PROVO — On paper, Apana Nakayama's collegiate baseball journey has only spanned about 10 miles — the distance from Utah Valley State College, where he spent his first two years of eligibility, to Brigham Young University, where he spent the last two.

But factor in an LDS mission and the knee injury that confined him to the dugout last season, and you've got a long, strange trip that spans seven years.

"It's good to be back playing," Nakayama said. "I'm happy, I'm excited; especially this year, being a senior."

Nakayama was initially recruited by BYU out of high school in Hawaii, but the arrangements fell through and he instead began at UVSC. After his sophomore season in 2002, Nakayama transferred to BYU but first left on an LDS mission to Japan.

He returned for his junior season in 2005, in which he was the only BYU player to appear in all 59 games and led the team with 88 hits before finding his groove in the post-season, hitting .615 in the Mountain West Conference Tournament and being named to the All-Tournament team.

When the season ended, he went to play summer ball in the Cape Cod league — but blew his knee out early in the season.

Coaches hoped to have Nakayama back for the 2006 season, but he made the decision to wait a year and make sure he was fully rehabbed. It was a difficult decision, and when the Cougars dropped their first eight games, it hit Nakayama all the harder.

"I wanted to try to help the team with my bat, but it was a decision I made to get better and not re-injure my knee so I could come back the next year," Nakayama said. "But it was really hard, because I knew what the seniors were going through and what the team was going through."

The Cougars rebounded and finished the season strong, compiling a 33-28 record and finishing second in the MWC. However, with eight of the team's top 10 hitters gone for this season, BYU was hurting for offense as this season began.

"We lost a lot of meat in the line-up," said BYU head coach Vance Law. "We really needed a run producer, and Apana certainly fits that mold. He hasn't had the kind of year yet that I expect him to — he hasn't really gotten hot — but once he does, he's going to really help us take off."

Through 20 games, Nakayama is batting .305 with 11 RBIs and shares the team lead in runs (18) and home runs (2). But he's only begun to scrape his potential; Law said he thinks Nakayama is capable of hitting .400 with 10-20 home runs and 70-80 RBIs on the season.

Nakayama says his knee feels fine now, though he can't squat and so his former position of catcher is out of the question. However, he has no problem running, so his transition to first base/designated hitter has been smooth so far.