GENE J. PUSKAR/Associated Press Hawaii’s Rustan Hiyoto, center, rounds third to greetings from manager Gerald Oda, left, after hitting a two-run home run off Tennessee’s Trent McNeil in 2022. Oda has tons of positive energy and is inspirational to players and fans alike.

Honolulu, Hawaii manager Gerald Oda has become a Little League World Series regular. He is coaching his third Series team after helping Honolulu capture 2018 and 2022 world championships.

A glimpse of why Oda and his coaches Keith Oda and Wills Kato have helped their teams achieve success when Gerlad Oda addresses small crowds following games.

Following those 10-15 talks, the assembled media talk often talk about how inspired they are and what a wonderful coach Oda is.

And that is just the media following press conferences.

Imagine what it’s like for the players being surrounded by all this positive energy and knowledge every day. No wonder Honolulu wins so often. I often leave Oda’s press conferences eager to run through a wall and I haven’t picked up a bat since playing recreation softball 12 years ago.

“The coaches set a positive tone. Whenever you’re calm and you’re focused we can do great things,” outfielder Evan Crawford said following last Sunday’s 9-1 win against Illinois. “The coaches are very supportive of us. They’re great coaches. They support us the whole entire way. We’re fortunate to have them as our coaches.”

They sure are.

And that goes far beyond how well Oda and his coaches know the game and coach the players up to understand hitting, pitching and fielding. It is not just about how the players are prepared well for seemingly every baseball situation which can occur during a game.

That was the case again this summer as Honolulu captured district, state and regional championships before reaching the Series and winning another game here. South Carolina ended Honolulu’s run when it won, 3-0, Tuesday but Oda was every bit as proud of his team in defeat as he was in victory.

“It’s all about enjoying this moment. Whether you win or lose, you’re going to walk off this field saying we tried our best. I can walk away proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Oda said. “I’m proud of these kids. We’re going to enjoy what these 12 players have achieved.”

At any level, coaching is not just about strategy and drilling. It’s about communicating and motivating. That goes triple at the Little League and/or youth levels. As good as Oda is at knowing the game, he is an absolute expert at knowing his players and making them better on and off the field.

Just look at how he responded when Honolulu lost its Series opener last Friday, 5-1, against Connecticut. Oda’s teams never lost his first two times here, going 11-0. Seeing how he handled defeat let all those who heard him talk realize that Oda need no title banners to validate his standing as a champion coach.

“This is a great opportunity for coaches and players to dig deep and is a great learning experience. Whatever happens, the most important thing is these kids have a golden memory of coming to Williamsport,” Oda said. “We try to put everything in perspective in so much as it’s not about you. It’s about the team, it’s about taking the opportunity to represent our great state of Hawaii. That’s the thing. What are you willing to do to represent our state in the most positive way whether we win or lose. We tried our best. You can’t ask for more.”

Oda opened the press conference praising Connecticut and its performance. It was non-stop positivity whether complimenting his players, the Connecticut players or their coaches.

In the simplest terms, Oda gets it. He wants to win as much as any coach does here. But he also understands, especially at this age, there is a lot more to this experience than what happens on the scoreboard. This is THE moment for a Little League player.

The last thing Oda is going to do is let his players get caught up in winning and losing. He knows that just by making it here, his team has won huge. Whether his team is ahead, behind or tied, he never stops reinforcing that.

Vince Lombardi once said he regretted making the statement, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” He said what he actually meant was that if a player gives everything he has all the time, than he or she has won. That is another message Oda pounds home. It is exactly what the players should here and time after time, hearing that advance has made his teams better.

“We tell the kids all the time, whether we win by one run or lose by one, the most important thing is are you enjoying the moment every single pitched? Did you give your all every single pitch? That’s what we keep reminding the kids,” Oda said. “We want the kids to soak in every single moment of this experience, whether hugging Dugout, making plays on the field, meeting the (TV) people, catching the first pitch. Whatever it is, we want the kids to soak it in and enjoy the experience.”

Baseball is hard. Sports are hard. Life is even harder. Having Oda as a guide makes all those respective journeys a little bit easier for all the impressionable youths he has coached the past 33 years. And when Honolulu suffered its first loss this summer, only the second loss in 17 Series games over four appearances, Oda let them know that everything was still good, that he remained proud and that perspective is everything.

“There’s a lot worse things I can think of than losing a game 5-1 in Williamsport. There’s millions of things,” Oda said. “If this is the worst thing these kids are going to experience than I think they’re going to have one hell of a life to look forward to.”

On cue, Honolulu came charging back two days later, pounded out 15 hits and defeated Illinois, 9-1. Still, the message remained the same as it had two nights earlier in defeat. Praise still was directed at all the players, regardless of uniform, and Oda’s goal was to keep making sure the players savored this experience.

