‘Bows hold 15th-ranked UCSB scoreless in series finale
The Hawaii Baseball Team found themselves in another pitchers dual on Sunday against 15h-ranked UC Santa Barbara.
UH tied the series up at 1 after their win on Saturday night, had a chance to take the series win on Sunday.
This one was scoreless through the first 3.5 innings as both pitchers not allowing much to happen. But in the 3rd inning, Hawaii broke the scoreless tie from a Jared Quandt RBI Single.
That run would be the difference as UH holds number 15 Guachos scoreless in the series finale.
Freshman pitcher Cooper Walls with an impressive 7.0 innings on the mound, allowing 4 hits and 0 runs to UCSB.
Hawaii wins 1-0 on Sunday to improve to 2-3 in Big West Play on the season.
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And in the era of the NCAA transfer portal, when movement is easier than ever, Wehiwa was able to seek out a bigger stage. Arkansas stood out almost immediately. Besides being one of the nation's top programs, the Razorbacks already had another Hawaiian, infielder Nolan Souza, on the roster. They'd also featured Hawaiian Rick Nomura from 2014 to '16. There was history, there was comfort, there was a place that felt like home. 'Once he visited Arkansas and saw the facilities there, you know, I think it was a no-brainer for him,' Kadokawa explained. Advertisement Kuhio would arrive one year later. His route to Arkansas went through the mountains of Utah. Coming out of high school, most clubs viewed the younger brother as a pitcher once a video of him throwing 94 mph made the rounds among recruiting coordinators. BYU, though, still liked his bat and was willing to let Kuhio try both. That mattered, as did the Provo area's large Polynesian population. After a short-lived attempt at pitching his freshman fall, Kuhio moved to the batter's box full-time and enjoyed a stellar freshman season. His stock rose enough that he entered the portal last summer to join his brother in Fayetteville. But their rise is more than the success story of a nuclear family. The Aloy brothers are the proof and the pride of a Hawaiian baseball system that has made meaningful strides over the past decade. There are now year-round leagues to help bridge the post-Little League gap and more structured development opportunities, including those in the Kado Baseball program. There's also a growing network of mentors with MLB coaching experience, including Cleveland's Kai Correa, Kansas City's Keoni DeRenne and Texas' Brendan Sagara. Kids on the island are getting better baseball coaching and more thorough support earlier and more consistently than ever. For the Aloys, that pipeline was supercharged as a result of their father's experience around the game. 'They just find a way,' LaTorre, the Sac State recruiter who is now the head coach at Pepperdine, gushed. 'It's a resourcefulness to just find a way, to find the joy in playing baseball. I don't think they ever lose that Hawaiian ... I think they call it Ohana. They have this ability to have a joy playing for their state, but it's almost like their country, you know? They never lose that Hawaiian culture that they grew up in, even though they may be in Arkansas, 6000 miles away.' Advertisement Said Victorino: 'It's built in you. It's a pride. From Hawaii, you have pride. The pride we have about who we are and what we are, what we represent. Aloha spirit.' Ohana in Omaha Now, the brothers find themselves in Omaha, fighting for a championship on the sport's biggest stage. Their Razorbacks remain alive, despite dropping their first game of the tournament against conference rivals LSU. Arkansas takes on UCLA in an elimination game Tuesday night, the winner of which will need to beat LSU twice to reach the finals. But whatever happens next, the Aloys' impact should be lasting. Two brothers from Hawaii brought their talents, their vibe and their culture halfway around the world — from tropical paradise to the heart of SEC country. And the pipeline isn't drying up anytime soon. Advertisement Wehiwa's time in Arkansas will soon be over, likely as a first-round draft pick with a multimillion-dollar bonus. But Kuhio will return in 2026, and he'll be joined by Judah Ota, a highly regarded prep prospect from 'Iolani High School in Honolulu. Last month, Kadokawa flew a group of high school players from Hawaii to Fayetteville for regional weekend. The scenes were spectacular; young kids with enormous flags, decked out in island gear, thrilled to cheer on the Aloys. They soaked it all in — the noise, the crowd, the exhilarating scene of two brothers who look like them, who sound like them, who are from where they're from, playing on one of college baseball's biggest stages. They saw what was possible. What might be.
