The work never ceases, yet Dallas Millwood keeps stepping to the plate.
The Kamehameha first baseman has always been the younger one in the bunch, usually with her three softball-playing sisters, playing the sport against older players and teams. Now, she comes off a junior season as the Interscholastic League of Honolulu’s most valuable player: .528 batting average 29 RBIs, 22 runs, four home runs, .609 on-base percentage and .981 slugging average.
She signed a letter of intent to play for Nevada, where one of her Guava Jam club teammates, Ashley Salausa, is a freshman on the team.
Kamehameha enters the regular season ranked No. 6 in the Star-Advertiser Softball Top 10. They have Maiah Motta at third base. As a freshman, Motta hit .451 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs, landing on the All-State first team with Millwood. Another freshman, Tausane Tavale hit .422, stole 11 bases and scored 23 runs and was voted to the All-State third team. Also back for senior year is catcher Kyler Stevens, now a third-year starter.
“It’s wide open and it’ll come down to pitching,” Warriors coach James Millwood said.
Now a senior, Dallas Millwood is a leader in more ways than one. She is the fourth and last child of Arlette and James Millwood, both teachers at Mililani High School.
“There’s no pressure on her from me. I still want her to go out and do what she does best. She’s usually the leader, a vocal leader, and talks a lot communication-wise,” coach Millwood said. “If anything, because this is one of the youngest teams we’ve had, I want her to be more vocal, helping them on the side in the dugout.”
Millwood was the prep feature in Tuesday’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser, which you can read here.
Dallas Millwood
Kamehameha softball
Senior
Q&A / Favorites
Athlete: Corey Seager
> He’s the shortstop for the Dodgers. Just the way that he plays. He was the rookie of the year two years ago and he’s a really good hitter. He’s very consistent and very clutch for them right now.
Team: Dallas Cowboys
Does this have anything to do with your name?
> Yes, everything to do with it.
Are you concerned about them?
> I think they’re going to do better this season.
How do you know?
> Zeke (Elliott) is back. He’s not suspended.
Does it take someone special to put up with all of the Cowboys chaos?
> They get a lot of attention. People either hate them or love them.
So the answer is yes.
> Yeah.
Food (at home): Grandma’s mochiko chicken
What’s your grandma’s name?
> Amy Jean Millwood.
When did you begin to love her mochiko chicken?
> Since I was little. She passed away when I was 8, but that’s always been my favorite. Now my mom makes it.
Food (eating out): pizza.
> All kinds. Pizza’s my favorite food. CPK is one of my favorites. The BBQ chicken pizza with ranch on the side.
Hobby outside of sports: making YouTube videos with Maiah
Who is Maiah?
> Maiah (Motta) is the third baseman for our team.
What’s your name on YouTube?
> Dal and Mai.
Should people watch your videos?
> Yeah. We just do fun stuff. Challenges. We did Wheel of Dare. You kind of spin a bottle and whatever it lands on and you have to do the dare.
Movie: The Greatest Showman
This is a new movie. So what’s so great about it?
> It’s just so good. I loved all the songs and the message.
So it’s Wolverine singing in another movie. Did you like Hugh Jackman’s other musical?
> No, I never saw it.
If everybody watched this movie, we would have world peace.
> Mmm… it would help.
TV show: The Flash
People say that the Flash on TV was way more interesting and fun than the Flash in Justice League (the movie).
> Yeah, definitely. This is more of a comedy/action. I love fantasy. He works in forensics. It’s his side job, an internship type of thing.
Video game: Injustice
> It’s on PlayStation4, it’s superheroes battling against each other.
Do you play this with anyone in your family?
> Yeah, my sisters (Jamie, Taylor, Jordan) and my sisters’ boyfriends.
Who’s the best player?
> Jamie. The rest of us just button smash. She knows what she’s doing.
Music artist: Rihanna
> She’s got the voice. She can sing and she can rap. She can do all kinds of music. And she can dance. If you go to one of her concerts, she always has a powerful message for girls.
Teacher (elementary through high school): Steve Morales, “Mr. Mo”.
> He’s my college counselor. He’s a great person. If it’s school-related or sports-related or anything, he’s really easy to talk to. He’s really good with student-athletes.
GPA: 3.3
> I think sports is something that helps me have better grades.
When did you realize that a higher GPA helps your chances of going to your choice for college?
> I’ve been told since a younger age, but it finally hit me my sophomore year.
Class: PsychStory
> It’s an English class. I’m really interested in psychology. That’s what I’m going to major in at college. I got a deeper understanding of how the brain works. That class really made me want to go into psychology. We read both fiction and non-fiction, but the fiction was based on real people’s lives. There was the Elephant Man.
