Former UH pitcher Cade Halemanu picks Oregon as backup plan

Former University of Hawaii pitcher Cade Halemanu’s backup plan is Oregon.

Halemanu, who entered the NCAA’s transfer portal on June 25, has accepted an offer from Oregon’s baseball team. The agreement is contingent on Halemanu either not being selected in this month’s Major League Baseball draft for first-year players or not reaching a free-agent pact.

Halemanu said his focus is “100%” on a pro career. “It starts off with the draft first,” Halemanu said. “If I feel I’m being treated fairly for the amount of money I want, I’ll take that. If I feel I’m not being treated fairly, I guess we’re on our way to Oregon.”

Following a breakthrough season in 2021, Halemanu was not selected in last year’s 20-round draft. He turned down a free-agent offer to return to UH for a fourth season. Following fall training, head coach Rich Hill named Halemanu as the ace of the pitching rotation.

Halemanu was uneven in preconference competition, but he was steady against Big West opponents, going 4-3 with a 2.68 ERA in 10 league starts. In 15 overall starts, Halemanu averaged 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings. His fastball topped at 97 mph while being complemented with three other pitches, including a baffling change-up.

In May, Halemanu earned a bachelor’s degree in health and sports psychology. “I started off as a walk-on,” said Halemanu, who was put on scholarship this past season. “I grinded my way. It was a great time. I’m very thankful for my time at the University of Hawaii.”

After officially entering the transfer portal, Halemanu recalled, “In about 20 minutes, 30 minutes, schools were calling. You get to pick and choose which ones you want to go to. It just happened I chose (Oregon).”

As a Pearl City High senior in 2018, Halemanu was not highly recruited. Of the interest after entering the portal, Halemanu said, “It did feel kind of nice. It’s also nice to think in the back of your head you earned this.”

The three-day MLB draft begins July 17.