HILO, Hawai'i– This week's Pepsi Athletes of the week are Kobie Russell (Waipahu, Hawai`i \ Waipahu HS/) and Casey Yamauchi (Hilo, Hawai`i / Waiakea HS) from the UH Hilo baseball team. Both Russell and Yamauchi had standout performances against San Diego Christian helping the Vulcans win the series in their season opener.
 
Kobie Russell (Waipahu, Hawai`i \ Waipahu HS/)
Russell showcased his ability to hit the long ball with three home runs at Wong Stadium, two of which were grand slams.
 
Russell's first grand slam of the series was on the Vulcans season debut on Friday night (Feb. 4). The redshirt junior from Waipahu, Hawai'i closed the door on the Hawks with his four-run bomb that extended the Red and Black's lead to 13-2.
 
Russell's second grand slam of the series was the most exciting, in the final game against SDCC. The Vulcans were chasing the Hawks 8-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Russell stepped up to bat with the bases loaded and cleared a no-doubter that tied up the game 8-8. 
 
Casey Yamauchi (Hilo, Hawai`i / Waiakea HS)
Yamauchi excelled on offense and defense against San Diego Christian. On offense, he batted 444 for the five game series going 8-for-18 in the batter's box. When he wasn't kick-starting the inning for the Vulcans on offense he was protecting their lead on defense, making incredible defensive plays to prevent the Hawks from getting any momentum going.
 
Yamauchi's most impactful game was in the third game of the series where he laced the walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh that gave UHH the 5-4 victory of San Diego Christian.