Valdez brings power-lefty polish and a proven strike-throwing track record to Hawai'i
In the 2025 season at Cerritos College, Derek Valdez went 12-3 with a 1.63 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 110.1 innings, then entered Hawai'i with a résumé that includes All-America honors and multiple pitcher-of-the-year awards. He’s the kind of left-hander coaches love: durable, tested in big workloads, and effective enough to finish games and change lineups. In the 2026 season, Hawai'i used him in both relief and projected-start roles, and he flashed swing-and-miss stuff with two-hitless innings against Hawai'i Pacific and 2.1 relief innings with three strikeouts versus Wichita State.
