted 11 HRs (.632 slugging percentage) and 60 RBIs in 1983.

OF – FRANZ YUEN (1991-94). 1x 2nd-Team All-District/Region. 2x All-WAC. Career .559 slugging percentage. 22 career triples (second all-time at UH).

OF – RICK BASS (1977-80). All-Time UH leader in hits, at-bats, runs scored and stolen bases.

DH – JOEY MEYER (1982-83). Owns UH single-season record for HRs, with 16. His career .591 slugging percentage is also a school,record.

SP – BILL BLANCHETTE (1990-92). 1x 1st-Team All- American. 1991 WAC Player of the Year. Posted .815 winning percentage. Pitched 4 shutouts.

SP – MARK JOHNSON (1994-96). 1x 1st-Team All-American. Recorded 132 K’s in a single season and 269 for his career. Notched 10 career saves.

SP – MIKE CAMPBELL (1983-85). 1x 3rd-Team All-American. 2x All-WAC. Recorded 298 career K’s (ranks 4th all-time). Pitched 12 complete games in 1985 season.

SP – GERALD AKO (1974-77). 34 career victories is second only to Tatsuno. Had 2.00 career ERA. Recorded 278 career K’s.

RP – DYLAN THOMAS (2017-19). 1x 1st-Team All-Big West, 1x 2nd-Team All-Big West, Big West Freshman Oitcher of the Year. Finished his UH career with 27 saves. Career ERA of 1.96. Averaged 9.6 Ks per 9 innings.

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