Former Nebraska pitcher Shane Komine throws the ceremonial first pitch as his sons Kingston and Benjamin watch Friday at Haymarket Park.

Former Falcon and Husker great return to Lincoln for bobblehead night

Chris Basnett | Lincoln Star Journal
April 28, 2018

Lincoln, Nebraska - The feats were legendary then, and they've only grown with time.

Throwing 162 pitches in a complete-game shutout of Rice in a 2001 super regional. Winning two games in the 2002 super regional against Richmond. Getting his jaw broken by a line drive in a 2000 regional game, then pitching a week later in the super regional with his jaw wired shut.

Shane Komine has long been considered one of Nebraska's great competitors, regardless of sport. A pillar of the Huskers' rise from doormat to national power from 1999-2002, the right-hander with the nasty 12-to-6 curveball remains one of NU's most popular athletes.

The Hawaiian Punchout was back in Lincoln on Friday night, throwing out the first pitch at Haymarket Park as 1,000 miniature versions of him were handed out on Shane Komine bobblehead night.

"It's a huge honor," Komine said before the game. "I'm humbled by it, and I hope that more players get the opportunity in the future and we keep building this collection of bobbleheads."

On the mound where he finished his career 21-0 at home, Komine didn't look much different from his playing days. He easily fit into his original red jersey, brought out of storage for the occasion.

The arm that threw so many big pitches for NU didn't have quite the same pop, but with his sons standing behind him on the mound he delivered his pitch to a standing ovation as his old music, the theme from "Hawaii Five-O" played over the loudspeakers.

"I was telling everybody I was going to break off another 12-to-6 curveball," Komine joked. "But I don't know if my arm will let me do that. So as long as I can get it over, I'll be happy."

It was the first time Komine had been in Lincoln since 2010, when he returned to finish up his final semester of college after a fractured wrist ended his professional career while he was playing in the Dominican Republic.

He played professionally for eight seasons, making four major league appearances over 2006 and 2007 with the Oakland Athletics after being picked in the ninth round of the 2002 MLB Draft.

Komine's love for his alma mater remains. A message from a NU athletic department staffer started the process in the winter, and Komine eagerly made the trip from his home in Maui with his wife, two sons and parents.

A native of Honolulu, Komine now works as director of banquets for the Grand Wailea resort in the town of Kihei in south Maui. His wife's family lives on the island as well. His parents are a short hop away by airplane.

"I didn't expect to be doing this (for a living), but it's fun," said Komine, who earned a degree in sociology from UNL. "Having family around, and my parents being a 25-minute plane ride away is great for us and for the kids."

There are always reminders of his college days. He's run into his old coaches, Dave Van Horn and Rob Childress, in Hawaii in recent years. And plenty of Husker fans have made the trip west to escape the Nebraska winter only to find a Big Red legend in their midst.

"A lot of (Husker fans) come out to Maui, and I think a lot of my co-workers at the hotel know I played for Nebraska," Komine said. "So they like to tell the guests that come in from Nebraska that I'm there."

There was no going unnoticed Friday. He entered Haymarket Park about two hours before first pitch, with fans already lined up outside for their chance to snag one of the bobbleheads that featured a jiggling head and right arm. The doll was a molded on Komine's celebration after the Huskers clinched the 2002 super regional win over Richmond.

As he stepped through the gates trailed by his two young sons, Komine told them to stay close by.