University of Hawai'i baseball alumni will celebrate more than 60 years of the sport at the school with a reunion dinner July 28 at the Dole Cannery Ballroom.

Newly installed College Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Derek Tatsuno, Hall of Fame coach Les Murakami, former coach Toku Tanaka and longtime umpire Hide Yamashita will be the featured invitees for the gathering of former players from the 1940s through 2007, according to organiziers.

Murakami, who coached UH 1971-2000, took the Rainbows to an all-college schedule and, in 1980, a College World Series runner-up finish. Tanaka coached UH from 1956-1960. Tatsuno, who set the NCAA record for victories in a season (20 in 1979), was inducted into the Hall of Fame last week. Yamashita was a regular working UH games in the 1970s and '80s.

UH baseball alumni, who initially gathered in small groups for lunch with Murakami, held their first reunion in 2005, "not knowing what kind of a turnout to expect," said Sam Kakazu, a pitcher on the College World Series team. When nearly 100 showed up, Kakazu said it was decided to renew the event on a biennial basis.

"We've decided to expand it for this second one," said Kakazu. "We've had so much interest, this time we're going backward...to the 1960s, '50s, '40s ... to take in those players who also want to participate."

This one is expected to draw 150 or more, Kakazu said.

The event, scheduled to run from 5:30 to 10 p.m., is open to former UH players and their families. Cost is $40 and includes buffet. For additional information, contact Kakazu at 247-5771 or by e-mail: hiilei7@hotmail.com.