Captain Noah Hata nears 150th career start for HPU Baseball

Noah Hata’s final season with the Hawai’i Pacific University baseball team didn’t start the way he envisioned.

Tabbed to finish third in the conference preseason poll, the Sharks had just two wins before the start of PacWest play, which was followed by a 2-7 stretch on their first road trip of the 2026 season.

Hata was in a hitting slump at the plate himself, hitting under .200 for the early part of the year.

But it’s a valley Hata has seen before — and there’s confidence that the tribulations will pass. That belief is rooted in all the hard work that the senior center fielder has put in over time.

In the most recent series against Azusa Pacific, the hard work revealed itself with Hata hitting home runs on three consecutive days.

“I knew the work I put in — that it was pretty much impossible for me not to produce all year.” Hata said.

“At some point, sooner or later I was going to have a breakthrough. It was just having self-belief and giving myself confidence that I can go through the tough times and go through the good times and I still got it.”

Rain or shine, centerfielder Noah Hata has a positive outlook on life and baseball. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

Noah “Nunu” Hata has been through nearly every phase of the HPU baseball program’s rebuild, from early struggles to conference contention.

Now one of the longest-tenured players on the roster, Hata is set to make his 150th career start Wednesday when the Sharks begin their series against Menlo, marking another milestone in a career defined by consistency and perseverance.

Hata, a Kaneohe native, is one of three remaining players from head coach Dane Fujinaka’s first recruiting class, alongside Jett Ah Sam and Frankie Peralez.

Since arriving in 2023, Hata has been a steady presence in the lineup, appearing in all 47 games as a freshman while making 40 starts between left field and designated hitter.

He has since taken over as the team’s everyday center fielder and was named team captain for the 2026 season.

During Hata’s tenure, the Sharks have steadily improved, becoming one of just three NCAA Division II programs in the country to post better records in four consecutive seasons. Hawai‘i Pacific went 17-27 in Fujinaka’s first year, improved to 20 wins in 2023, then jumped to 30-22 in 2024 with its first PacWest Conference postseason appearance since 2010. The Sharks followed that with a 32-22 mark in 2025 and a trip to the conference championship game.

Fujinaka said Hata embodies the program’s identity.

“He’s a local kid who took a chance on an unproven coaching staff, worked his tail off and earned everything he’s got,” Fujinaka said.

Even when a lingering ankle injury limited him throughout the 2025 season, Hata never wavered from the grind.

“He’s had just about every piece of adversity thrown at him too. Zero excuses, puts his head down and just keeps going. He’s never been the most talented player on any of our teams, but he’s got heart and that’s all you can ever ask for as a coach. Don’t get me wrong, he’s got ability, but what you’ve seen over the last four years has been work. He’s improved every year with the tools he has.”

Hata’s experience has helped him navigate challenges, including early-season struggles at the plate. Entering a recent series against Azusa Pacific, he was hitting .174 and batting seventh in the lineup.

By the end of the series, Hata had moved into the leadoff spot after collecting six hits and scoring eight runs, raising his average to .241. He homered in the first three games of the series — all on inside pitches — and added a double and a triple in the finale as the teams split the series to help HPU earned its 10th win of the season.

“That’s baseball at the end of the day,” Hata said. “You’re going to have your good stretches and your bad ones. For me, it’s sticking to my routines and having faith that the grass is greener on the other side.”

Hata can have peace with the results because of the hard work that he’s put in. He can also live with the results because of his belief in a higher power.

Having graduated high school in 2022 from Maryknoll Schools, a Catholic School, Hata was always surrounded by faith. He also credits associate head coach and hitting coach Richard “Ritchie” Higa — who was a senior on the Sharks when Hata was a freshman — for helping him grow in his faith.

“As my relationship grew with Ritchie, he definitely brought God back to the forefront and ever since then I’ve seen God’s hand through my baseball career here.

“All the glory genuinely goes to God. I’m not standing here through injuries and all that without God. He’s been my rock and every valley that I come out of, all the glory goes to Him because I couldn’t do it by myself.”

Noah Hata wears a chain with a cross during the 2025 HPU Baseball season. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

Leadership was not something that came immediately for Hata.

Instead, it developed over time.

