For 20-plus years, one of the most highly touted programs in all of Hawaii trade the island breeze for the desert heat and compete in USA Baseball’s National Team Championships in Arizona.

Team Kado, led by program founder and head coach Donny Kadokawa, have been a familiar face in the history of Champs Arizona, but a common theme remains the same throughout the years of competition and roster turnover.

“Oftentimes when we play at Champs Arizona, a bunch of the Task Force members come down from the tower after games and mention how our team is not the most physical, but more so how we’re as competitive as it gets,” Kadokawa said.

Kadokawa founded Team Kado in 1993 at just 20-years-old. He currently serves as head coach throughout the various teams in the 14U-17U divisions. Throughout a 32-year program journey, the Kado foundation laid many moons ago holds strong decades later.

“Our mission has been and always will be about trying to make kids in Hawaii better baseball players, but even better young men. We try to push these young men to strive for excellence. We trust the process and look to teach the right things above all,” Kadokawa said.

While the game of baseball presents the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, it’s all about sticking with your baseball family above all. Or to some, your baseball ohana above all.

“When we go out and recruit guys, we don't just look for the best players. We take kids who want to come play in our program, and we make them better. That's part of being in the family. We don't leave anybody behind. If you choose to play in the program, we're going to work with you and build you as a player. We’re gonna put you on the field and represent what we do – what Kado does,” Kadokawa said.

The Kado standard holds top-notch expectations on and off the field to propel its athletes to the next level. Team Kado has done exactly that, churning out hundreds of Hawaiian athletes, past and present, who have gone on to play at the next level, or are pledged to do so.

As Kado alumni grow and flourish, a once overlooked prospect has begun his ascension to stardom. Current Arkansas Razorbacks infielder and USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalist Wehiwa Aloy’s once small steps with Team Kado have proven to be massive stepping stones on the journey to the top.

“He was here when he was 14. He was a little smaller and definitely overlooked. But he was the biggest one where we preached that he just had to trust his ability. One day he was gonna get physical and look at him now. In high school, he had very few offers. And now today, with all the hard work, dedication, commitment to the program and trusting the process, he's a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and I'm not surprised one bit,” Kadokawa added.

While Aloy has begun to pave the way for future generations of Hawaiian baseball stars, the current members of Team Kado know they’re on the right track under Coach Kadokawa.

Tyson Uiehara, 17U Navy player and longtime program standout, knows his baseball journey is just beginning to scratch the surface, but his chapter with Team Kado has given him the pen to write his own story.

“Kado is where I’ve learned how to play the right way. It’s about doing the right things and doing them with a purpose. A few of the teams we play are much bigger than us, but we’ve never backed down,” Uiehara said.

Uiehara has been a long-standing member of the program and hopes to continue his baseball path at the next level. Regardless of what the outcome holds in Uiehara’s bright future, the Kado family is a lifelong membership for him and fellow athletes alike.

“Kado Baseball is first and foremost a family. An ohana where everyone deserves respect. Each player that comes through our program is considered family. My staff and I treat the kids as if they were our own. There is no greater satisfaction than watching players grow, develop, and ultimately succeed in our program,” Kadokawa said.

Team Kado will compete in each division of the National Team Championships in Arizona from 17U down to 14U. No matter the competition they may face or the challenges that lie ahead, the bonds beyond baseball will forever be the shared heartbeat in the Kado ohana.