Warriors RHP Kahalekai verbally commits to Texas

6-foot-8 KS Maui senior garnered attention from several D-I programs during stellar summer

Kaimi Kahalekai always knew he had the ability to be a standout baseball pitcher, it was just a matter of time.

That time came over the summer and last week it ended up with a 95 percent scholarship offer from the University of Texas.

Kahalekai is a 6-foot-8, 207-pound right-handed senior at Kamehameha Schools Maui who had a stellar summer that vaulted him from a player who showed flashes of brilliance as a high school junior -- he struck out 15 Lahainaluna batters in a 6-0 win in March -- to a prospect that 15 NCAA Division I programs were after this month.

"They offered me before, but it wasn't where I wanted it to be, but then they called me back, they upped the offer and at that point I knew I had to commit," Kahalekai said Saturday. "It's 95 percent. I mean, I'm super excited, playing college ball has always been a dream, but being able to have the chance to play for a top school like Texas is like mind-blowing."

The University of Hawaii was one of the schools that had discussions with Kahalekai, but the Texas offer was too good to pass up.

He said he will consider the Major League Baseball draft in June 2024 if the offer is right and after the summer he had -- his fastball touched 92, 93 mph -- Kahalekai is on top of the world.

KSM head coach Shane Dudoit is a scout for the Texas Rangers organization and has seen Kahalekai show his potential up close after working with him as a youth player in the Pono Foundation baseball ranks.

"That's huge, bruddah," Dudoit said of Kahalekai's opportunity with the Longhorns. "I think he got everything together, he started to get better at the end of our year in high school, did really great at the state tournament and continued to do great during the summer.

"He's definitely got the frame to put on some meat and the size. He's impressed a lot of guys, I've talked to a lot of friends who are scouts and it's impressive. ... He's got to put in the work, put on the weight and the sky's the limit for him."

Kahalekai pitched three innings of relief in the state quarterfinals in May in a 4-1 loss to eventual champion Kamehameha Kapalama. He allowed one unearned run and two hits while striking out seven and walking three.

He played for the Hawaii Elite travel team under coach Brandon Toro this summer, ending the two-month odyssey with a solid showing at the Area Code Baseball tournament in San Diego earlier this month. Prior to that there were tournaments in Arizona, Texas and Georgia.

"The Area Code tournament, that was a really big tournament, that's where I got all the offers from," Kahalekai said. "I left June 6th and got home July 31st. Then I went to the Area Code games."

Kahalekai said he was waiting for the breakout summer to happen and was confident it would.

"I wouldn't really say 'surprised,' I knew what I could do, it was just a matter of time, like, I had to have that click," Kahalekai said. "It felt pretty good, I felt like no one could really stop me. Not too much of an ego, but a little bit of a chip on my shoulder."

Kahalekai watched Raige Velez, a now-graduated senior, develop into the ace for the 2023 Warriors on their way to the state tournament for the first time since 2018.

"We're close, we're friends throughout the season and school year, but watching him pitch, like, it kind of drove me to match him or do better," Kahalekai said of Velez.

The summer schedule allowed Kahalekai to find himself and his own prowess on the mound.

"I feel like I was playing for more myself, see what my future's like instead of playing for high school, you know?" Kahalekai said, adding that he is ready to roll as a senior.

"I'm super excited, it's going to be a fun year," he said. "Hoping to go back to states, play as a team one last year."

When asked if he is ready to assume the role of ace for the Warriors, Kahalekai did not hesitate.

"Oh, for sure," he said. "I feel like I've got to really step up this year, not really for the coaches, for myself, to make a statement for myself. Yeah, just tell everyone who I am."

Kahalekai has added eight inches of height in the last three years or so and has just started to harness his immense potential.

"I always knew it was there, a lot of people told me that, but it was just a matter of putting in the work and just seeing it, like, play, seeing it happen," Kahalekai said. "I think it was my 8th grade year when I hit 6 feet. I think I'm done (growing)."

He has been playing baseball since he was 4 years old, starting with the Pono Foundation baseball group that Dudoit is a big part of.

"He has put in some good words for me, helped me along the way," Kahalekai said of Dudoit. "From the recruiting standpoint, I had some other guys help me with that, but he's been a big help."

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.