Japan to host 2 Rainbow Warrior baseball exhibition games

Reading time: 2 minutes

UH Mānoa baseball

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa baseball team will get the rare opportunity to take a team trip out of the country, heading to Japan for a week-long stay, November 4–10.

In partnership with the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA), the Rainbow Warriors will travel to the Tokyo area to play two exhibition games against Waseda University and Keio University. The trip will also include practices and cultural and sightseeing activities.

“What an amazing opportunity for our young people and our university to represent the great state of Hawaiʻi in Japan, playing two of the top universities in Keio and Waseda,” said Head Coach Rich Hill. “I’d like to thank Sen. Glenn Wakai and HTA for their commitment to fostering and furthering relations with Japan in this exciting era.”

Japan tour games:

November 7 (November 8 in Japan) — vs. Waseda University, 5 p.m. HST
November 8 (November 9 in Japan) — vs. Keio University, p.m. HST

“The UH baseball team is going to Tokyo as Ambassadors of Aloha. The goal is to develop relationships, which will lead to a pipeline of athletes, cultivation of a fan base and eventually corporate sponsorship,” said Wakai.

UH Mānoa has a number of key players returning from last year’s team, including pitchers Isaiah Magdaleno, Sebastian Gonzalez and Liam O’Brien. Leading the position players will be multi-year veterans of the program Ben Zeigler-Namoa, Elijah Ickes and Kamana Nahaku.

“Hawaiʻi’s athletes have long served as our ambassadors to the world, carrying our values, our culture, and our aloha wherever they go,” said interim president and CEO of HTA Caroline Anderson. “When our University of Hawaiʻi athletes travel to Japan, they will help nurture relationships and shared experiences that inspire dreams of visiting Hawaiʻi. A dream trip to Hawaiʻi is rarely sparked by a single ad or commercial. The dream builds through friendships, connection and a true sense of welcome.”

The Hawaiʻi baseball program has begun to open up a pipeline from Japan, with a handful of Japanese players in recent years starring for the program. Two-way standout Itsuki Takemoto was a fan-favorite for the program from 2024–25 before being selected by the Athletics in this year’s MLB Draft. Maaki Yamazaki was a two-year starter at shortstop from 2018–19 and later returned to the program as a graduate assistant in 2024, while Shunsuke Sakaino was born in Japan and lived there during his early childhood before moving to the U.S.

“This is a unique opportunity for our Rainbow Warriors to have a memorable cultural and athletic experience that is at the core of being a student-athlete,” said Director of Athletics Matt Elliott. “They will represent Hawaiʻi, build relationships, and bring the Aloha spirit to Japan. I want to thank HTA and Sen. Wakai for helping make this possible.“