Kamalani Dung

Xeana Kamalani Dung (born March 4, 1997), also known as "Kama Dung", is an American, right-handed softball pitcher from Waianae, Hawaii. She is a gold medalist and is known as one of the best softball pitchers to come out of the islands of Hawaii. Dung is currently a professional softball player who pitches on the Puerto Rican national softball team. She has competed in a number of international tournaments and has gained a large following as an international and collegiate athlete. Dung was the former starting pitcher for the Fresno State Bulldogs (2015-2017) and the University of California Golden Bears (2017-2019) in the Pac-12.

Xeana Kamalani Dung
Kamalani Dung 2016
Personal information
Birth nameXeana Kamalani Dung
National teamPuerto Rico
Born (1997-03-04) March 4, 1997
Waianae, Hawaii, United States
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Spouse(s)N/A
Sport
SportSoftball
PositionPitcher
University teamCalifornia Golden Bears
Medal record
Women's softball
Representing  Puerto Rico
Central American and Caribbean Games
2018 BarranquillaTeam competition
Pan American Games Lima 2019
2019 LimaTeam competition

Early life and education

Born and raised in Waianae, Hawaii. Dung and her family grew up on a farm on the island of Oahu. Her parents are Honey Rodriguez and Lance Dung. Her younger brother is Lancen Dung. It is unknown what all her ethnicities are, but she has stated being Hawaiian-Polynesian, Puerto Rican, Caucasian, and Japanese-Asian.[1]

Dung attended Kamehameha Schools from K-12, has inspired many with her story of finding success through some times of poverty.[2]

Dung started playing competitive softball in Hawaii around the age of 10.[3] She is a self-taught pitcher who learned to throw pitches unconventionally from YouTube because she didn't have lessons while growing up. She credits her father for getting her into pitching, and credits her mother for keeping her on track and getting her to college.[4] She entered softball tournaments in California around the age of 14. She attracted attention from college coaches, who called her the 'YouTube' pitcher after learning that she had no prior professional pitching lessons.[3]

High school

Dung was a four-year varsity starter and captain at Kamehameha Kapalama High School.[5] She was a four-year varsity athlete at Kamehameha-Kapalama High School in Honolulu, Hawai’i. Dung logged an ERA of 0.82 with 86 strikeouts, seven shutouts and an 11–1 record during her senior campaign. She started all four years and led the team as an ace pitcher and captain to three Division I conference championships. Dung led the state in strikeouts and ERA, and paced the league in batting average and doubles. Additionally, she competed for the travel ball teams Mizuno/OC Batbusters and Mililani Prep- Hawai’i.[6]

Dung signed to the Fresno State during high school.[3]

Fresno State

Dung majored in business administration.[5]

Freshman

Dung made her debut as a D1 collegiate athlete in the NCAA on October 22, 2015, in an exhibition game against the professional team USSSA Pride at the Margie Wright Diamond.[7]

In the 2016 season Dung went on to become one of the two starting pitchers as a freshman and helped her team to a Mountain West conference Championship, while being a part of one of the most dominant teams in MW history. That year Fresno State was ranked 17 in RPI and had a nation-leading 23-game win streak that set a new school record.[8] Dung was undefeated in conference play and recorded her first regional appearance and save.

Sophomore

In 2017, Dung earned the All-Region Third Team. The prestigious Mountain West Pitcher of the Year award.[9] All-MW 1st Team. MW Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks (May 2 & May 9).[10] Dung currently holds the All-Time Mountain West Conference record for most Batters Struck Out by a sophomore in a single season with 99.[11] She also ranks top 5 in All-Time MW Games Pitched in a single-season with 13,[11] and Games started in a single-season with 17.[11]

After throwing back-to-back shutouts against Indiana and Purdue during the first two games of the 2017 season, Dung was named ace of the Bulldog's squad since day one as a sophomore and helped Fresno State to their then No. 21 ranking. She later went on to pace national stats and lead the Mountain West in every major pitching category. Dung went 25–13 with a 2.17 ERA, allowed opposing hitters a .216 average, with 202 strikeouts in 238.1 innings and pitched 8 shutouts that season.[12]

