Bustamante raking it all in stride at Everett
Leiloa Bustamante never thought she would play college softball, but she found a comfort zone at Everett Community College where she absolutely rakes.
The 2020 Kamehameha graduate hits .488 with a base percentage of .553 and a whopping slugging clip of .805. Anything near 1,000 OPS is considered the top shelf, but their 1,358 OPS is beyond that metric.
The former catcher in Kamehameha starts in the right field and also has three homers and 16 RBIs as well as five steals for the Trojans (15-3), who play a double header against Skagit Valley on Saturday. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the postseason has been canceled.
Everett takes Covid tests every two weeks, and no one tested positive at the school in Everett, Was., A suburb where enrollment is a little under 20,000. This is a small town feel that equates to majoring in Psychology and Criminal Justice.
It’s no surprise that Bustamante hits the ball so well. She is related to two of the BIIF’s greats, Safea Villaruz-Mauai, known for his joyful personality and clout, and Kiarra and Dioni Lincoln, the sisters known for their athleticism and hard work ethic.
She is the youngest of the four children of Juan Bustamante and Rena Camino. There is Kapela (Safea’s father), Kekoa, and Kauilani. Since Leiloa and Safea are the same age, they were raised as sister and brother instead of aunt and nephew. But Leiloa’s life took a tragic turn when she was 10 years old. Her father died on March 29, 2012 of a sudden massive heart attack.
“My uncle and cousin tried to give him CPR but he was already gone,” Leiloa said. “At 10 it was really difficult. I couldn’t understand and couldn’t figure out why. He was young, 58. I always thought why and saw my mother cry every night.
“My father was always the backbone of our family. I felt that it was my responsibility to make something good out of this bad situation. I would take what my father taught me to carry on his legacy. “
Juan Bustamante gave his daughter the most precious gift a parent could give their child: time. He was always there when she grew up and gave her lasting memories.
“Every time Safea and I have been to a sporting event, he has been there. He would make snacks for the whole team, ”said Leiloa. “He would help the trainer or volunteer to know that someone was there for us. He made it his goal to be there.
“We have been through a lot and faced a lot of difficulties. But the only consistent thing in our family is to turn a bad situation into something good. There’s always trouble at the end of the day. It’s about how you approach everyone with a positive attitude in order to get your own positive results in making someone smile. “
After graduating from Kamehameha, Leiloa enrolled online at UH-Hilo and planned to go to school in California. But here’s a recruiting story you’ll never hear: Leiloa played with a relative on the Everett coaching staff in eighth grade when she was in Kamehameha-Kapalama.
Everett reached out to her in December, and she had a week to make a decision in February after Leiloa aired a YouTube highlight role. Within a week, on February 25th, she was in her dormitory getting used to college softball life. The weather can go from cloudy in the 50 degree range to 80 degrees and sunny the next day, so another adjustment.
She wants to get a job in forensics, like the CSI show. Again the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Her grandfather, Cappy Camino, was Hawaii’s first sheriff, her father was an adult proofreading job, and her mother was a social worker / case manager.
“I knew I wanted to give something back to the community,” said Leiloa. “I love listening to people’s problems, giving advice and security, and helping them find a way to turn a bad situation into something good. I like to help people in general. “
In terms of talent, the Northwest Athletic Conference has good pitchers, including the Trojans. The new left-hander Kaylie Hoskins was in Division II Cal State San Marcos but returned home to play for Everett due to the pandemic. She is 7-2 with an ERA of 1.98 and 139 strokes in 67 1/3 innings and ranks fourth in the conference on strokes.
Leiloa has already caught the attention of Mississippi Valley State (Division I), Northwestern (Division I), Rhode Island (Division I), and Western New Mexico (Division II). Currently, MVS and Western New Mexico are the front runners.
There are three other Hawaiian newbies on the roster, outfielder Cherysh Wong from Waialua, pitcher / infielder Kayla Tuaoa from Maui’s Baldwin and infielder Meleana Turner from Castle.
For fun, they propose to the cage before and after training and do additional repetitions on the infield. There is a basketball court nearby so they can go over and shoot hoops. But the pandemic hits the Hawaiian girls in the stomach.
“We have a cup of pasta in the dorm,” Leiloa said. “Our college is closed and we don’t have a cafeteria like Safea. We live in a good neighborhood and there is a Taco Bell and local Hawaiian BBQ area in Everett.
“We eat from home, make spam, eggs and rice or spam musubi that are sent from home to the shared kitchen. Loco Mocos can be found in the Hawaiian town. “
So it is Leiloa’s nature to turn a bad situation into something good. A can of Spam and a Spam-Musubi will make you feel at home. So don’t worry, mom, Leiloa rakes in the field and also beats the books with a 3.6 GPA.