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NILES -- Life is pretty good for Mahoning Valley Scrappers infielder Kaikea Harrison.
For starters, Harrison acknowledges that his home life - he is a Hawaii native - is everything you see on postcards and in travel brochures.
"Yeah, the weather, the beaches, everything you hear about is true," Harrison said. "I spend a lot of time on the beach. I spend a ton of time with my family, just hanging out in the backyard, having barbecues and enjoying the weather.
"People often describe Hawaii as paradise, and it is a pretty special place."
Then, there is baseball. And with the Harrison family, the baseball diamond is pretty much the center of paradise.
In fact, to suggest that Harrison was born into a baseball family would be an understatement.
Harrison's dad, Kenny, was drafted by the Minnesota Twins and played professional baseball in Japan for 10 years. His oldest brother, KJ, played baseball for Oregon State. He was a third-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers and played five years in the minors for the Brewers and Washington Nationals. Another brother, Kalae, played for Texas A&M and NC State before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is still in professional ball. A younger brother, Kahaku, is currently playing baseball at Rice.
"It's pretty crazy, and the funny thing is I think people outside the family just expected me to follow in line and play baseball but there were no expectations within the family," Harrison said. "People see all of us playing baseball and think that we were pushed into it. That was never the case.
"My parents never once pushed me toward the game. They were going to be happy with whatever I did in life. That's probably one of the reasons we all just gravitated toward the sport and it's why we succeeded. We're in it for the love of the game. To our family, baseball has always been just a game."
In fact, when it came to sports Harrison's first love was soccer. He not only enjoyed the game, but by all accounts Harrison was good enough to play at the collegiate level. He also played football, but he always found himself back on a baseball field.
As he grew older, Harrison's father became a scout for the New York Yankees. Harrison became a huge Yankees fan. He especially admired Derek Jeter's approach to the game, and he knew baseball was going to be his future.
The admiration for the game grew even stronger as he watched his older siblings succeed on the diamond. Ask Harrison to reflect on his most cherished baseball memory, and he doesn't describe one of his own exploits, but rather that of his brother KJ.
"I was twelve years old and my brother was playing in the College World Series at Oregon State," Harrison said. "I'm sitting there in front of the TV wearing his Oregon State batting helmet and an Oregon State jersey and he hits a grand slam home run.
"That's like the coolest baseball moment in my life."
Harrison would go on to create his own legacy. At Punahou High School he was a preseason All-American in 2021. He led the state in hits and doubles in his senior season. He would go on to play two years at USC then finish his college career with a two-year stint at Tulane.
"I had a fantastic journey to this point," Harrison said. "I'll never forget my first game at USC. I was just so thankful to be there. I'll never forget standing there with a tear in my eye during the playing of the Star Spangaled Banner.
"It's been an incredible ride. Now being (with the Scrappers), I'm going to see just how far I can take it."
Away from baseball, Harrison says he is "a typical Hawaiian," which means plenty of time near the ocean. Oddly enough, he is also a huge fan of snowboarding.
"It was just something that always looked fun," Harrison said. "I used to watch videos, and then my aunt and uncle would always take me to Canada to snowboard. It's a lot like surfing."
As for the oddest part of living in Hawaii?
"I have to get up at six in the morning to watch some of the early big college football games," Harrison said. "And all of the national title prime time games, we're watching them in the middle of the afternoon."
Harrison graduated with a degree in communications. When his baseball career comes to an end, he hopes to continue being a part of the game in another capacity.
"I would very much enjoy a career in sports broadcasting journalism," Harrison said. "I love getting in front of the camera. I love talking to people and hearing their stories.
"For now, I'm just focused on my own baseball story."
SCRAPPERS 10, TRENTON 9
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers have made it a habit this summer of scoring early when playing at home. Scoring first and forcing the opponent to play from behind has been a recipe for success.
The Scrappers on Monday stirred up another winning formula in a 10-9 win over Trenton at 717 Credit Union Field.
After the first two batters were retired in the bottom of the first, the Scrappers pounded out four straight singles, resulting in a quick 2-0 lead. Cooper Vance and Zion Williams started the hit parade with back-to-back hits. Vance scored on a Julian Hernandez base hit, and Williams crossed the plate on a Jason Torres RBI single.
The Scrappers and Thunder spent the rest of the night countering punches before the Scrappers finally held on for their 22nd home win in 35 tries.
In the top of the second Trenton quickly tied the game with their own two-out magic. With two out and a pair of runners on base Billy Morris lined a base hit to center field. One run scored on the hit, and the second base runner crossed the plate when Davis Mauzy mishandled the ball.
The Scrappers would again find early-inning success in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs. This time it was three straight singles to open the inning, with Jordan Taylor knocking in a run with his base hit. Cayden Evans gave the Scrappers a 4-2 lead on a groundout, then Vance extended the lead with a sacrifice fly.
The Thunder chased Scrappers starter Eli Edds from the game in the fifth. Juju Stevens opened the inning with a double, then scored on a William Lybrook one out single. David Johnson entered in relief of Edds and issued a walk before preventing further damage with a strikeout and a groundout.
The Scrappers appeared to blow things open in the fifth, again with two-out success. After the first two batters were quickly retired, a walk and a single set the table for Trevell Johnson, who belted his first home run of the season, a 350-foot shot over the left field wall. Johnson's three-run blast gave the Scrappers an 8-3 lead.
However Trenton knotted things up with a five-run sixth inning. A single and three consecutive walks cut the Thunder's deficit to 8-4. AJ Swader doubled home a pair of runs to make it a two-run game. Then a Brayen Faasman double tied the game at 8-8.
The back-and-forth continued from there. Taylor reached base on a fielding error to start the bottom of the sixth, and he scored on an Evans single giving the Scrappers a 9-8 advantage. In the top of the seventh, Trenton tied the game at 9-9 courtesy of a walk, a stolen base, a throwing error and a sacrifice bunt.
The Scrappers regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh - this time for good - when Kaikea Harrison singled home Jason Torres with two outs.
Scrappers reliever Justin Abercrombie picked up the save in the ninth inning by striking out the side in order.
The Scrappers and Thunder conclude their three-game series tonight at 7:05.