Even after reaching the pinnacle of youth sports, members of the Honolulu Little League team weren’t satisfied.
A magical 2018 summer in which they went 14-0 culminated with an unblemished run at the Little League World Series, ending with a 3-0 victory over South Korea in the championship game.
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In addition to their prowess on the field, the Honolulu Little League team won the hearts of those watching, exuding fun-loving confidence with humility from the first pitch to last.
They expressed themselves and played freely despite the pressures of competing in sold-out stadiums from coast to coast, as well as the millions of viewers watching their broadcasts globally.
When the Honolulu Little Leaguers arrived back to Oahu, they received a hero’s welcome, a fitting end to their summer of dreams. But the work was only beginning for members of the team, a handful of whom have evolved into serious professional baseball prospects as high schoolers.
“It’s kind of incredible what we did back in 2018, considering it was six years ago and seeing where we are now as baseball players,” said Jace Souza, the center fielder on the 2018 team and now a standout senior at Kamehameha. “It was just an incredible experience and to see how much we’ve grown as people and baseball players, it’s just really cool.”
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Honolulu Little League has been to the Little League World Series three times, winning it twice, most recently in 2022. The 2018 team was the first from Hawaii to make it to Williamsport, Pa. since 2010 and first from the islands to win it all since Waipio Little League did so in 2008.
Perhaps no team had more of a positive impact than the 2018 squad, which provided viewers in the islands hope and something to look forward to at a time of peril, back when the state was preparing for the uncertainty of Hurricane Lane. Guided by manager Gerald Oda’s “We>Me” mantra, the Honolulu Little Leaguers also won the Jack Losch Sportsmanship Award at the LLWS.
Over the years, Oda has witnessed his former players continuing to hone their respective crafts. He recalls seeing Souza work out with his father and the same gym he attends, then heading over to a nearby park and taking extra swings in the same day. He’s also heard multiple accounts of other players on the 2018 team such as Aukai Kea and Sean Yamaguchi dedicating countless hours to the weight room and batting cage.
“Just super happy and proud of the kids. They worked hard,” Oda told KHON2 recently. “It’s really a reflection of their parents. Their parents raised really good kids. Nothing was given to them. Throughout the years, I’ve seen many of these kids working out on their own when no one’s looking.
“The one commonality with all of them, as soon as we got back from the mainland after we won, obviously we all went our separate ways but you could see these kids, they weren’t resting on what just happened. They were actually shooting for bigger goals and continued working hard, which is great to see.”
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The vast majority of Honolulu Little League’s 2018 team attended ILH schools and have continued to do so. With the roster dispersed among multiple teams, competition against former little league teammates has ensued dozens of times over the years.
“The biggest part of that whole (2018) journey was just getting time with the boys,” Yamaguchi said. “We can be playing on different teams, but wherever it is, we still have that special bond. Those are the type of memories we talk about when we see each other. Every time we see each other on the baseball field, or even if it’s not on the field, we can just instantly connect and talk story.”
Added Souza: “Obviously, we’re best friends for life. We say hi to each other before and after games but we’re just that competitive that during the games, we don’t show the friendliness on the field. I really like that personally because we need to be locked in as a team and they need to be locked in as a team. When everything settles, we’re best friends after the game.”
Kea, the star pitcher, has since shifted his focus to catching and spent his senior year of high school at IMG Academy. In November, he signed a National Letter of Intent with college baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt.
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A healthy debate has continued among MLB scouts leading up to July’s draft as it pertains to identifying Hawaii’s top high school prospect. Some believe that title belongs to Maui’s Ka’imi Kahalehai, a 6-foot-8 pitcher, while others believe it’s Souza, who possesses natural athleticism to go with his smooth left-handed swing.
Souza, who signed with Texas Tech, remains a viable candidate to skip college in order to begin his professional career this summer.
“We always think about the future, what our plans are. But I try to focus on the process and the present,” Souza said. “I’m a senior and I’m just trying to take the moment slowly. Couple more weeks of school, and to think I was just this little kid on a Little League World Series team six years ago and now I’m graduating, I just try to take the process slowly and enjoy the moments as they go on and not really trying to think about what’s in the near future.”
Not far behind in the 2024 prospect rankings is Yamaguchi, who is currently hitting .407 for Saint Louis with a home run, five doubles, and 10 stolen bases. Combined with his solid defense at shortstop, Yamaguchi is the frontrunner for ILH Player of the Year. Scouts and evaluators have raved about his instincts and feel for the game.
Yamaguchi committed to Nevada and signed after developing good rapport with Wolf Pack assistant Noah Shackles, who himself was the ace pitcher on Waipio’s 2010 Little League World Series team. Like Souza, Yamaguchi has received inquiries from over a dozen MLB teams who want to glean his interest in beginning a professional career out of high school.
Yamaguchi’s playful personality endeared himself to viewers during Honolulu’s 2018 LLWS run. Although baseball is still fun, it’s also now a business for a player of his ilk. He’s represented by Epitome Sports Management, where he has received the advice of former MLB star Jose Bautista, among others.
“These professional scouts are always going to break that question to you: What is your main goal? I always just tell them I want to finish my season strong and I want to make sure I handle stuff in the classroom and on the field first and when that draft does come around in July, gotta weigh out my options, see what I want to do and school is also always great,” Yamaguchi said. “The University of Nevada is somewhere I always wanted to be. But again, it’s very tempting when you have pro scouts talking to you. I’ve had my advisor help me and my parents through this process.
“A lot of factors go into play, but right now, I think I want to finish out the season strong, have a good senior season, have fun with the rest of my teammates and when the draft comes, hopefully my name gets called, I really hope it does, but you can’t worry about those things because it’s really tough to get drafted in 20 rounds.”
