Cal freshman Caleb Lomavita shining as one of 20 Hawaii graduates playing DI baseball on mainland
BERKELEY, Calif. (BVM) – Caleb Lomavita did just about everything a baseball player growing up in Hawaii could do. After losing out on a baseball season in 2020, the former Saint Louis utility player played catcher, pitcher and the outfield for the Crusaders in 2021 as they went 8-2 and captured the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) crown.
The right-handed Lomavita compiled a 4-0 record on the mound with a 1.71 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 28.2 innings while batting a .414 average along with a pair of home runs and a .758 slugging percentage. The spectacular senior season earned him 2020-21 Gatorade Hawaii Baseball Player of the Year honors.
“Caleb Lomavita is not only the best player in Hawaii, he is also the best person,” Mic-Pacific Institute head coach Dunn Muramaru said in a Gatorade press release. “He pitches, catches, plays centerfield and at all three positions; he is the state’s best.”
Lomavita might’ve been known statewide as Hawaii’s best, but it wasn’t until this past summer that he realized for himself how far he could take the game.
Cary, North Carolina, site of the USA Baseball National Training Complex, hosted the 2021 MLB Combine in June where Lomavita made his mark. Despite not being among the top 250 prospects, the Saint Louis graduate ranked fifth overall with a 105.7 MPH maximum exit velocity on a single batted ball. On day two, he went 2-for-2 with a walk and stolen base.
“That experience (at the MLB Combine) was great,” Lomavita said. “There were a lot of great players there with talent I’ve never seen before. But when you step on that field and everybody is a baseball player who’s been doing it since they were 4 years old, you realize that once you start playing.
“I realized that I wasn’t too far off from these big-name dudes. I thought that if I keep working, then maybe I could be as good as them one day or accomplish things that maybe I didn’t think I could.”
Cal will make some noise in the Pac 12 this year. One reason for the Golden Bears' optimism is freshman @braddahcaleb (shouts to the men of Kalaepōhaku). 2-3, 2R, 2RBI batting cleanup in his college debut! Had a rally-sparking double + a 9th-inning game-tying HR. #808Represent 🤙 pic.twitter.com/tEpQMtTp9H
— Stephen Nelson (@StephenNelson) February 21, 2022
Lomavita is now showcasing his talents as a freshman at Cal and part of an exclusive club. He’s one of just 20 players who graduated from high school in Hawaii playing Division I baseball on the mainland. Half of those have graduated since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, including Lomavita.
“I’m really close with them and know how hard they work,” Lomavita said of his fellow Hawaii natives playing DI baseball on the mainland. “Back on the islands, we always said iron sharpens iron and we got better together every day.”
As proud as Lomavita is of that group of 20, he knows that number should be higher.
“Exposure is a huge thing in Hawaii because it’s really hard coming from a really small island,” Lomavita said. “Most of our families aren’t really fit financially to be flying out to these mainland tournaments and being exposed to all these colleges. There’s been a lot of parents and coaches helping out, especially with social media, and I think that’s huge.
“There’s so many hidden gems that I just want to showcase for these colleges because it’s going unseen and it shouldn’t. They work just as hard as me, they put in the time but just don’t get the opportunities like I did.”
Lomavita has made the most of his opportunities thus far.
He found his way into the Golden Bears’ Opening Day lineup last month and roped a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning to send the game to extras. Lomavita extended Cal’s lead to 4-2 an inning later with a sacrifice fly to seal the Bears’ second consecutive win on Opening Day. He put together his best showing at the collegiate level the following weekend when he notched another home run, three hits and four RBIs in a 12-2 win over UIC.
SEE.
YOU.
LATER.@braddahcaleb with the 3-run jack! pic.twitter.com/duVN8JJwuh— Cal Baseball (@CalBaseball) February 26, 2022
Lomavita’s early on-field success isn’t even his favorite part of this new journey. It’s the fact that he hasn’t even really had to leave home.
“At Saint Louis, everything was about brotherhood and the bond that you build with your fellow teammates and students at the school,” Lomavita said. “Everything you did was pretty much for them and I worked my butt off day in and day out to make them proud and help them achieve goals that they didn’t even think was possible for themselves.
“It was kind of heartwarming (when I got to Cal) because it’s like I didn’t leave home. I’m around the same type of people who want it just as much as me.”
Surrounding the same type of like-minded individuals around Lomavita bodes well for the Golden Bears’ prospects of winning. The last time the Saint Louis graduate wrapped up a season, it was as a champion.
Lomavita doesn’t see a reason why Cal can’t have the same fate in 2022.
“Our potential is through the roof,” Lomavita said. “I trust in every single one of my boys and I think we could be something really great.”
