Koa Marzo brings speed to the outfield for Hawaii baseball

WAIKIKI — Koa Marzo Jr. is one step closer to living out his childhood dreams.

The Mililani senior made his commitment to play for the University of Hawai’i baseball team official when he put pen to paper at a signing day event at the Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort Wednesday morning.

“It feels good. The process came a long way,” Marzo said.

Click here for full list of signees and universities that they will be attending.

Marzo said he is being recruited to play outfield for the Rainbow Warriors. He brings speed at the position and was recently clocked in the 60-yard dash with a time of 6.7 seconds.

“It came a long way,” Marzo said of his speed. “Started off like everybody else, (running) like 7.9, 7.8 seconds, but I just put in the hard work during workouts day and night.”

He praised the environment and the culture of the Rainbow Warriors in making his decision.

“Nothing is like home,” said Marzo. “Coach is very welcoming. It was a very nice time seeing them and having my tour over there. I’ve been dreaming of going there since I was a little kid too so it’s a big thing for me.”

Originally from Hilo, Marzo is eager to be an inspiration to the next generation of ball players.

“It feels good because I’ve been motivating these younger kids like my brother over here. Everything’s been good. Home town, I have a lot of supporters that support me back home and it feels good. I love it.”

In the spring, the 6-foot outfielder helped the Trojans claim the OIA Division I baseball championship with a key bunt single that set him up to score the go-ahead run in a 2-1 win over Kaiser. Marzo finished the year batting .278 with 10 hits and 11 runs scored while earning All-OIA Division-I West second team honors.

“KJ has been a positive influence in our program,” Mililani coach Mark Hirayama said of Marzo. “He lead by example, works hard and is a great teammate. I look forward to seeing him continue to develop one and off the field.”

Also making their commitment official to the Hawai’i baseball team at the signing day event was Pac-Five’s Colten Amai Nakagawa out of University Lab.