At 5-foot-10, Yamaguchi hopes to emulate past major leaguers from Hawaii who did not have height on their side.
“Everyone on that team works hard. I think just working hard at everything, for me specifically, I think it was difficult. I’m on the shorter side, so making sure that I get into the weight room and I work, that’s really important to me. You see the big leaguers out of Hawaii, right? Kolten Wong, Shane Victorino, they’re not the tallest guys but I think what makes them separate from everybody is their work ethic,” Yamaguchi said. “I try to follow in their footsteps so hopefully I can become a major leaguer one day.”
Height was never an issue for Mana Lau Kong, the tallest and youngest member of the 2018 Honolulu Little League team. Lau Kong, who was 6-foot-1 hitting leadoff for Honolulu, is now a towering 6-foot-6 1/2 power hitter for ‘Iolani.
“It kind of feels like yesterday, still. I can still recall some of the memories that we had. That will never go away, too. I think that moment six years ago was once in a lifetime,” Lau Kong said. “I’m very glad that we got to experience that because I became much more closer with a lot of my teammates that I end up playing against to this day. I think it’s just a blessing to be on that journey six years ago.”
As a junior, Lau Kong Is not eligible to be selected this summer, but scouts have continued to attend his games in anticipation of the 2025 draft. After a recruiting process that garnered attention from a bevy of Power Four schools across the country, he committed to the University of Hawaii.
“I feel greatly blessed. I can’t wait to get there and get started. Growing up, it’s always been my dream to play and stay home with my family and friends,” he said. “I think it’s an honor just to receive an opportunity like this to stay home. I’m just greatly blessed.”
His powerful bat, combined with his defensive versatility, has drawn comparisons to Kris Bryant, the best player Hawaii head Rich Hill has ever coached back when he was at San Diego. Bryant went on to become the second overall pick of the 2013 MLB Draft, the 2013 Golden Spikes Award winner, 2015 National League Rookie of the Year, as well as NL MVP and World Series champion in 2016.
“Growing up, I always knew I had a passion for the game,” Lau Kong said. “I think having success and accolades growing up, I think that helped give me more confidence and knowing that going to the next level was always a possibility. I think especially after winning that Little League World Series, such a national stage, I think that helped me and let me know that I can do this if I wanted to. I kind of just kept my head down ever since.”
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Lau Kong’s ‘Iolani, Yamaguchi’s Saint Louis and Souza’s Kamehameha squads are the three ILH teams that survived the regular season gauntlet and grabbed the league’s slots in the 12-team HHSAA Tournament, which begins on Tuesday at Les Murakami Stadium.
“Our season went pretty well this year. We made states once again and it’s another blessing, another opportunity to go and try to win something we’ve been trying to win for a while,” Lau Kong said. “It isn’t easy to get there so I know just enjoying the moment and taking it all in once we get there, that’s gonna be first on my mind. I know a lot of teams in the ILH wish they could have been in our position as well as Saint Louis and Kamehameha’s, so I think just being grateful to have another opportunity and another shot to win the state tournament will be at the beginning of my mind.”
Kamehameha is the top seed and defending champion. In the 2023 championship game, Souza’s walk-off double over Baldwin delivered the Warriors their first state championship in 20 years. Drawing from his experiences in Williamsport, Souza was able to stay cool in the moment.
“The big pressure moments are not as big as they should be,” Souza admits. “People who didn’t get to experience the Little League World Series, playing in front of all those fans as a young kid, 12 years old, and now we kind of just get to have fun during the game.”
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Other members of the 2018 Honolulu Little League Team playing in the state tournament include Saint Louis outfielder and pitcher Tanner Chun, Kamehameha senior catcher Bruce Boucher, who will play collegiately at Hawaii Pacific, and Moanalua leadoff hitter Hunter Nishina. Chun, a Tulane signee, has also received MLB Draft interest. Another member of the team, Chandler Murray of Mid-Pacific, signed with Kansas State.
Additionally, a trio of members of the 2018 team have already begun their college careers after graduating high school in Caleb Okada (Saint Martin’s), Taylin Oana (Pima Community College) and Ka’olu Holt, the winning pitcher in the 2018 championship game, who is currently at San Jacinto College in Texas.
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In 2024, Oda is coaching team of 11-year-olds, so a return to Williamsport would be unlikely this summer.
“My kids are young. Hopefully next year,” he said. “We’ll see how they progress and if they have a chance next year.”
Oda has coached his share of talented little league teams, which even includes players who have gone on to excel in other sports, such as 2014 Honolulu Little League All-Star Jordan Botelho, now a starting defensive lineman at Notre Dame.
When it comes to the abundance of talent of the 2018 squad, Oda knew he was dealing with something different.
“It’s not very common,” Oda said. “Every once in a while, maybe you get one, two, three kids that are fortunate enough to play at the next level but with that 2018 team, even at that very young age, you could see they had a great foundation from their parents. Fortunately for them, too, they have great high school coaches. Let’s not forget, these high school coaches that they played for, they prepared them well for the next level.”
When asked to reflect on the 2018 Honolulu Little League team, a squad that began an unprecedented run for the league and state, Oda looks back with pride. Baseball continues to be a big thing for many members of the team, but not the only thing.
“Just very happy and proud of these kids and our state,” Oda said. “Looking forward to them not only becoming great baseball players, but more importantly, become great fathers, really take care of their children, become great husbands and protect their wives and just become great men who are respected and give back to their community. I’m looking forward to seeing that part of it as well.”