Kainoa Baptista, Worthy Of A Disney Movie
- Updated: July 19, 2018
(12-year-old Kainoa Baptista of Chula Vista’s Park View Little League blasts a grand slam during the Southern California Section 7 Championship game held on Tuesday at Chula Vista American Little League in Chula Vista. Baptista is the youngest player on his team, in some cases by a full year. Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)
Rabbi Rabbs is not similar to most baseball writers that tend to focus their feature articles on star players. Instead, your favorite crazy rabbi prefers the Disney tearjerker stories. Find the misfit, the one girl on the team, the pitcher with only one arm, or the deaf outfielder, and that is where you will find Rabbi Rabbs. That is one of the many reasons that makes CaliSports News Southern California’s undisputed leader in Little League coverage.
In my very first article about Little League, I wrote that CSN will focus much attention on California District 42, its teams, players, and tournament games. Now, we have reached the time to focus on one of that district’s players who fits the patented Disney mold of the underdog, the over-achiever, the kid that has overcome all odds.
We find those attributes in a kid that is reportedly the youngest player on his team, who had to compete against youngsters a year or more older than himself just to qualify for this year’s all-star team, and if he had not done so, he would have forever lost his only opportunity to compete for a chance to play in the Little League World Series held in S. Williamsport, PA.
That is because by accordance with Little League’s new age limit rule, he is not eligible to play next year. So, 2018 is his one chance. Just to take advantage of that opportunity, that special youngster who turned 12 in May had to compete against kids that had already turned 13 during that same month. And, that exceptional player has not only broken into the highly-competitive roster of Chula Vista’s Park View Little League team, but the 12-year-old has performed brilliantly during that league’s tournament run, despite facing opponents a full year older than himself.
His name is Kainoa Baptista, and in Park View’s very first all-star tournament game this summer, Baptista started on the mound, and pitched a shutout.
(Kainoa Baptista of Chula Vista’s Park View Little League pitches during the Southern California Section 7 Championship game held on Tuesday at Chula Vista American Little League in Chula Vista. Kainoa earned the win, allowing only two runs on one hit in his three innings on the mound. Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)
Then, in the California District 42 semi-finals, Baptista reportedly picked up his first hit of the tournament by belting a pinch-hit, game-winning home run. That moved Park View into its district finals in which PVLL’s starting pitcher reached the pitch count maximum with only one out remaining in the game.
“So of course Kainoa was chosen to pitch that final out. Who else would be more deserving than Kainoa? He was perfect for that,” Lindsay Peck, mother of Park View’s third baseman Atticus Gates, told CSN. And, in typical Disney movie fashion, 12-year-old Baptista took over in relief, and forced the first batter he faced to pop out to seal Park View’s District 42 title. How about that for the younger kid? In his own words:
“With the title on the line, there was more pressure on me. So, throwing that game-winning pitch felt awesome,” Baptista, who prefers his nickname of “Island Prime”, told Park View’s crazy rabbi uncle, when the two sat down together for an interview held after a Park View victory in Southern California’s Section 7 tournament held on Jul. 15, at Chula Vista American Little League in Chula Vista.
Island Prime explained that his nickname is short for “Island Prime Time”, given to him because despite being a year younger than other players, he is clearly ready for Prime Time, and “I’m an Islander,” the half-Guamanian and half-Portuguese proudly stated, as his mother’s parents were born in Guam. Kainoa’s mom, Yvonne Baptista offered a slightly different explanation for the nickname given to her son who, just like her, was born in San Diego.
“Island Prime means he has strength, success, pure quality athleticism and is truly a humble relaxed kind of kid,” Yvonne told CSN. “Our island roots are strong, and they support Kainoa back on Guam for sure! His great-grandma and relatives have been keeping up with Park View.”
(Photo courtesy of the Baptista family.)
Island Prime then walked us through his all-stars highlight moments.
“My goal was to make the all-star team, and hope for a trip to the Little League World Series,” he said. “It feels great to have been selected to the team, and it felt really good to battle through each District 42 game.”