It also speaks to who Oda is as a coach and as a man that when asked about Honolulu’s remarkable success during his three Series appearances that he focused instead upon non-results. Winning is great, but Oda knows it’s not all that matters.

“It (all the wins) is not something we really care about. It’s just trying to create an atmosphere to let these kids enjoy the battle,” Oda said. “That’s the thing. I told the kids the credit doesn’t go to the coaches. You really want the kids to enjoy this atmosphere and soak it all in. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for these 12-year old kids to play in this at in this atmosphere and this baseball Mecca.”

South Carolina eliminated Honolulu Tuesday but Oda again wowed those watching worldwide as he interacted with players and coaches from both teams. That included he and his players hugging South Carolina players and coaches. As Oda says everyone can use a hug, especially when times grow difficult, making both the one being hugged and the one giving it feel better.

This the 26th Series I have covered for the Sun-Gazette. I had heard countless coaches talk about the love he shared with his players and coaches. Oda did so as well, but following Tuesday’s game he became the first one I ever heard who discussed loving the opponent. Again, Oda wowed those hearing his words and not just because he said them.

It’s because he lives them.

“We keep telling the kids you just have to love it. That’s something that we stressed to our teams in 2019, 2022 and in 2025 and that we will continue to emphasize,” Oda said. “We’ve always believed in that. We want to teach kids the right way. Respect the game, respect your opponent, believe in yourself and love yourself no matter what. A lot of that is sharing that love.”

Attitude often reflects leadership. So it speaks volumes that Honolulu players at the Series often are recognized not just for their stellar play but also their fantastic sportsmanship. Oda is a molder of young men and the greatest compliment one could probably give him is to say that he excels there even more than on the field despite already winning two world championships.

Oda’s players seem wise beyond their years. Often unprompted, they will go down the line following press conferences and shake reporters’ hands, thanking them for covering their team. They also constantly bounce compliments directed toward them, back to their teammates.

In a sense, they are all like little Gerald Oda’s and that bodes well for both the present and future.

“Coach told me I might pitch, and I knew if I did the defense had my back. They can do great things on the field,” Crawford said after pitching for the first time since districts against Illinois. “Every pitch is a new opportunity.”

That’s pretty wise, well-spoken stuff for a 12-year-old. It highlights preparedness, selflessness and terrific perspective. It makes sense, too, since these players have such a good teacher paving the way.

Heck, even when the topic could be a controversial one, Oda can turn it into a positive. When asked about the seedy gambling elements sadly betting on Series games, Oda was about to somehow find the perfect response.

“It’s kind of crazy that they would bet on a Little League game. The beauty of Little League is the purity. This is the only tournament where you’re representing your local community. It’s the innocence and pureness that these kids show on the field,” Oda said. “This is baseball in its purest form. I hope it stays the way it is. It’s about them enjoying, not just getting to Williamsport, but the journey of getting to Wiliamsport. Whether you won districts, or sections or states or we lost, it’s that experience these kids get.

“That’s what I hope always stays. It’s the purity and joy that I love seeing the kids exhibit and the emotion they show whether they win or lose.”

Whatever that scoreboard says, whatever Honolulu’s record shows, having Oda as their manager means his teams always win big. This tournament, let alone so many leagues around the world, feature outstanding role models coaching their teams.

But I cannot think of a better Little League ambassador than Gerald Oda. He is everything a youth coach should be. Think about all the lives he has positively impacted over the past 33 years as well.

The championship banners are nice, but Oda’s true legacy is all those boys he has molded into men, who have become model students, siblings and fathers. They reveal the true measure of this Little League coach who has become a giant among men.

“I told coach Oda that as good a coach as he is, he’s 10 times the man,” South Carolina manager Dave Bogan said. “He is a great role model for those kids and that program.”

“It’s a good opportunity for the kids as well as the coaches to remember that everybody wants to win, but there’s only going to be one winner. My brother Keith and coach Willis we all say the same thing: focus on enjoying it and be fortunate that we get this opportunity to play all these games at Williamsport,” Oda said after being asked about his team having to fight through the losers’ bracket following the Connecticut loss. “We get to step on that field more than most teams, so just enjoy every single opportunity because once this journey’s over there is no more 12 year old baseball season. We’re going to get the full value of playing games at Williamsport, that’s for sure.”

Oda shed tears at the press conference following that final game. But it had nothing to do with the result. It had everything to do with the players he has had the privilege of coaching.

“For parents to give us this opportunity to trust us with their 12-year-old sons is a responsibility that we enjoy. It’s a great opportunity that they can remember for the rest of their lives. I hope they don’t forget us of course, but to have that opportunity to be with them is priceless.”

If Little League ever wants to hire an official spokesperson, Oda is the right man. One could try constructing the perfect Little League coach but why bother. Oda is that coach.

He gives his heart to his teams, the sport and the opponents. And that’s because Oda is all heart.

Chris Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse