Baseball
- Title:
- Volunteer Assistant Coach
- Email:
- dnakama@uw.edu
Nakama, who was an associate head coach for Lindsay Meggs in his first three seasons at Washington from 2010-12, re-joined UW for a second time on July 24, 2017 as the team's Volunteer Assistant Coach, a position in which he mentored the outfielders and hitters.
In 2019, outfielder Braiden Ward became the first player to lead the Pac-12 in stolen bases in consecutive season in a decade. He also improved markedly in centerfield as he continued his transformation from the infield. Ward earned All-Pac-12 honorable recognition. Nakamo also helped the development of JC transfer Connor Blair, who ended up being picked in the 15th round of the MLB Draft.
In 2018, Nakama's experience and coaching helped the Huskies to their first-ever College World Series. One of his outfielders, Mason Cerrillo, was honorable mention All-Pac-12, and Nakama was key in the development of the Pac-12's leading base stealer, Braiden Ward, make the transition from the infield to the outfield.
While 2018 was the Huskies first trip to the College World Series, it was Nakama's fifth as an assistant coach. He also was part of four Stanford squads that advanced to the CWS.
Nakama originally left UW in Sept. 2012 to take over as head coach at San Jose State, where he led the Spartans’ program for four seasons from 2013 to 2016. Under Nakama, the Spartans posted the fourth-highest batting average (.286), the third-highest fielding percentage (.972) and the second-fewest errors (58) in the Western Athletic Conference in 2013 and the second-highest fielding percentage (.970) in the Mountain West in 2014.
He has 33 years of coaching experience under his belt, most recently as head coach at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Ore. during the 2017 season.
In his first stint with the Huskies, Nakama was in charge of recruiting, coordinated all hitting, assisted with team defense and oversaw the outfielders. Nakama was instrumental in recruiting the Huskies’ 2012 class of newcomers, which was ranked among the best in the west by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. Two of those players he recruited (Blake Snell and Robert Stephenson) were drafted out of high school and are current Major Leaguers, while eight others were eventually part of the Huskies’ record-setting 2014 MLB Draft class. Nakama also coached and developed Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb at UW, who was a 2017 National League All-Star.
Prior to Washington, Nakama spent 10 seasons at Stanford, working with the Cardinal's infielders and and hitters while coaching first base during games. Also a central figure in recruiting, he helped Stanford land four top-10 recruiting classes.
Nakama worked for the Cardinal in two different stints, coaching there in 1997 and 1998 before returning in 2002. In between, he spent three seasons (1999-2001) as head coach at San Francisco State.
In 10 seasons at Stanford, Nakama helped the team to four Pac-10 championships, five NCAA regional titles and four trips to the College World Series.
Among some of the prominent players who Nakama has mentored at Stanford were two-time All-American and Major League shortstop Jed Lowrie, first-rounder John Mayberry, Jr., and Edmonds-Woodway product and former Mariners' farmhand Chris Minaker.
Under Nakama's watch, the Cardinal posted their five best seasons for fielding percentage in history, including a top mark of .977 in 2005, when they committed only 51 errors in 59 games. Stanford finished in the top 10 in the nation in fielding five of the last eight years, including another .977 campaign in 2009 (good for sixth in the nation).
Prior to his first stint at Stanford, Nakama spent five years as the head coach at Mission Junior College (1992-96), in Santa Clara, Calif. He led his squad to the California State Tournament in each of his final two seasons and was named the Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 1996.
Nakama also served as an assistant coach at Northern Colorado (1984-86), Iowa (1986-88), Yavapai (Prescott, Ariz.) College (1988-90) and DeAnza (Cupertino, Calif.) College (1990-91). He also coached the summer-ball Hawai'i Island Movers in 2000 and 2001 and was an associate head coach for the movers from 1994 to 1996.
Nakama, who graduated from Kaiser High School in Honolulu, earned a bachelor's degree in physical education at Willamette in 1984 and a master's in physical education from Northern Colorado in 1986.
He has three adult children: Samantha, Kirk and Brodie.
