Austin Machado follows uncle’s footsteps to Hawaii

It didn’t take long for University of Hawaii baseball junior Austin Machado to make an impact in his only season in Manoa.

Machado, who is currently hitting .349 with 12 doubles for the ‘Bows after transferring from St. John’s, is viewed as a potential prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft this summer.

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Machado is the nephew of surfing legend Rob Machado, who won the Pipe Masters on the North Shore before Austin was even born.

Rob Machado, who lives in San Diego, was recently in town to watch Austin and the ‘Bows play at Les Murakami Stadium.

“It’s really a unique concept, coming to Hawaii to watch baseball. I almost didn’t even bring a surfboard, which was really cool,” Rob Machado told KHON2 sports director Rob DeMello. “I was really kind of devoted to coming to every game and being here and supporting him and the proud uncle for sure. I’m wearing it proud. I’ve got my ‘Bows shirt on.”

Added Austin Machado: “I love my uncle. He’s always been there my whole life. And I just love how he supports me. That’s a really big deal for me, my family is just a big role model for me and how I want to go about every day and how I just want to be competitive like he was and try to be a winner like he was.”

The 2024 University of Hawaii baseball season ends with a three-game home series against Cal State Fullerton, beginning on Thursday at 6:35 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium.