Baseball’s Back!

AMERICA’S FAVORITE PASTIME AT CHAMINADE? IT’S A NO-BRAINER, SAYS ATHLETICS DIRECTOR TOM BUNING

After a four-decade absence, baseball at Chaminade made a Silversword-sized comeback earlier this year. Now, the Athletics Department is excited about making another big splash in the spring with 19 new players slated to fill holes in the roster.

Dr. Tom Buning, director of Athletics at Chaminade, said baseball’s return was a win-win-win for the community, the University and student-athletes. Baseball is hugely popular in the islands, which means the islands are typically a “net exporter” of players in the sport, Buning said, but Chaminade is helping to even out the playing field.

About one-quarter of the 2023–24 team were student-athletes from the islands.

“If you’re going to add a sport, get one that’s popular in the state and that is underserved in terms of opportunities,” Burning said. “This creates a blueprint for how to add sports and do it successfully no matter what the strategic value is.”

Dr. Allison A. Jerome, vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students at Chaminade, said adding baseball was a way to encourage more male students to take another look at Chaminade. And that’s exactly what happened.

“Baseball is part of Chaminade's history, and so bringing the team back was also a return to our roots,” Jerome told Chaminade Magazine. “With baseball being so popular here in Hawai‘i, this was an effort to build local community support for the institution.”

She said baseball has also attracted new donor attention.

Baseball Head Coach Chad Konishi hit the ground running last school year, Buning said, recruiting some 40 players “from scratch.” The team finished with a respectable 15–33 record, including some very close losses against much more established teams.

Allison A. Jerome Dean of Students

Buning said the highlight of the season was seeing local fans cheer on Chaminade baseball so enthusiastically.

“We earned the respect of our conference early on because we had some really, really strong appearances,” Buning said. “Our fans brought everyone with them. It’s that atmosphere—spectacular and heartwarming.”

He added women’s soccer and softball already enjoy a large percentage of local talent. “As baseball continues to evolve, we can move that roster to a higher percentage,” he said. “You get the best of both worlds: stay home, play high-level competition.”

Jerome said the addition of Chaminade was also a perfect opportunity to attract students to the new Sport and Event Management major at Chaminade. Six baseball players selected the major in the 2023–24 school year.