WAILUKU — Wehiwa Aloy is hopeful that he will get to play baseball for Baldwin High School as a senior in the spring, but he isn’t waiting around to catch the eyes of the folks at the next level.

Aloy was one of more than 50 Maui County players at the ninth annual Paradise Baseball Summer Prospect Camp on a damp Monday afternoon at Maehara Stadium.

Coaches from Saint Martin’s University, Hawaii-Hilo, Hawaii Pacific, William Jessup and Pierce College were all in attendance to watch players who have not played a high school season since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m really grateful for all these coaches coming out,” said Aloy, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound shortstop who is the son of former Baldwin and University of Hawaii-Manoa standout Jamie Aloy. “We barely get exposure in the islands, so I’m just truly grateful for them.”

Wehiwa Aloy said he wants to play collegiately on the West Coast, but he first wants to wear the maroon and baby blue of the Bears in 2022.

Currently, fall sports among all leagues in the state with public schools are paused — the state Department of Education halted things on Aug. 4 to require COVID vaccination among all student-athletes, coaches and volunteers, with religious and medical exceptions.

Practice is expected to resume on Sept. 27, with competition starting two or three weeks later.

“Right now, I have a lot of hope that it’s going to happen,” Aloy said, peering out at the Maehara Stadium expanse while waiting his turn to bat. “I’m very excited to come back out here, if it happens, and hang out with the boys to play ball. It would be amazing, you know, having a senior season after all this coronavirus thing. It would be truly a great time.”

Aloy has attended a couple showcase events on the Mainland and Oahu, but was able to be at his home ballpark after school on Monday.

A couple of surprise guests stopped by the field midway through the three-hour session of baseball activities — Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino and his son Shane Victorino, a former St. Anthony standout who won two World Series titles during his major league career.

Shane Victorino addressed the entire group of players and told them he wished he had a similar opportunity when he was their age. He was back on Maui on a surprise visit from his home in Las Vegas.

“I came home to see my parents, see how everything was going, visit the home, visit the place I love, just come home,” Shane Victorino said. “I didn’t expect any of this, but I think it’s awesome as a kid that only wished that there was showcases like this and an opportunity — and here it is.

“It’s others like myself, other guys like Kurt (Suzuki), Kolten Wong, you know, kids that got to continue to live our dream, that these kids see that dreams can become a reality. I mean, that’s what is pretty cool to watch here. This (stuff) never happened when I was in high school. So, I think it’s awesome.”

Shane Victorino jumped at the chance to pay a visit to the showcase on Monday.

“I didn’t even know, I mean, my dad called and said, ‘There’s something going on down at the field,’ so I said, ‘All right, I got nothing else going on, so I will definitely come down here,’ ” Victorino said. “I love to see it — this is the next generation. It’s about work. You’ve got to work, no matter what you do in life. Dreams don’t become a reality unless you work at it.”

Mayor Victorino said that he was overjoyed to be able to bring his youngest son to the showcase.

“I said, ‘Hey, would you like to go, just say hello to the kids?’ Just some inspiration, that was it,” Michael Victorino said. “We didn’t come here to give any long speeches. We came here just to see what they’re doing.”

The mayor added, “I was so worried that these kids weren’t going to be able to be seen. They haven’t had a season, these guys have not had a season in two years. The problem I have right now is I’m still getting the backlash from what the MIL and DOE, what they are deciding and it’s not something … I advocate for our kids every day and I want this for them. They deserve it, but we also have to have safety protocols.”

Kelly Gau, the head coach at Saint Martin’s in Lacey, Wash., said the opportunity to scout the level of players that were all in the same place on Monday was good for all involved.

“It’s huge, especially guys on the islands because it is hard for them to get to the events that they need to go to to be seen, especially this year when a lot of stuff was shut down,” Gau said. “For them to have something and for us to be able to get out here, is a really big deal.”

Nick Quejado, the head coach for William Jessup University, an NAIA school in Rocklin, Calif., was attending his second straight year of the event.

“Normally it’s just in Hilo and Honolulu, but luckily this is the first time we’ve been able to get out here to Maui and see these guys,” Quejado said. “It’s great. I’m sure Kelly said it earlier, but Maui guys don’t really pop up that often, especially in our regular recruiting.

“So, to be able to get out here and see guys we don’t normally see and having them show the talents they already have, it’s kind of eye-opening to see what Maui baseball is all about.”

Luke Alwood, a Maui High senior, was also clearly catching the eye of the coaches in attendance.

“It’s awesome because we just get to come out and show what we can do,” Alwood said. “We haven’t had a season in a few years and getting this exposure, I think it’s great for everybody on the island. I think that it is a very special opportunity for all of us.”

Alwood, a 6-4, 210-pound first baseman/outfielder/pitcher, said events like Monday will go a long way towards his baseball goals. Recently on the mound, he has touched 91 mph on radar guns.

“At the moment (the goal) is to play collegiate baseball, but in the long run it is definitely to play Major League Baseball,” he said.

Kamehameha Maui senior first baseman McKay Pali has a goal to play collegiately at Brigham Young University, where he has attended several camps over the years, including one he recently returned from.

“I feel like it’s a really good opportunity to just be able to get my name out there because it’s been really a struggle with COVID and all that,” Pali said. “Being here with all my friends I’ve known since Little League just makes me all the more comfortable and able to have more fun.”

Pali plans to attend another camp at Utah Valley University this weekend. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pali hopes to perform an LDS mission before attending college to play baseball.

“I want to go to BYU or UVU, (Grand Canyon), Dixie State,” Pali said. “My plan is to go to BYU, if they offer me a spot — serve my mission and then go up to BYU. My mission means a lot. Growing up in the church, it taught me that … God has been there for me, blessed me a lot.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.