Daylen Calicdan and Kamehameha took the long way home on a four-year march to the top, testing the limits of perseverance.
Daylen Calicdan and Kamehameha took the long way home on a four-year march to the top, testing the limits of perseverance.
The Warriors have been a BIIF Division II force, winning the last five titles and making annual runs at the HHSAA tournament.
Calicdan had an unforgettable senior season, pitching 4 2/3 innings of one-run relief against Kapolei for a 5-4 eight-inning win for the state title.
He was named the Most Outstanding Player on the All-Tourney Division II state team, a highlight in Kamehameha’s long quest for its first state crown.
Calicdan was handed another honor as the BIIF Division II Player of the Year, in a vote by the league’s coaches.
“It’s something since my freshman year I’ve always dreamed about achieving,” he said. “Every time I worked out with weights, hit off a tee and to get that accomplishment at the end of my high school career really feels good.”
The Kamehameha second baseman batted .429, had a .531 on-base average with a team-high 28 RBIs and went 3-0 with two saves and a 0.84 ERA in 16 2/3 innings.
He’s joined on the first team along with six teammates: first baseman Kobie Kinzie (.341, .525 on-base), third baseman Makana Aiona (.317, .469), shortstop Jai Cabatbat (.350, .473), outfielders Kyran Kai (.388, .508) and Baron Victorino (.388, .508), and pitcher Brandyn Lee-Lehano (7-1, 1.57 ERA).
The other first-team members are Honokaa outfielder Paki Akau, Konawaena catcher Tyler Kitaoka and utility Kolu Alani.
Kamehameha’s Andy Correa was named the BIIF Coach of the Year, after leading the Warriors to their first state title.
“Not all of our players started off as starters,” Correa said. “They all stepped up. For a lot of the older guys, it was two or three years of work to become a starter. It was good to see their hard work get them a reward.”
It was really a long way home for the Warriors to win the state championship May 7 at Wong Stadium, the first time the BIIF hosted the Division II tournament.
Kamehameha finished second in 2010, ’13, ’14 and fourth at states in 2015. Calicdan was a four-year starter and never had a hit in a state championship, going a combined 0 for 7 in three games.
But each year, the Warriors kept getting closer, even if the results didn’t show it. In 2015, they lost to Aiea 4-1 in the semifinals.
“Daylen was really driven to get better from his freshman year,” Correa said. “He has a good attitude. He’s always been a team-oriented player. He was a quiet leader and more or less led by example.”
The Warriors were deep with their batting lineup. Kai hit sixth while Kinzie was the No. 8 batter and Victorino was last in the order.
That trio of high on-base percentage hitters gave Calicdan a lot of run-producing opportunities, and pitchers attacked him differently and tried to limit collateral damage.
“Compared to other years in the past, I saw way more curveballs, especially on the first pitch,” he said. “If I tried to pull it, I’d get a roll over and a groundout. I tried to hit the ball to center or right center field.”
With ducks on the pond, Calicdan buckled down and had a team-high 18 hits with runners in scoring position and a .600 RISP batting average.
He counts his dad Corey Calicdan, who works for Dion Kawakami Building Service, as an inspiration.
“My dad used to play slow-pitch softball at Carvalho Park,” Calicdan said. “The moment I was old enough I played T-ball. My dad is a hard-working guy, and when he played he wanted to win. I’m the same way.”
Calicdan will be a preferred walk-on at Hawaii, where he’ll join old teammate Kobi Candaroma, a 2015 Kamehameha graduate, and 2013 Hilo graduate Chayce Ka‘aua.
UH coach Mike Trapasso didn’t have any scholarship money left for position players.
If Calicdan wants a scholarship, he’ll have to work for it. He’s already started grinding.
“I’m looking forward to the next level,” said Calicdan, who’ll major in environmental design. “I’ve been lifting weights, throwing and hitting and doing some running. At the next level, hopefully, I can get faster and better.”