Honors and Awards
- 2021: Tucson NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
- 2021: Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention
- 2019: Cal Ripken League Offensive Player of the Year
- 2019: Cal Ripken League All-Star
- 2019: All-Cal Ripken League First Team
Arizona 2021 (Sophomore)
Started all 63 games for the Wildcats at second base...In his first taste of extended playing time, posted an astoudning .350 (79x226) batting average with 58 runs scored, 16 doubles, four triples, one home run, and 34 RBI...Drew more walks (43) than strikeouts (34) and logged a .460 on-base percentage that ranked second on the team and fourth in the Pac-12...Finished the year ranked among the Top 10 players in the conference in games, at-bats, runs, hits, triples, walks, batting average, and on-base percentage...Picked up 19 multi-hit performances and drove in multiple RBI nine times...Scored five runs on March 4 vs. Oklahoma in the Frisco College Baseball Classic...Drew four walks twice: Feb. 20 vs. Ball State and March 12 vs. Wichita State...Performed his best in Pac-12 conference play, hitting .368 (42x114) with 24 runs, 10 extra-base hits, and 16 RBI across 30 league contests...Defensively, posted a .941 fielding percentage on 306 chances at second base...Contributed to 32 of the Wildcats 41 double plays turned...Posted a 15-game hit streak, the second-longest hit streak on the team in 2021.
POSTSEASON: Started in all eight of the Wildcats NCAA Tournament games and hit .344 (11x32) with 10 runs, two doubles, two triples, and six RBI...Went 3-for-5 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI in Tucson Regional opener vs. Grand Canyon...Named to the Tucson NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team...Went 3-for-5 with one run and two RBI in deciding game three of the Tucson Super Regional vs. Ole Miss...Picked up base hits in both games at the College World Series.
Arizona 2020 (Sophomore)*
Registered time in nine of the Wildcats 15 games during his sophomore campaign...Hit .333 (2x6) with one run scored and one RBI...Again drew more walks (2) than strikeouts (1), leading to a .500 on-base percentage...Logged hits against Rhode Island on Feb. 29 and Houston on March 7...Picked up a pair of stolen bases in his first two tastes of action, Feb. 15 vs. Albany and Feb. 17 vs. Minnesota.
Summer 2019
Saw time in 39 games for the Bethesda Big Train in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League...Helped lead Bethesda to a Cal Ripken League Championship...Broke a trio of long-standing Cal Ripken League batting records (AVG, OBP, BB) en route to earning the circuit's Offensive Player of the Year award...Hit .441 with 43 runs, seven doubles, one home run, 27 RBI, and 48 walks...Earned both mid-season and post-season all-star selections.
Arizona 2019 (Freshman)
Played in 21 games as a freshman...Hit .250 (3x12) with eight runs scored, one triple, and three RBI...Drew more walks (7) than strikeouts (4) and posted a .500 on-base percentage...Went 1-for-2 with a triple and two RBI on Feb. 16 against UMass Lowell...Defensively saw time at catcher, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage.
High school
Prepped at Aiea High School for coach Ryan Kato…First-team all-state…First-team all-district selection…Batted .350 his senior season and .342 for his career…Also earned letters in football, earning honorable mention all-conference honors…Member of the Principal’s List, for students who earned a 4.0 or higher.
Draft
Selected by the Houston Astros in the 13th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.
Personal
Son of Ryan and Kristen Kato…Has one brother, Tory…Dad played baseball at Hawaii and Sacramento State…Majoring in General Studies with an emphasis in Sports and Society…Chose Arizona because “I wanted to compete and be a part of a winning culture.”
*2020 season cut short (15 games) due to COVID-19 pandemic.
