The high school baseball preseason is a chapter of the past now, but it also came with some sterling honors locally.
Shane Sasaki of ‘Iolani, Bubba Akana of St. Francis, Jake Tsukada of Punahou and Bryson Ewaliko of Kailua were selected to the 2019 Rawlings Perfect Game Preseason All-American team.
Sasaki, a centerfielder, is on the second team. He played with Hawaii Baseball Group and is signed with Cal Poly. He currently has three home runs and a .591 batting average in ILH regular-season games.
Tsukada, Akana and Ewaliko were named to the High Honorable Mention list. Tsukada, a shortstop, played with the Trosky National Team 17U and Trosky Red Birds. He signed with the University of Portland. In ILH play, he is batting .333 with 10 RBIs and nine runs scored, and has a .417 on-base percentage.
Akana, a shortstop, played for Team California and is signed with Hawaii. He is batting .333 in ILH action with five RBIs and three stolen bases.
Ewaliko, formerly Ballesteros, is an ace on the mound, played for the Prospects National Team and is not signed with a college yet. He had a perfect 0.00 ERA in 36 innings last season. In ’19, he is batting .375 and is 0-0 on the mound in three appearances.
COMMENTS