Former Bobcat named Summit League MVP
Former Cat has huge season at Oral Roberts
The Saddleback baseball program was back in the news this week as a former player was named the conference player-of-the-year at the D1 level. Makani Tanaka earned the award in the Summit League this past week after a massive season at Oral Roberts University.
Tanaka batted .328 in league play at Oral Roberts, leading the team with nine home runs in league play and tying for the team high in RBI with 31. Tanaka finished the season with a team-best .329 average, leading the squad with 13 home runs and 50 RBI.
Tanaka played at Saddleback in 2023-24, helping the Bobcats win a state championship in 2024. He was a First Team All-Orange Empire Conference selection in 2024 when he led the team in batting average (.380), on-base percentage (.474), hits (60), stolen bases (11) and doubles (16). Tanaka also did the unthinkable in putting together a 35-game hitting streak during the season.