Ohio Trip

Purpose

The purpose of the Hawaii Tigers Ohio Trip is to give our boys an opportunity to play against top competition while providing them with exposure and an educational experience.

Go to Ohio a boy, return a MAN.

The Competition

The opportunity to face quality pitching and hitting is evident in Ohio. The pitching we face is consistently 88-95 mph. In 2021, we got to face top Ohio pitching prospect Drew Graham. In 2022, Drew would actually pitch for Hawaii Tigers (super cool how that worked out). The 6'6 Patrick Copen of Marshall University was something to see and Ethan Adkison's 3-pitch mix was filthy from the left side. Our pitchers got to face sluggers like Kavares Tears (current R-FR. OF; University of Tennessee). In 2022, our pitchers got to battle Bryan Rincon (he was later drafted by the Phillies in the 14th round a few weeks later). Our hitters also got to face a gauntlet of 90+ mph pitching.

Development

In order to become the best you need to face the best. Ohio has some of the top travel ball organizations in the country. We play against 18/19U teams that are loaded with some of the most talented baseball players in the country. Many of these travel ball organizations have ex-players currently playing in the major leagues. One organization in particular, the Midland Redskins, have had MLB Hall of Famers come through their program (Ken Griffey Jr. & Barry Larkin). By playing against the best day in and day out, you're sure to develop physically and mentally. 

A Taste of College

First things first, there will be a dress code for the flight (polo shirts with long pants). Players will also room together and be expected to show up for breakfast in the morning. After games players will turn in their game laundry so it can be washed. We will also workout as a team on off days and conduct bed checks at night. 

COST

In 2021, we charged each player  $1500 which included airfare, hotel, ground transportation, gas, game fees, and laundry service. The two-week trip actually cost was  approximately $3,000 per player but we realized how the COVID-19 pandemic affected some of our families financially.  The Nomura family took it upon themselves to subsidized the cost of the trip to ensure that the local players could still have a promising summer experience.. 

In 2022, the rising gas prices doubled the price of everything (airfare, gas, van rental, hotels, etc.), rather than collect more money from the families, we kept the price at $1500.. This time, the Ohio trip put the Nomura family in debt of $40K.

In order for us to continue taking local players to Ohio each summer, we established a 501(c)(3) non-profit for Hawaii Tigers in December 2022.  Our goal is to provide local players an educational baseball summer experience--expense-free.

If you would be interested in donating to this goal, please email hawaiitigersbaseball@gmail.com

Thank you