Rainbow baseball’s Igawa ready for his diploma walk

In three seasons with the Hawaii baseball team, Jacob Igawa has drawn 34 walks.

The most significant walk will come on Saturday when Igawa goes to the podium to accept a replica of his college diploma at UH’s commencement ceremony in the Stan Sheriff Center.

“My parents paid for me to go to school, and this would be a good way to show my appreciation,” said Igawa, who is majoring in civil engineering. “It signifies the work I’ve put in these five years. It wasn’t easy. … It feels like a big weight off my shoulders. School’s tough, especially with baseball.”

A 2018 Waiakea High graduate, Igawa attended Pacific as a freshman and Hawaii Hilo as a sophomore ahead of his transfer to UH in August 2020. After enrolling in Manoa, he switched majors from chemistry and environmental science to civil engineering. A post-graduation emphasis will be on waste-water management.

“I wake up and prioritize what I have to do,” Igawa said of his balance as a student-athlete. “It was difficult in the sense I had to do things I didn’t want to do. It was easy in the sense I knew what I had to do.”

For the three-game series against UC Davis that opens Thursday, Igawa knows his role is to provide punch from the heart of the lineup, leadership and, if he is at first base, reliable defense. In 21 Big West games, Igawa has a team-high .301 average.

Igawa’s love for baseball began when he was 5. Jay Igawa, a former Castle High standout, worked on his son’s swing at local parks. At Hilo and then UH, Jacob Igawa focused on swing mechanics, particularly on swing-plane changes. “Mechanic changes to get a more efficient bat path and make contact,” Igawa said.

As a freshman he went with a 34-inch bat — up from the 33 he swung in high school. “More plate coverage, more peace of mind (on outside pitches),” Igawa said. “One inch doesn’t seem like a lot, but it is.”

Igawa also has made the transition to first base. Trained as a catcher, he was used mostly as a designated hitter at Hilo. When he transferred to UH, he joined a crowded catcher’s position led by Dallas Duarte, Tyler Murray, Nainoa Cardinez, Blake Hiraki and Jared Quandt. Igawa was moved to the outfield.

In fall training in 2021, Igawa was asked to play first base. Igawa could pick the bounced throws — it required the same skills as a pitch in the dirt to a catcher — but had to adjust to positioning and a first baseman’s glove. He said it initially was challenging to transfer the ball from the larger glove.

Last summer, Igawa played nearly 70 games as a first baseman in the Northwest League. “All the reps, all the game reps at first base, helped my comfortability,” Igawa said.

This season, he has not committed an error in 174 chances.