Place to relax: Mom & Dad’s bed.
Are you the baby of the family?
> Yes, I am.
There’s going to be major empty nest syndrome.
> Yeah.
Motto/scripture: It doesn’t get easier, you just get better.
What your mom (Arlette) says that you can’t forget: Just go out there and play your hardest and leave it on the field.
What your dad (James) says that you can’t forget: You’re the most like me out of all your sisters and no matter what you do, I am proud of you.
(Everyone says it too. I guess when I played sports I was vocal and kind of a coach on the field, very competitive. When I see her and my friends see her, they see her in me. And she’s the biggest and looks the most haole.)
What your coaches say that you can’t forget: Nails.
> Not like nails on your hand, it’s like nails in a coffin.
So, like finish strong?
> Yeah.
How does your sport affect your daily life during the season and offseason?
> Softball is a big part of my life and there’s never truly a day when i’m away from it. If I am not playing a game, I am practicing on the field or in the weight room or watching softball on tv/youtube.
What middle and elementary schools did you attend?
> Preschool I went to Hanalani. Kindergarten to third grade I went to Mililani Waena. For 4th grade and up I attended Kamehameha Schools.
What youth teams did you play for? What club do you play for and what are the daily commitments like year-round?
> I have played for Guava Jam my whole life, but the past two years I went to the mainland and played with the Batbusters. That’s in Orange County. They have players from all over the place.
So what is a summer there like with the Batbusters?
> It’s about a month and a half. We play in the area, we play in the PGF and Champions Cup.
Where have you travelled for sports and school activities?
> California and Nevada.
What do you like to do — or what’s something else you’re good at —
that would surprise most people?
> I can play the piano.
This means you had lessons or you’re self-taught and you stopped playing when you were 8?
> I took lessons for about seven years until middle school. I can play “Für Elise”. It’s the Godfather song. That’s what my teacher gave me one day. That’s the only song I’ve learned by muscle memorization.
You didn’t know it was The Godfather song?
> No, my dad just told me.
Have you seen The Godfather?
> No.
What is your ultimate dream/bucket list? Where would you like to travel, what life would you like to have as an athlete? And away from sports?
> HOGWARTS, definitely Hogwarts. New Orleans, AT&T Football Stadium, Dodgers Stadium, and Tahiti. For softball, I want to go to the Olympics.
So we’re talking about Universal Studios?
> Yes. I didn’t go to Batbusters last year. I stayed home. That’s when Hogwarts came to Universal Studios.
This means you’ve read all the books?
> I’ve read some of them, but I’ve watched all the movies. I only read it when I was younger.
Didn’t they get rid of softball in the Olympics?
> Yeah, but they brought it back. It’s going to be in the 2020 Olympics.
So this means you have another big goal?
> Oh yeah. If I really want to, that’s a goal.
Before I forget, who’s your favorite Harry Potter character?
> Hermione.
What is the history and background of your name?
> My parents said that when they had a boy they wanted to name him Dallas after the Dallas Cowboys but after having four girls they stopped trying and named me Dallas.
So you have no brothers?
> No, but I always wanted one.
Two of your sisters played softball in college.
> Jamie (Stanford) and Jordan (UH-Hilo). My future has a lot to do with now. The choices that I make now affect what I’ll be doing in the future.
SOFTBALL
> We beat Moanalua, ‘Iolani, Kailua (in preseason). We’re 5-2.
Do you think it’s fair for Kamehameha to be ranked high?
> Yes. I think Campbell should be No. 1 because they’re the reigning champs the past few years, but in my opinion, I can see us second.
So tell us why. What makes Kamehameha more than just Dallas Millwood?
> We have great girls on the team. Our coaching staff is a great staff. People are so experienced. Coach Isaac. Our coaches have great knowledge of the game.
Who’s pitching?
> We have two sophomores and two freshmen. We’re a very young team this year. Our pitching is getting there. It’s not like my freshman year when we had Kamalani Dung, but as the season progresses the girls will get better and more confidence. With more experience, they’ll get better.
Who else is going to challenge for the state title?
> We lost to Campbell and Kapolei.
Would it be more interesting if softball did the same thing football is doing?
> I think that would be interesting to play not just ILH, and play teams from around the state.
What’s your goal for this year?
> As a team, I want us to win ILH champs, and then win states.
Any shout-outs or additional thoughts are welcome.
> S/O to my sisters, Jamie, Taylor, and Jordan, I love you guys. S/O to Mal. S/O to Coach Abu Ma’afala for taking the time to train me during the off-season. S/O to my coaches and my team, here’s to a great season!
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