Micah Furtado is ready to scrape the ice off his bat and fulfill some dreams. The Lewis & Clark State College secondbaseman, who admits he hasn’t developed a tolerance to playing baseball in bitter-cold Idaho winters, is poised to compete
Micah Furtado is ready to scrape the ice off his bat and fulfill some dreams.
The Lewis & Clark State College secondbaseman, who admits he hasn’t developed a tolerance to playing baseball in bitter-cold Idaho winters, is poised to compete in the UH Rainbow Tournament, which will be held at Les Murakami Stadium from March 25-31 (6:30 p.m. game time).
“I can’t wait to play at UH,” Furtado told the Garden Island. “Playing on that field has been a dream of mine for years…ever since I was a kid.”
From the time he smacked his first T-Ball single to the time he battled Waimea’s Kaliko Oligo for the KIF batting title, Furtado wanted to be a Rainbow Warrior. And although the 2000 KIF Player of the Year and Kapa’a All Star never got the chance to play in a Bows’ uniform, getting the opportunity to lead-off under the lights of Hawaii’s most gloried stadium will be the highlight of his career.
“Playing on that field in front of my family and friends will be a satisfying feeling,” said Furtado. “I never really had a favorite major league team growing up, since UH has always been the team I followed. And playing at [Les Murakami], whether it’s for or against Hawaii, will be gratifying. Now, all I want is to beat the Rainbows.”
From the way Furtado has been playing for Lewis & Clark, a college known for having one the best NAIA baseball programs in the country, beating Hawaii may rest solely on his own shoulders.
A lead-off hitter in his first season with the Warriors (he was a red-shirt his freshmen year), Furtado leads his team in runs scored (26), stolen bases (6) and games played (20).
With 21 hits and a .429 average, his comfort at the plate may be the key for Lewis & Clark’s chances of leaving Hawaii on a winning note.
Furtado’s recent productivity is no surprise to Kaua’i baseball’s elite.
“He’s always had a good bat,” said Glenn Mickens, an ex-UCLA coach who watched Furado progress over the years. “I was wondering if he’d carry his success with him to Lewis and Clark.”
Coached through his youth yearsby his father, Cliff, and having lived around baseball since he was six years old, Furtado knew he would be playing baseball past high school. But after he broke his collar bone playing football for Kapa’a, his future became shrouded in doubt.
Was the First Team All Tournament selection he achieved in high school going to turn into nothing? Did his run with the Colt League team for the 1998 National World Series Title have little meaning in the long run?
“He had to work hard to rehabilitate that arm,” said Cliff Furtado, who Micah considers to be his hero and greatest mentor. “But I knew he could do it. He was always tough and a hard worker.”
Now, only in his first season, Furtado has a chance to play under the lights of Les Murakami Stadium and play in front of the coach he will always respect, and never forget.
“Playing in front of my dad will be the highlight of the trip…he’s a big part of why I’m here today” said Furtado. “He has been my biggest mentor, along with the Shannon Masada’s, Gatiuan’s and Reid Tamura’s who have coached me along the way.”
