Former University of Hawai'i at Hilo baseball player Casey Yamauchi signed a free-agent deal with the Oakland Athletics organization Wednesday afternoon.
The former Vulcans shortstop went undrafted in this week's Major League Baseball draft and had recently joined the MLB Draft League as a member of the Frederick Keys (Maryland) roster.
"The last few days during the draft, I was telling myself this is what I dreamed of since I was a little kid. This is everything I worked for, everything I wished for," Yamauchi said. "To get the call today is even more sweet because I thought I was going to have to grind it out out here to even get another opportunity."
The Keys are on the road in northeast Ohio, and as Yamauchi was prepping for Thursday's game against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, he received the call.
The Hilo native wrapped up a five-year career with the Vulcans and graduated this past spring with bachelor degrees in Communication and Kinesiology & Exercise Sciences.
Yamauchi was named to the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Third Team after having set career program records in runs, hits, doubles and steals.
