On Friday night, Kenny Ishikawa ran out of the dugout to man centerfield at Foley Field for the first time. A Bulldog newcomer by way of the transfer portal, Ishikawa led off the bottom of the inning in the first SEC contest of his career. That's quite a bit of responsibility for anyone, let alone for a guy expected to toe the rubber as the starting pitcher the next night.
Ishikawa didn't merely survive the bright lights and loaded responsibilities of the weekend, he's thriving.
Ishikawa has had a fascinating few years of baseball. He spent his freshman year at Asia University in Tokyo, Japan before relocating to the United States in the spring of 2025. He enrolled at Seattle University where he'd start 51 games for the Redhawks as a two-way player. He led the team in batting average (.318), slugging percentage (.562) and OPS (.982), all while ranking …