FRESNO—Winning a World Series title is the dream of every young baseball player. For Gilroy-native Kaohu Gaspar, his dream came true.
The Fresno Pacific University senior helped his team to the program’s first national championship with back-to-back wins over Cederville (Ohio) and Lee (Tenn.) in the NCCAA World Series on May 17 in Mason, Ohio.
“It was a goal that we always had in my all year,” Gaspar said. “To actually get there was kind of surreal. Once we got there, we felt like no team could stop us except for ourselves. It was a good way to end my college career—on top.”
Gaspar was vital to the Sunbirds’ success as he led the team with a .388 batting average with 73 hits and 38 runs.
Reaching the World Series was a year-long process and a lifetime goal, Gaspar said. He’s been told by his father, Warren, that he first picked up a baseball at only 2 years old, but his first memories of the sport come from teeball, which he started playing between the age of 3 and 4. From there, he played with Gilroy Little League before joining the travel ball team at 10 and played on until college in addition to high school ball at St. Francis Central Coast.
The Sunbirds started training last year with 5:30 a.m. workouts, three times in addition to practicing six days a week—including six hour sessions on Fridays and Saturdays. Winter break wasn’t much of a break at all, with Gaspar and his teammates training individually. But when spring rolled around, all the hard work proved to pay off in the form of a mentally and physically prepared ballclub.
The Sunbirds went through a rough patch in late February into March which consisted of three game skid, followed by a five-game win streak—only to lose five of their next seven games. But Gaspar said his team stayed focused to get the job done.
“The season came and we had our ups and downs—like every typical season—but we just got lucky to get hot at the right time. We rode it out to the end,” he said.
With his college career wrapped up, Gaspar said he’s just waiting to hear if he’ll get the call from the big leagues—and he’s doing everything he can to make sure he’s prepared if he does.
“I’m staying in shape because hopefully I get drafted, I don’t really know yet,” he said. “Hopefully I hear my name called. If I do, it’s cool. If not, there’s life after baseball.”