Hata said his growth into a leadership role was shaped early in his career by veteran teammates, including Higa and Cole Kashimoto, who helped guide him through the transition to college baseball when he was a freshman.

“Having those two guys early on in my career, they laid the blueprint down,” Hata said. “They told me that it’s not going to be easy and they gave me ways to deal with failure and things like that.”

The coaching staff also played a role, providing leadership instruction and encouraging Hata to take on a more vocal presence during his sophomore season in 2024.

“Sophomore year, I feel like it was gradually pushing me to become who I am today, especially in a leadership role,” Hata said. “Just challenging me to use my knowledge and to help other people and hold people accountable.”

That season also marked a turning point for the program, as Hawai‘i Pacific reached the postseason for the first time in 14 years.

One of Hata’s most memorable moments came during that sophomore campaign in an 8-4 road victory over Concordia Irvine, when he delivered a go-ahead grand slam after the batter ahead of him was intentionally walked.

“That moment has a big place in my heart,” Hata said. “It was a big moment and my luck hasn’t been with me in big moments. To see that happen, it was just one of those things that you can enjoy and take it all in.”

By his junior year, Hata said he had more opportunities to lead but was not required to do so every day, with captains Daniel Johnson and Vicente Molina taking on primary leadership roles.

Teammates greets Noah Hata in the dugout after he hit a home run against Azusa Pacific. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

Now a senior, Hata has fully embraced that responsibility.

“For me it’s just the work, teaching the younger guys that whatever you did coming up to college isn’t going to cut it,” he said. “Just setting the example of what it looks like, day in and day out, not taking any days off.”

Hata said his approach centers on consistency and process, values he hopes to pass along to his teammates.

“It’s challenging these guys to fall in love with the process and not get caught up in the results,” he said. “The process is what’s going to win and lose you ball games at the end of the day.”

The connection between Hata and Fujinaka runs deeper than most player-coach relationships.

Hata, a member of Fujinaka’s first recruiting class, first built that bond years before arriving at HPU, when Fujinaka worked with him as a catching coach during his high school playing days.

“He was one of my catching coaches when I used to catch in high school, so I’ve had some deep ties into him and the people that he grew up with,” Hata said. “A lot of his friends are my coaches growing up.”

That familiarity played a significant role in Hata’s decision to join the Sharks program out of high school.

“It means a little more when you know the coach as more than just a coach and the kind of person he is,” Hata said. “It makes it easier to come back year after year knowing who you’re playing for.”

Coach Dane Fujinaka looks on as Noah Hata looks to score from third base in a 2025 contest. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

Staying home in Hawai‘i also factored heavily into Hata’s choice, embracing the opportunity to play in front of family and friends while representing local talent at the collegiate level.

“It means everything being able to play in front of my parents and my friends,” Hata said. “Just being able to show the talent that’s out here means a lot.”

For Fujinaka, Hata’s impact on the program was evident early in the recruiting process.

“When we first recruited him, we knew that he was our future and would be the face of HPU baseball one day,” Fujinaka said. “Fast forward to this year, he earned the captain ‘C’ because of the time and sweat equity he’s poured into this program over the last four years.”

Fujinaka added that Hata’s commitment has been unmatched during his tenure.

“No player has sacrificed more for HPU baseball in that time span,” he said. “I hope we send him out on a high note this year. He deserves it.”

The two also share similar paths. Fujinaka, a Mid-Pacific Institute alumnus, played at Menlo College at 5-foot-8, 160 pounds, while Hata is listed at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds on the HPU roster.

“I think we are similar from the standpoint that we were both never the best players on our teams, but we found ways to help the team and continued to get better through a high work ethic,” Fujinaka said. “I saw my work ethic in him for sure. He works super hard, and I think that’s what attracted me to him.”

Fujinaka also named his daughter “Noah Fujinaka” after Hata.

Or did he really?

“I’m not sure if that’s been confirmed if that was because of me, but I’d like to say that it is because of me,” Hata laughed.

“Second thing, I’m happy that Dane’s kid’s first home run she got to see was his favorite player who he named her after so I tip my hat on that.”

So did Fujinaka really name his daughter after Hata?

“Lolol no,” he texted. “He can keep thinking that thought if that helps his confidence.”