As for being handed the ball to start on the mound for the team’s first tournament contest, in which he proceeded to pitch a shutout, Kainoa said he did not feel any extra pressure, and the fact that he faced batters a year older than himself did not bother him at all.
“It felt like any other game,” he said. Pitching against older boys feels the same as pitching against ones his own age, according to Island Prime. He explained that he does not feel anything more special striking out 13-year-olds. Then came that game-winning pinch-hit homer.
“I did what I could with my one at bat. I knew the ball was gone the moment I hit it. That felt great,” the youngster recalled with a smile. Baptista is clearly not afraid of fastballs fired at him from 13-year-olds.
“I have faced that same speed of pitching before during travel ball,” he explained. Kainoa is younger, but is certainly not smaller. He stands 5′-8″, and wears size 12 shoes. Dude, I am 5′-9″, and I only wear size 11s. That is one big 12-year-old. He takes up the whole island.
Two days after my interview with Baptista, Park View’s manager started the 12-year-old on the mound in the Section 7 finals, because skipper Will Bleisch had full confidence in Baptista’s abilities.
“Kainoa has earned everything including our trust. If he continues to hit the ball the way he’s been hitting it, then he will not leave the line up. He is a great kid, works hard, and is a pleasure to have on the team,” Bleisch told CSN. Park View won that title-clinching game, and the 12-year-old prodigy led the way by blasting a grand slam, and giving up only two runs on one hit in three innings on the mound, as The Green Monsters triumphed by a lopsided score of 17-2 in less than three innings at bat due to the 15-run, three-inning mercy rule.
(Kainoa Baptista flanked by his mother, Yvonne, and father, Matt. Photo courtesy of the Baptista family.)
By winning its section title, Park View will next compete as one of the 10 teams in the 2018 Little League Southern California Championship tournament which starts on Saturday. Island Prime might be the youngest player among those 10. But, he is a fierce competitor, and his parents fully support Kainoa competing against older boys, as doing so “makes him a stronger player,” Yvonne told CSN. Her husband Matt Baptista elaborated:
“Being the youngest player makes him grow into a better ballplayer,” which beats being a big fish in a tiny sea, Matt told CSN.
Some readers might recall the name Baptista from the 2015 Little League World Series. Jacob Baptista played first base and pitched during that World Series for District 42’s Sweetwater Valley Little League of Bonita. Jacob is Island Prime’s second cousin. For real. Small world, right?
(Kainoa Baptista hits a grand slam during the Southern California Section 7 Championship game held on Tuesday at Chula Vista American Little League in Chula Vista. Footage courtesy of the Baptista family.)
What I find most remarkable is that I had interviewed Kainoa on Sunday, prior to him hitting his first-ever Little League grand slam, and before he became the winning pitcher in the section title game. He first got interviewed, and then he had gone out and made himself a star of the game, worthy of his own feature story regardless of his age. I chose him for this article not because he is a star of the team, but because he is the youngest on the team. But, Kainoa on Tuesday made certain that no one could question whether or not he deserved CSN’s exclusive attention.
Kainoa is a clutch player. He is Prime Time. Here is hoping for his success to continue, and that he helps lead The Green Monsters to a Disney-worthy storybook fantasy-climax later next month in Pennsylvania, and gives everyone living on a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean something to celebrate that only dreams are made of, when they wish upon a star …
Until then, Let’s Go Island Prime !! Let’s Go Green Monsters !! Let’s Go SoCal !!
(Players on Chula Vista’s Park View Little League celebrate after their teammate Kainoa Baptista rocked a grand slam during the Southern California Section 7 Championship game held on Tuesday at Chula Vista American Little League in Chula Vista. Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)
Final Note: Here is a side point for every Park View parent to consider: After Rabbi Rabbs had interviewed Kainoa, the youngster’s very next game was arguably the greatest performance of his entire Little League career. His first grand slam while pitching a one-hitter to win a championship. Perhaps more players on the team should volunteer to be interviewed. Just sayin’.
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