Josh Kabayama is the smiling face of bulls baseball
Coming off splitting a double header with the Edmonton Prospects, the Lethbridge Bulls head into their 3rd of 5 games in 4 days against the Prospects at Spitz Stadium tonight. Winning the remaining 3 games in the series would push the Bulls to the top of the WCBL standings going into the rest of their July schedule. The team at Lethbridge Sports caught Lethbridge native outfielder Josh Kabayama ahead of game 3 to get his thoughts.
He starts out by looking at the game last night. “Pretty good.” He says. “[It was] A good result that we were hoping from the first game and got the win.” The Bulls won 14-2 over the Prospects in their 2nd game at Spitz on July 1st. “Our bats were swinging well and we got a good result from Levi.”
We asked Josh if there was a particularly memorable moment of the game. “I think the atmosphere.” He says right away. “Canada day! All the fans came out. We get a lot of support from the city and our sponsors. A lot of the guys were excited. It was a full crowd. And of course an exciting game. Our bats were hot. It was good to not disappoint on a big night.” It was definitely a big night for the club with it being a sellout crowd and the first full-capacity attendance allowed since the lifting of COVID restrictions. “[It’s] Really nice to have fans with that much energy so you dont have to create energy on your own bench. Its way easier to get behind and win.” Even with the energy, it was a double header in record breaking heat and the team had to play 18 innings in the space of 10 hours. “You have to get a bit gritty.” Kabayama says of handling the double-header. “It’s a long day, and you’re there to win. You have to play like you would any other game.”
We hit Josh with a bit of a surprise question when we shared that he had been coined the unofficial “Most Photogenic Bull” by Lethbridge Sports’ social media partners. When he finishes laughing, Josh responds, “Pretty funny you say that. My mom and other relatives ask why there’s so many photos of me. Some of the guys give me a hard time actually. It’s also pretty cool. I get some pretty cool photos out of it.” Lethbridge Sports would like to add that we don’t deliberately shoot more of any one player, but we do end up with more viable photos of some than others in the editing and processing stage. One of the things that makes Josh stick out is his constant smile no matter the circumstance, something we asked him about. “I don’t know.” He says, “In my head it’s still a game and it’s still fun. I also enjoy it. That keeps it looser.”
Josh Kabayama, the unofficial “most photogenic Bull” of the 2021 season.
Josh also likes to chat with the fielders out on the bases. There are “Lots of Canadian guys in the league. I don’t know a lot personally.” He tells us. “Mostly they’re pretty friendly. I try to just banter. I don’t really chirp, that’s not my thing.”
Josh grew up Lethbridge, a member of the Kabayama’s who are an athletic legacy family in Lethbridge. “When I was super young my dad played hockey in Japan,” Josh says. “I grew up in a hockey family. My dad coached the Canes and played Pearl hockey in Japan. My cousin played Vauxhall and PBA. I played around with him and at 10 gave it a try and fell in love with the game.” Josh then was with the college program Jr. Varsity with PBA in Lethbridge, and is now attending Lethbridge College and is in his first year in the Business program. When we ask him where business will take him, Josh tells us “I wish I could give you a straight answer. Right now I’m just playing ball and trying to further my learning. Business is pretty broad and it’s nice to have that degree there.”
Josh credits his father Matthew and mother MJ for enabling his athletic success, both financially and he says, his family are his biggest supporters on the field as well. “They come out to every game and are my biggest supporters.”
Going into the third game against the Prospects tonight, Josh says he and the team are ready for the challenge. “Let’s go and get another win. We’ve been playing well. Hope we get a good start. I trust our pitchers. Hope we get another win today.“ No matter the outcome, we expect Josh to be smiling when the game ends.