Malu Peralta wouldn’t count carrots or vanilla ice cream among his favorites, but each food group plays an important part in pitching for the Kamehameha right-hander.
Malu Peralta wouldn’t count carrots or vanilla ice cream among his favorites, but each food group plays an important part in pitching for the Kamehameha right-hander.
The proverbial carrot on a stick was the motivational push the coaches stressed to him from his freshman to his junior year, when Peralta rarely took the mound in meaningful innings.
But he worked hard, and earned a reward becoming the ace in his senior season, following a vanilla pitching strategy or keeping things simple.
Peralta fired a four-hitter to spark the Warriors past Konawaena 7-0 in Game 2 of the BIIF Division II championship series on Thursday night at Wong Stadium, wrapping up their fourth straight league title.
The Warriors (12-1) and Wildcats (5-7-1) have berths to the HHSAA Division II state tournament, which will be held May 7-9 on Oahu. Kamehameha, the four-time BIIF champion, doesn’t get a first-round bye, only a shot to claim one of the four seeds to the eight-team tourney.
Peralta’s complete-game gem was hard-earned, too. He walked five and stranded eight on base, including the sacks packed in the fourth inning. He neutralized that threat with one of his 11 strikeouts.
After the last out — on a rare double play when right fielder Baron Victorino, who was playing shallow, caught a flyball and fired to first base to nab a Wildcat — Peralta was subdued in his celebration.
“It was thanks to my team for the whole season,” he said. “I got a lot of help from my coaches from my freshman to senior year. They told me there was a carrot out in front and to keep pushing. That’s what they kept preaching.
“But we’re not done yet with the BIIF championship, especially after finishing runner-up to the same team at states the last two years.”
Peralta was mindful that Maryknoll defeated Kamehameha 4-0 last year and 14-0 in 2013 for the state title, and he’ll draw a start in the three-day tourney, so there’s still hard work ahead.
Friend to all
He lives in Waimea, which means there’s an alarm clock ringing at 5 a.m. every school day. And he played Little League on the West side, where a lot of his youth teammates were from BIIF rivals Konawaena, Honokaa and Kohala.
“I didn’t want to do the whole celebration thing because I know how it is to lose,” said Peralta, who has a 3.2 grade-point average. “There was a humility behind it because I know all those guys from the West side. I also know all the Hilo boys from coach Kaha Wong. He’s another one I have to credit for getting me recognized.”
Peralta started playing ball as a 5-year-old at New Hope Fellowship Church in Hilo before his family moved to Waimea. But as he grew into his 6-foot frame, swinging a bat was never a strong suit.
Though he’s not a hitter, Peralta joined Wong’s Big Island Baseball program, and opened eyes at a pair of showcases. During the summer, he went to an Arizona showcase and topped out at 91 mph. At a February showcase in Iowa, he was clocked averaging 86 to 88 mph from the windup and 84 to 86 from the stretch.
“I want to go to a college wherever baseball takes me,” he said. “I just try to keep my pitching vanilla, simple and don’t over-think. In the beginning of the game (on Thursday), I was too hyped and amped. The coaches told me to settle down, and I found a groove after keeping things vanilla.”
New Warriors
Only senior center fielder Kobi Candaroma (5 for 7 in series), and junior second baseman Daylen Calicdan (2 for 4) are returning starters, so the new guys became quick contributors, like Peralta’s cousin, junior third baseman Makana Aiona (4 for 8, four RBIs).
“We’ve got good team chemistry,” Aiona said. “We’re all like brothers, like a family. Our team chemistry is right on point.
“The way to explain Malu is he’s tenacious, and he’s got poise. When he pitches, he really grinds on top of the mound.”
There’s a reason for that mindset. Peralta always thought about the carrot in front of him, and never stopped working.
“It’s from the coaches that I grew a different path, to try and keep getting better,” he said. “I had to step out of my comfort zone to keep pushing.”
He pointed out that mom’s homemade Korean chicken is his favorite meal. And it’s chocolate ice cream all the way to satisfy his taste buds.
But when Peralta gets back to practice in preparation for states, it’s his carrot on a stick that Kamehameha’s ace will be thinking about.