Kaiser debuts in Star-Advertiser Softball Top 10

They were the only team from the East to reach the OIA Division I softball semifinals and took third place after beating Waianae.

The Kaiser Cougars were rewarded for their strong effort in the league tournament with a No. 8 ranking in the Star-Advertiser Softball Top 10 released today.

It’s the first ranking for the Cougars this season and the first time they have appeared in the top 10 since April 10, 2017.

Kaiser finished the regular season 8-4 in league play before beating Mililani in the OIA quarterfinals. The Cougars lost to eventual league champion Campbell, 9-3, but came back to beat Waianae in the third-place game.

The Seariders also returned to the rankings for the first time in three weeks at No. 10. Waianae was ranked as high as No. 2 for a week this season.

OIA champion Campbell remained at No. 1 for the eighth straight week and are two weeks short of tying their mark of 10 consecutive weeks at No. 1 from 2015-16. That’s the longest streak at No. 1 in the nine-year history of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser rankings.

Punahou (15-3 ILH) remained at No. 2 with ‘Iolani (15-4 ILH) tying its highest ranking of the year at No. 3 heading into Tuesday’s ILH tournament finale. If the Raiders win, they will force a playoff for the overall league crown.

Leilehua, which advanced to the OIA final before losing to the Sabers, jumped three spots to No. 4.

Roosevelt, which won the OIA East and was undefeated at 12-0 before losing to Waianae in the OIA quarterfinals, had to win two consecutive games to clinch a berth in the state tournament. The Rough Riders dropped three spots to No. 5.

St. Francis dropped a spot to No. 6 and Maryknoll, which had its season end in a loss to ‘Iolani on Saturday, is No. 7. Kamehameha-Hawaii sits between Kaiser and Waianae at No. 10.

The state softball tournament begins next Wednesday.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser Top 10