It took Sam Kim all of five at-bats to make his mark at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
In the first inning of his second game in a Vulcans uniform, Kim, belted a three-run home run to begin an onslaught at Wong Stadium.
“I’ll always remember it,” Kim said. “That gave me a lot of confidence.”
If Kim thought Wong was going to be a home run haven, he’s learned otherwise. And wins have been hard to come by. Still, Kim has been hitting ever since he arrived on the Big Island as a sophomore from Irvine Valley Junior College.
But what else would you expect from a player who manufactures wooden bats on the side?
“We may not have all the facilities and amenities that other schools have, but I think the bigger thing is the local heritage here and the Hawaiian culture,” he said.
“Playing with great teammates who are my friends.”
Kim, a native of Mission Viejo, Calif., will get a chance to leave a lasting impression with seven other seniors – Jeremy Dela Cruz, Chris Hubocan, Jarin Kadooka, Jordan Kumasaka, Jordan Murai, Michael Slifer and Chris Terry – when the Vulcans (8-35, 4-23 Pacific West Conference) host Academy of Art (7-35, 4-24) in 4 p.m. doubleheaders Wednesday and Thursday to finish the regular season.
Kim doesn’t see the series as a melancholy end to his college career. But he will miss Hawaii after he graduates with a degree in business this spring.
“My friends back home see my (social media) posts every day,” Kim said. “Living and playing in paradise. It’s been good.”
Much like Joey Estrella in 2013, coach Kallen Miyataki has spent the past two seasons penciling Kim in at third base in the middle of the lineup.
Kim, who’s listed at 5 feet, 10 inches and 210 pounds, raised his average from .285 as a sophomore to .301 to a junior, but his home runs fell from five to zero. Miyataki asked him to add more power to his game as senior, and he’s received the best of both worlds from Kim, who leads the Vulcans in batting average (.348), home runs (three) and RBIs (19).
Hitting at pitcher-friendly Wong, perhaps his home run total should should come with an asterisk. All three this season have come on road, and Kim was robbed of one recently at Wong when a Hawaii Pacific outfielder reached over the fence to steal one.
“You definitely have to change your approach at Wong,” Kim said. “You can’t lift the ball here because it doesn’t carry. About 5 or 6 (p.m.), it gets even worse.”
While Kim’s production figures to be the hardest to replace, Miyataki also is proud of the senior season turned in by Dela Cruz, who’s 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA.
“He’s come a long way and we’re really proud of him,” Miyataki said. “Then you have a player like Jordan Murai. He may not be the biggest, but he’s a spark plug.”
Dela Cruz will make his third start of the season in the series, and Miyataki plans to use Slifer in relief on Wednesday and possibly as a starter Thursday.
Kim said he hopes to play pro ball and is willing to go overseas if need be, but even if he can’t catch on he’ll still be involved with the game from the entrepreneurial side.
He was a playing in a wooden summer bat league a couple of years ago and he got tired of breaking his bats. Kim figured to cheapest solution would be to start making his own bats.
“It just kind of took off from there,” said Kim, whose King Panda Bats recently received an order to make 100 more bats.
