“Hit it out Hio”
“Hit it out Hio”
A Profile on Freshman Kuhio Aloy
It’s the sixth inning of his first collegiate game, and teammate Brock Watkins walks to first base. Kuhio Aloy confidently walks to home plate for his third at bat. He already has to two singles from this game but wants to make a lasting impression that he can hang in this new conference. “Hit it out Hio!” screams Cooper Vest, and Aloy does just that batting his first homerun ever for BYU.
“I felt like a kid, just in the moment, having fun playing with my team. . . At first, I was like ‘This is amazing it’s my first collegiate game.’ It was very exciting,” said Aloy.
Aloy grew up playing baseball for most of his life in Maui playing the same kids from kindergarten through high school. He knew coming to BYU was the right decision because it felt like home.
“The coaching staff and people here just made it feel like home for sure,” said Aloy.
Many athletes get worn out and tired from the constant practicing and numerous games, but not Aloy. He gains his motivation to keep playing from his older brother Wehiwa Aloy who is currently on Arkansas’ roster.
Growing up there were rivalries being a year apart in school, but they pushed each other to be their best and have fun in the sport.
“[My brother] was the first one to go to college and after seeing him do the things he did to get to where he was at I was like, ‘I can do this too,’ and he really pushed me to go that extra step, said Aloy.”
Aloy has dominated this season and plays between first base and designated hitter. This season he has a .907 OPS, a .291 batting average, 20 RBI’s, and six home runs.
“He doesn’t really care who’s pitching or who’s on the mound. If that ball’s there, he’s going to hit a long way, and he’s going to hit real hard,” said teammate Cooper Vest.
Unlike most freshmen, Aloy keeps his composure and stays in the zone when he is at bat which helped him earn his spot in the batting lineup.
“I like to keep it simple, you know, just find a pitch in the zone and just hit it hard,” said Aloy.
Despite his collectedness on the plate, Aloy still loves to celebrate his successes.
“He celebrates everything, to bring himself up when he is down, but in reality, I don’t even think I’ve ever seen him down. That’s not the type of kid he is,” said Vest.
The first year in the Big 12 and his first year at BYU don’t matter to Aloy. What does matter are his relationships with his teammates and his desire to work hard, have fun, and play the sport he loves.