Dung earned a spot on the 2017 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge All-Tournament Team after going 2–2 with a 2.90 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 19.1 innings, throwing the only no-hitter of the tournament and the first no-hitter of her career. She appeared in 44 games, including 38 starts. She threw 31 complete games, including a MW-best nine shutouts, and went 26–15 with 218 strikeouts in 254.1 innings.[13]

University of California, Berkeley

Dung transferred in 2017 to UC Berkeley.[2] Dung majored in sociology.[14]

Junior

As a junior, Dung made her debut in the Pac-12 Conference for Cal. The Cal Golden Bears were highest ranked no.15 that year.

Dung quickly found her place as an ace pitcher during her first season with the bears. She made 33 appearances with 27 starts and ranked through the top 10 in all major pitching categories in the PAC 12: ERA (1.96), wins (19), batters struck out (186), innings pitched (160.2), opposing batting average (.181).[15] She struck out a career-best 15 batters against Fordham. Dung also threw the first perfect game for the Golden Bears in almost a decade, being the first perfect game since 2010, and the first perfect game of her career, during her first collegiate appearance in Hawaii while striking out 12 against UTEP in March.[2] She was nominated Most Valuable Pitcher on the Malihini Kipa Aloha All-Tournament Team after playing the University of Hawaii.[16]

Senior

Despite pitching with injury for the first half of her senior year,[17] for her final season, Dung was selected to the NFCA All-Region Third Team for the second time in her career.[18] She also earned All-Conference honors being selected to the All-Pac-12 Conference Second Team.[19] Softball America Top Softball Performances of the Week.[20] Ranked 10 in Top 25 Names in College Softball.[21] Dung was predicted to be drafted to the Aussie Peppers of Mankato, Minnesota by FloSoftball.[22]

She led the Golden Bears to their first top 25 wins since 2017 against No.21 James Madison University and also silenced one of the nations best offenses at the time by pitching a one-hitter through the first 5 innings in the Bear's upset against the No. 22 Arizona State Sun Devils.[23] Dung gave Cal its first top 5 win of the last few years as she pitched a gem shutting out the No.5/No.1 Arizona Wildcats for the first time since 2012, ending the Wildcats 21-game winning streak with one of the most potent home run hitting lineups in the nation.[24] In March Dung pitched a complete game against No.1 and eventual WCWS Champions UCLA allowing no earned runs and four hits.[25] Dung collected the Bear's win against OSU allowing one run and four strikeouts in 5 innings.[26] On February 22 Dung struck out 12 batters and allowed only two hits in a vital 1–0 victory over Duke University.[27][28] - earning her national recognition as one of the top 9 performances in softball for that week.[20]

Professional and international career

In 2020, Dung signed to play professionally in the National Professional Fast Pitch with Los Angeles, CA based California Commotion and the Chicago, IL based Athletes Unlimited Pro League. Dung played semi-professionally for the city of Juncos in 2018 for the Puerto Rican Higher League.[29]

2018

Because Dung is partially Puerto Rican, she was invited to try out for the 2018 Puerto Rico Women's National Softball Team.[30] Dung was recorded on the roster for the 2018 U.S. International Cup,[31] 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games, and the 2018 Women's Softball World Championship Tournament. Dung struck out eight in a 1-hit shutout during Puerto Rico's victory over South Africa in the World Championships in August.[32] At the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia, the Puerto Rican Women's National Softball Team took home the gold medal for the first time in over 20 years.[15]

2019

Dung was selected to the roster for the 2019 World Cup of Softball,[33] 2019 Canada Cup,[34] 2019 Pan American Games,[35] and 2019 Tokyo 2020 Americas Olympic Qualifier.[36] In the 2019 World Cup Dung collected 3 of the team's 4 wins against Philippines, Chinese Taipei, and No.5 Mexico.[37] Dung and Puerto Rico won the bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.[38] Competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifier in Surrey, Canada where she led the tournament in wins, collecting 3 of the team's 5 wins. Led her team with 18 strikeouts in 8.2 innings which also ranked in the top 5 of the tournament, and also held a 0.81 ERA.[39]

