Tim Arakawa accepting leadership role for Oklahoma State baseball
When Tim Arakawa, Oklahoma State University baseball team’s second baseman, speaks it is easy to tell he is more than an essential piece to the Cowboys’ squad.
With a family whose history in Hawaii for baseball that reaches back to his grandfather, Arakawa said he knew he would play at a young age.
“My grandfather was actually a really big baseball player in Hawaii and competed real well in the high school ranks,” Arakawa said. “And he passed down the love for the game to my dad and my dad eventually passed down to me and my two older brothers.
“So when I was born and when I learned how to walk, I basically had a baseball in my hand, a bat in my hand. I was already swinging, I already knew baseball was going to be the sport I was going to play.”
Although Arakawa hit .400 in his high school career, including .500 his senior year.
He was not recruited.
Arakawa said after playing well at a tournament in Arizona his senior year, the offers just weren’t coming in.
Yavapai coach Ryan Cougill was at the tournament as well, and he saw something he liked.
“I had originally seen Timmy play down in Peoria, Arizona, at the Senior Fall Classic,” Cougill said. “Which is probably between that and Jupiter as one of the larger high school showcases in the country.
“Timmy’s just a grinder, had a little bit of a chip on his shoulder and other than the obvious, he could really swing it and really run.”
After joining Yavapai, Arakawa immediately proved he belonged, batting .355 and stealing 31 bases on 37 attempts.
That is when the offers began to arrive from Tennessee, Oral Roberts and Oklahoma State. Arakawa had finally began to receive the attention he didn’t get in high school when he was a career .400 hitter.
But he had some unfinished business at Yavapai.
“It was a tough one,” Arakawa said. “I went to Tennessee my summer after my freshman season and right away they told me I’d come in and I’d play and this and that and it seemed awesome. But I talked to my coach (Sky Smeltzer) at Yavapai, he was actually the coach before Ryan was there, and he told me he was going to stay for my sophomore year.
“So I was like, I really want to play for him another year. So I went back to Yavapai my sophomore season and he ended up leaving in the fall. So I didn’t get [to] even get to play for him my second season.”
Arakawa said going back for a second season at Yavapai was not a mistake. Without making the decision to stay in Arizona another year, he wouldn’t be at OSU.
The Cowboys were in need of a second baseman after Arakawa’s second stint with Yavapai. OSU recruiting coordinator Marty Lees had watched Arakawa as he developed and knew where to look.
“Turned out Tim had come along really well at Yavapai College,” OSU coach Josh Holliday said. “He was actually playing center field there and Marty went out and saw him and liked him a lot and we brought him in on a visit and we were able to get him committed.”
OSU catcher Gage Green said it didn’t take long for the players to notice Arakawa.
“When he first got here, I immediately noticed how hard he worked and the intent he trained with,” Green said. “He’s very concentrated on what he does and does it the right way.”
Arakawa helped lead the Cowboys his first year with accomplishments ranging from having the longest hitting streak at 10 games to being named to the All-Big 12 Second team.
Along with his teammates, Arakawa led the Cowboys on its way to its first Big 12 championship and a Super Regional appearance.
The Leader
Now in his second year at OSU, Arakawa has become more accustomed to the college level of play, hitting .289, leading the team in RBIs with 21 and started the season with a 13-game hitting streak.
The new year has brought something else to Arakawa – leadership. After the Cowboys lost some key players to graduation and professional baseball, Arakawa is one of the few seniors trying to guide the young players.
“He’s one of the guys that I feel all the younger guys can go ask questions about different things in baseball and off the field as well,” freshman outfielder Jon Littell said. “He’s just a great guy you can turn to and a great older figure who’s had some success both in the classroom and on the field. So just a very reliable older guy to go to.”
His influence isn’t only on the freshmen, either. Green, who has become one of Arakawa’s closest friends in Stillwater, said he has felt the impact through little things.
“There’s been a lot of times he’s helped me, he probably doesn’t notice it when he does it,” Green said. “But just when he comes and talks to you, he’s just so calm and if you’re having a game where you’re struggling, he comes over there and tells you to relax, don’t worry about it.
“Every time he comes and talks to me it just helps me relax and enjoy the game rather than where I would be pressed in certain situations, he just kind of just relaxes you, helps you enjoy the game.”
One can consistently find Arakawa embracing his leadership role in the dugout or on the field. He says it’s something has to be done, and he is ready to do so because it is something the team needs.
“With success also comes leadership kind of whether you want it or not,” Arakawa said. “Being one of the older seniors on the team, even if you don’t want it, you got to adopt that leadership role because your team isn’t going to have success unless you’re the ones leading it, basically.
“And some of the freshmen I try to, try to just talk with them, through their struggles, but also through their success also, because you don’t want to ride the roller coaster, you want to stay consistent. And once I feel like if you’re able to handle that, then maybe you as a younger player will be able to develop a leadership role as well.”
Tim Arakawa went on to be drafted by the LA Angels organization.