Piikea Kitamura’s eyes still light up when he thinks about the University of Hawaii–Manoa baseball team’s exhilarating run at the end of last season. The Rainbows peaked at just the right time, winning the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) tournament for the first time since 1992. “It’s not just the team’s success, it’s the state’s,” says the sophomore third baseman, smiling as he recalled fans jumping on the ‘Bows’ bandwagon. “That’s what we’re playing for: our state, our families, and friends.”

Hawaii bowed out of the NCAA regional at Tempe, Ariz., but Kitamura continued to contribute, hitting .417 and lunging to catch a foul ball before toppling into the opposing team’s dugout. “Going to the regional was a real special opportunity, and I’m definitely glad I got to do it my freshman year,” he says.
“I just want to do it again.”

Kitamura played almost every position growing up, but moved to shortstop at Kamehameha, where he earned All-State honors. “I liked being in charge of the infield,” he says. “I liked the responsibility.”

Kitamura was continuing a sterling family tradition that stretches back three generations. Kitamura’s father, Galen, and uncle, David, also played shortstop, both starring at Punahou, then earning All-WAC honors at Colorado State University (CSU). His late grandfather, Dick Kitamura, started the family legacy at the school, helping Colorado A&M – as it was called back then – make it to the 1950 College World Series.

Piikea and his father were in opposing dugouts when he was at Kamehameha. Galen was a longtime assistant coach for his alma mater, Punahou, while Piikea and his elder brother, Makana, played for the Warriors. Things got a little complicated when the rival schools faced off for the 2007 state championship, which the Buffanblu won during their ongoing streak of seven straight crowns (2004-10).

“I think my wife probably gave me more grief about coaching at Punahou,” chuckles Galen. “It wouldn’t have been so bad, except that Punahou kept winning state titles.”

Though he admits that the experience was bittersweet, Piikea was eventually able to appreciate the significance of the moment. “It was definitely a moment to cherish, because that doesn’t happen often,” he says. “Just the fact that I played a season with my brother was something special to me. We all had a hand in it. We were in the state championship together.”

When Galen played baseball for Punahou in high school, his father coached Damien. After Galen became a coach, he understood his father’s logic. “It was a way to keep perspective on the thing,” says Galen. “When you’re in high school, you think the games are life and death, but when you get older and coach, you understand that it’s really not that important in terms of the wins and losses.”

Though Galen left Punahou’s coaching staff after 21 years, business acquaintances still chat him up about Piikea and his father, who was a defensive whiz at shortstop back in the heyday of the Hawaii Major League and the Americans of Japanese Ancestry (AJA) leagues. Dick Kitamura barnstormed for a summer with the Harlem Globetrotters baseball team, played three years in the Japanese pro leagues, and then returned home to play and coach for many years. An avid collector, he kept scrapbooks of newspaper articles, photos, and other memorabilia, including shots taken at exhibition games against visiting major league teams like the New York Yankees. (Kitamura’s collection includes a Yankee team photo taken at the old Honolulu Stadium that includes a certain rookie named Mickey Mantle.)

Dick coached Farrington to the state championship in 1963. He also served as the school’s athletic director and later coached at Damien and Mid-Pacific Institute. Today, Farrington’s gym is named after him, and Mid-Pacific hosts the annual preseason Dick Kitamura Memorial Tournament.

Despite his father’s fame, Galen says he never felt too much pressure. By the time he matriculated at CSU, Galen’s elder brother David, who earned academic All-American honors at CSU, cast the longer shadow.“You didn’t want to be the weak link right?” Galen laughs.

For his part, Piikea, who has also played catcher for the ‘Bows this season, doesn’t seem burdened by pressure to live up to his well-known family name. Instead, he focuses on getting better and building on the Kitamuras’ long list of accomplishments. “It’s a big legacy to uphold, but it’s definitely something I appreciate and embrace,” he says.