HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i head baseball coach Mike Trapasso announced the signing of six players to national letters of intent for the 2011 season Wednesday.

 

The class consists of four prepsters, three from Hawai'i and one from the state of Washington, and two junior college transfers.

 

The three local high schoolers are Jarrett Arakawa, a left-handed pitcher from 'Iolani School, Keanu Carmichael, a catcher from Kamehameha, and Kale Ka'alekahi, a right-handed pitcher from Campbell. All three earned first-team all-state honors in 2009. The only other prep player that signed was Luke Taylor, a right-handed pitcher from Woodinville, Wash.

 

The two junior college signees were Michael Blake, a left-handed pitcher from Mt. Hood College, and Kenny McDowall, a right-handed pitcher from the College of Southern Nevada.

 

Arakawa was a first-team all-state honoree in 2009, helping the Raiders to their first league championship since 1997. He was 5-1 with three saves in 14 appearances, also batting .411 with 17 RBI. He is also the starting quarterback on the football team, earning ILH Division II all-star honors.

 

“He could be the sleeper of the class. He continues to get better. He's a tremendous player and a tremendous kid. As a lefty, he has great pitchability. But his velocity keeps getting better.”

 

Blake pitched on the Mt. Hood team that went 35-8 in 2009. He also made seven starts for the Portland Ports summer team, holding a 3.17 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 48.1 innings pitched.

 

“He's a junior college lefty that will come in and help right away. He's a strike-thrower with great poise.”

 

Carmichael earned first-team all-state honors in 2009, helping the Warriors to a state semifinal appearance. He batted .410 with four homers and 20 RBI.

 

“Keanu is going to be a high-profile recruit by the time the spring is over. He also has a chance to be a solid draft. Right now, he is one of the top defensive catchers on the entire west coast. We have high expectations for him to come in and have a great catching career in the program.”

 

Ka'alekahi was a first-team all-state honoree in 2009, going 5-2 with a 0.72 ERA.

 

“Kale is a guy we've been watching since his sophomore year. We'll see great things from him before he leaves the program. He keeps getting better as he matures, and he will continue to improve physically. I see him as a high velocity right-hander with pitchability.”

 

McDowall was 3-3 with two saves and a 3.06 ERA in 2009 at Southern Nevada, helping the team to a 35-20 record. He had 32 strikeouts and just nine walks in 32.1 innings pitched.

 

“Kenny is a guy we'll have high expectations for. Coming from a great junior college program, we expect him to compete for a weekend rotation spot right away.”

 

Taylor is a 6-6 pitcher from Woodinville, Wash., who earned honorable mention all-county honors in 2009. He played in the prestigious Area Code games and the Mariners Cup.

 

“At 6-6, he's a physical kid. But he's very athletic for his size. He was primarily a shortstop in high school. He has tremendous potential and a really high ceiling. He could be mid-90s guy by the time he's done here, because he already has great velocity.”

 

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