References
  1. "ConleysCorner".
  2. "Cal's Kamalani Dung finds success after a childhood of poverty, homelessness - SFChronicle.com". www.sfchronicle.com. March 6, 2019.
  3. "Kamalani Dung: A way out, a way back and the family that holds her together". Fresno State Athletics.
  4. "Top Dog of the Week...with Kamalani Dung". The Collegian. 2017-02-27. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  5. "Kamalani Dung - Softball". Fresno State Athletics.
  6. "Kamalani Dung - Softball". Fresno State Athletics. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  7. Anteola, Bryant-Joel (October 22, 2015). "USSSA Pride holds off Fresno State in softball exhibition". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  8. "2016, an unforgettable year for Bulldog softball". Fresno State Athletics. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  9. "Past All-Hawaii picks: Alo, Dung earn Softball America Top 100 honors". scoringlive.com. February 7, 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  10. Edmondson, Cary. "3-for-3 weekend earns Fresno State's Kamalani Dung MW Pitcher of Week honor". fresnobee. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  11. "2018 Softball History (PDF) - Mountain West Conference" (PDF). themw.com. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  12. "Five Bulldogs named to All-Pacific Region teams". Fresno State Athletics. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  13. Hull, Billy (July 29, 2017). "HAWAII GROWN: Dung headed to Cal". www.hawaiiprepworld.com. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  14. https://www.linkedin.com/in/xeanakamalanidung/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. "Kamalani Dung - Softball". University of California Golden Bears Athletics. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  16. "Three Lancers Named to Malihini Kipa Aloha All-Tournament Team". Longwood University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  17. "Cal's Kamalani Dung shares how rhythm and timing have helped her in senior season". Pac-12. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  18. "Rood and Dung Earn More Recognition". University of California Golden Bears Athletics. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  19. "Trio of Bears Earn Conference Honors". University of California Golden Bears Athletics. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  20. Strong, Ed. "Top Performances From College Softball Friday, Feb. 22nd". www.softballamerica.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
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  22. "2019 NPF Mock Draft". www.flosoftball.com. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
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  24. "Cal Forces Rubber Match in 1-0 Win Vs No. 5 Arizona". University of California Golden Bears Athletics. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  25. "Cal Drops Series to No. 1 UCLA". University of California Golden Bears Athletics. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  26. "Bears Bats Prevent Sweep Vs Beavers". University of California Golden Bears Athletics. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  27. "Dung Delivers Against Duke". University of California Golden Bears Athletics. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  28. "Top Performances From College Softball Friday, Feb. 22nd". www.softballamerica.com. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  29. #RedArmy - ¡KAMALANI DUNG EN JUNCOS!... - Valencianas De Juncos Fastpitch | Facebook, retrieved 2019-07-31
  30. Caraballo, Harry Rodríguez. "La sexy lanzadora del equipo de sóftbol femenino de Puerto Rico". Metro (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  31. "Puerto Rico | Team Roster | Summer 2018 | Adult Softball". GameChanger.io. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  32. "Puerto Rico, Mexico earn wins behind strong pitching performances; Juarez and Escobedo no-hit Philippines". April 8, 2018.
  33. "Puerto Rico | Team Roster | Summer 2019 | Adult Softball". GameChanger.io. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  34. "Puerto Rico | Team Roster | Summer 2019 | Adult Softball". GameChanger.io. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  35. "Softball at the 2019 Pan American Games", Wikipedia, 2019-09-21, retrieved 2019-10-23
  36. "Softball Americas Qualifier - The official site - WBSC". olympicsoftball.wbsc.org. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  37. "Mexico Summer 2019 at Puerto Rico Summer 2019|". gc.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  38. "Softball | Medals and Ranking Women Softball - Pan American Games Lima 2019". wrsd.lima2019.pe. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  39. "Softball Americas Qualifier - The official site - WBSC". olympicsoftball.wbsc.org. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
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