June 17, 2009

Freshman outfielder Jared Denham blogs from beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii. Check back on Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's for blogs through the end of July.

Jared Denham

This summer I was lucky enough to be sent to Honolulu, Hawaii to play summer ball in the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League. I was very excited to come here and play not only because of the great weather and beaches, but I also have family that live fifteen minutes from where I am staying. I do not get to see this family very often so it is nice seeing them and they have been helping me get situated in my new home for the next seven weeks.

I arrived in Hawaii last Wednesday and headed to my living arrangements, which unlike many other leagues where players stay with host families, all the players in the league stay in an apartment complex. There are over 150 players from all over the country staying in this one complex so you can imagine how interesting the lifestyle is. It is awesome being able to meet players from all over; there are guys from WCC schools like Santa Clara, Pepperdine, and Saint Mary's and many other places all over the country such as New York and Florida. Living with the players really allows you to get know the guys, not only on your team, but on all the other teams as well.

I am living with fellow Don Teammate Matt Quintero and we are sharing a room and in our apartment which we also share with guys from Maryland, Rhode Island, and Southern California. We play six games a week then get Fridays off to hang out, go down to the beach, and explore all the beauties of Hawaii. Every day we bus down to the fields together where we play one game of a three game series against each team. It is a 35 game season with a tournament championship the last week.

There are six different teams and I am on the Hawaii Aliis (Chiefs) and we are currently 3-2. We started off 0-2 and have won three straight and are shaking off the cob webs and playing really well. I have been playing centerfield and have been batting leadoff. I am having a great time playing in this great weather, I expected it to be extremely hot and uncomfortable to play in, but because of the nice breeze that is constantly flowing it makes for great baseball weather. The coach of our team is Carl Fratecelli and he is from the bay area and coached around the area I lived so we know a lot the same people. He is a really great coach that lets the players play their game, but also is there willing to teach the game.

When we are not out on the baseball field we spend a lot of time at the beaches and that has been awesome! It is so nice to go and relax in the water or lay in the sand after a long day at the field. I have also found out how much of a workout it is to go out swimming in the ocean with the strong currents and waves, it has been wiping me out. I am having a blast here and am enjoying every day, it has been a great opportunity to play here so far and I hope to have many more great memories and friendships. What is better than waking up playing the game you love, then going to relax on the most beautiful beaches in the world?