Redding, Set, Go
Photo: Hawai’i Athletics
By Kennedy Choo
After the 2025 season, University of Hawai’i Manager Rich Hill needed a catcher. The Rainbow Warriors had lost three catchers, and Hill needed a solid backstop for his pitching staff. As the recruiting cycle was winding down, he received a call from his former player, Sierra College head coach Ryan Evangelho, who told him he had a catcher just for him: freshman catcher Jake Redding.
“I flew up to the mainland to see Jake, and was immediately impressed,” Hill said.
After watching Redding work behind the plate in late July, Hill offered the sophomore catcher on the spot.
“It was very, very quick for me,” Redding said. After the visit, he committed to the Rainbow Warriors on Aug. 5. Once he committed, Hill told him he only had a couple of weeks at home before heading out to the islands.
“I had a long talk with my parents, and we decided this was the move for me,” Redding said. “I’m glad I did it.” Redding credits Coach Evangelho with advocating for his former coach to come to the islands.
“I had a long talk with Coach Evangelho, he said (Hill) is a great coach, and gets you where you want to be,” Redding said. “Coach Evangelho was nothing but supportive to come to UH, and had nothing but good things to say.”
A little more than a month after the offer, Redding was on campus in Mānoa, catching bullpens for Hawaiʻi’s pitching staff.
But earning the starting job wasn’t going to be easy. Hill had brought in three other catchers in the same recruiting class, creating immediate competition behind the plate.
Even as the late signee, Redding proved his worth throughout the fall and into preseason workouts, forming relationships with the starting pitchers and ultimately earning the spot behind the plate for opening night.
“I knew I had to come in and prove myself,” Redding said. “We were working together all fall, and we spent a lot of time on and off the field just trying to get to know them personally.
In the opening game of the series, Redding got off to a slow start, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk. But in game two, he led the way, finishing 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs.
Junior pitcher Hekili Robello, who tossed six innings with seven strikeouts with Redding behind the plate, had high praise for his new catcher. “He’s an unbelievable catcher,” Robello said. “He does a good job.”
Redding followed up his breakout game by going 2-for-5 with an RBI double in a loss before finishing the series 0-for-4 in the finale. Behind the plate, he caught 25 strikeouts across four games, steadying a pitching staff still finding its rhythm.
“The atmosphere is crazy,” Redding said. “I’m still getting used to playing in front of this many people, but once I learned to use it as energy and not be fearful of it, it made me play a lot better, and I feel like I’m really tapped into my potential.”
This week, the Rainbow Warriors are up against Wichita State. Les Murakami Stadium is expected to be a full house throughout the weekend, which means plenty of energy for Redding.
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