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Craig Okita named Baldwin baseball head coach

In an emailed statement from Baldwin High School Athletic Director Wade Hondo, the Bears announced they have hired Craig Okita to be their next baseball coach.

With six state titles — in 1959, 1960, 1984, 1995, 2016, and 2018 — Baldwin baseball is arguably the most successful Neighbor Island program in any sport in the state of Hawaii.

Okita, a former Baldwin and University of Hawaii-Hilo player and the father of starting Bears shortstop Reyn Okita, takes over for Shane Dudoit. Okita moved up from the junior varsity head coaching position.

Dudoit was released on Monday after three seasons as head coach, with three Maui Interscholastic League pennants, a state crown in 2018, and a final four appearance in May to his credit.

“With much respect, we thank Coach Shane Dudoit for all the time and effort he put into the Baldwin High baseball program,” Hondo’s statement read. “We will be forever grateful for the success that he, his coaching staff, baseball parents and all our supporters helped provide to all of our student-athletes these past years under his leadership and guidance. We will be moving forward with hopes that he will be part of the transition process but can understand and fully support his wanting to pursue other personal endeavors.”

In the next paragraph, Hondo wrote about Okita:

“We have decided to promote Craig Okita to the head coaching position and are fortunate that he has accepted. Coach Craig is a Baldwin High School graduate, a former Baldwin High School player and has been our JV head coach for a number of years. We are confident in his abilities and his leadership and that under his guidance the program will continue to grow while maintaining the high standards established by his predecessors.”

This story will be updated in Wednesday’s edition of The Maui News.

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