On Tuesday, the University of Hawai‘i baseball team is set to depart for a trip to Japan, which lasts from Nov. 4-10. It is the first known foreign tour in program history.
“We’re so pumped,” Hawai‘i head baseball coach Rich Hill said. “Senator (Glenn) Wakai was really the driving force behind this. We had been in talks with him, our administration, Matt Elliott, president Hensel, have been great about this. It just kind of all came together when we realized that we were going to have support. … A lot of people just push, push, push to make it happen. There were some roadblocks along the way, like anything when you’re trying to do something new, but, man, we got it done, and we’re heading to Japan, and couldn’t be more excited.”
The Rainbow Warriors will spend their trip in the Tokyo area. In addition to sightseeing and cultural exchanges, the ‘Bows will play exhibition games against Waseda University and Keio University. Waseda and Keio are two of the best teams in Japan and rivals. Hill likened the two programs to “playing LSU and Tennessee.”
Before their games against both teams, Hill will require the Rainbow Warriors to watch their opponents warm up and try to take a thing or two away from the disciplined and regimented style of play.
“It is a choreographed work of art. It’s like a broadway musical. The discipline, how accurate catch play is, the energy, the enthusiasm, it’s my style of baseball. I love it,” Hill said. “I just love the passion that they bring. I love the discipline, the adherence to fundamentals, the desire for excellence. It’s really good for our players to see that style of baseball. I’m really looking forward to that.”
Taking a trip to Japan as a team had been a possibility but not a certainty until recent weeks. The ‘Bows knew to be prepared for the trip beforehand, whether it was getting the proper documentation to travel or planning ahead of classes missed.
“Everybody’s ready to go,” star pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno said. “They’ve been on it. They’ve been telling us since the beginning, probably like the first (fall) meeting that it was a possibility, and ever since then, we’ve just been looking forward to it.
“It’s super exciting. We usually don’t travel in the fall, but we’re super excited to get out there. It’s a new experience for everybody, and everybody’s excited. I feel like we’re ready as a team and just really testing out the new team.”
Fall ball intensified for the Rainbow Warriors with a trio of intersquad games over the weekend as part of its fall World Series. After returning from Japan, the Rainbow Warriors will host Hawai‘i Pacific for an exhibition on Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium. The 2026 regular season then begins in February for the ‘Bows.
“We’re a work in progress,” Hill said. “Fall is always exciting, because we get to learn a lot about the players that we brought in. At the same time, it’s a ramping up process, especially for the freshmen, managing their time, academics, baseball, strength and conditioning. It goes from 0 to 100 pretty quick, but we’re figuring out the pieces.”
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
AloJapan.com