Three of the last six state baseball champions in Division I are seeded in the 2018 Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Baseball Championships beginning Tuesday at Les Murakami Stadium.
MIL champion Baldwin, ranked No. 23 in the nation by USA Today, is the top overall seed, followed by ILH champion Mid-Pacific and BIIF champion Waiakea. OIA champion Mililani is the fourth seed.
The Bears won the state title two years ago and are one of eight different schools to win the state tournament in the last eight years. Punahou’s seven-year run of state titles from 2004 to 2010 is the last time a team successfully repeated.
Maui, the defending state champion, didn’t qualify for the tournament this year.
The No. 1 overall seed has been bounced in the quarterfinals in eight of the last nine seasons. Only Campbell in 2015, which went on to win the state title, won its first game as the No. 1 overall seed in that span.
Here’s a look at the first-round matchups with the schedule below.
Division I
First round
Games at Les Murakami Stadium
KS-Maui (10-4) vs. Campbell (13-2), 10 a.m.
Winner plays No. 3 seed Waiakea
The first game of the tournament features two teams ranked in the top nine in the state by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The Warriors, making their fourth appearance at states and first since 2011, finished second to Baldwin and handed the Bears their only loss in the MIL, 2-1. Baldwin won two of three in the series but only outscored KS-Maui 5-3. The Sabers are in the state tournament for the sixth straight season and are 5-0 in their first game during that run.
Leilehua (10-7) vs. Kailua (12-3), 1 p.m.
Winner plays No. 2 seed Mid-Pacific
The Mules defeated Hilo 4-3 today in the play-in game to get into the state tournament for the first time since 2013. Leilehua won its only state baseball title in 1962. The OIA runner-up Surfriders have the longest active streak of state tournament appearances at 14. Kailua’s only state title under Corey Ishigo came in 2001.
‘Iolani (14-5-1) vs. Kalani (11-4), 4 p.m.
Winner plays No. 4 seed Mililani
The Falcons have lost their last five opening-round games in the state tournament. In fact, Kalani’s last win in the first round came in 1986 against Waiakea. ‘Iolani’s 39 wins in the state tournament are second only to Punahou despite the Raiders making the tourney for the first time since 2013 and just the third time since 2000. ‘Iolani is the highest ranked team in the state to play in the first round at No. 3.
Punahou (13-6) vs. Pearl City (9-6), 7 p.m.
Winner plays No. 1 seed Baldwin
The Buffanblu are in the state tournament for the second time since 2012. The Chargers’ last appearance in the state tournament was in 2016 when they won three games to get to the final before losing to Baldwin. Punahou is 5-0 against Pearl City in the state tournament and outscored the Chargers 38-7 in those games. The Buffanblu have lost both opening-round games in the state tournament since its run of seven straight state titles ended in 2010.
Division I
| Match # | Date | Matchup | Time/Scores | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 8 | KS-Maui vs. Campbell | Camp, 3-0 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 2 | May 8 | Kailua vs. Leilehua | Kail, 3-0 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 3 | May 8 | 'Iolani vs. Kalani | Iol, 11-1 (6) | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 4 | May 8 | Pearl City vs. Punahou | Pun, 6-2 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 5* | May 9 | KS-Maui vs. Leilehua | Tie, 6-6 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 6 | May 9 | (3) Waiakea vs. Campbell | Waik, 6-2 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 7 | May 9 | (4) Mililani vs. 'Iolani | Iol, 12-8 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 8 | May 9 | (1) Baldwin vs. Punahou | Bald, 8-7 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 9 | May 9 | (2) Mid-Pacific vs. Kailua | Kail, 6-1 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 10* | May 10 | Kalani vs. Pearl CIty | Kaln, 9-5 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 11* | May 10 | Mililani vs. Punahou | Mil, 5-4 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 12* | May 10 | Campbell vs. Mid-Pacific | Camp, 4-2 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 13 | May 10 | Waiakea vs. Kailua | Waik, 5-0 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 14 | May 10 | 'Iolani vs. Baldwin | Bald, 9-4 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 15* | May 11 | Leilehua vs. Kalani | Kaln, 2-1 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 16* | May 11 | Mililani vs. Campbell | Mil, 2-1 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 17* | May 11 | 'Iolani vs. Kailua | Iol, 8-1 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 18 | May 11 | Baldwin vs. Waiakea | Bald, 14-4 (5) | Les Murakami Stadium |
| * — consolation | ||||
Division II
| Game # | Date | Matchup | Time/Scores | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 9 | (4) Molokai vs. Farrington | Far, 12-8 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 2 | May 9 | (3) Kapaa vs. Waianae | Kapa, 9-3 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 3 | May 9 | (1) Damien vs. Konawaena | DMS, 11-1 (5) | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 4 | May 9 | (2) KS-Hawaii vs. Radford | Rad, 6-4 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 5* | May 10 | Konawaena vs. Molokai | Kona, 6-1 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 6* | May 10 | KS-Hawaii vs. Waianae | KSH, 7-3 | Hans L'Orange Park |
| 7 | May 10 | Damien vs. Farrington | DMS, 8-3 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 8 | May 10 | Radford vs. Kapaa | Rad, 3-2 (8) | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 9* | May 11 | Konawaena vs. KS-Hawaii | KSH, 7-3 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 10* | May 11 | Farrington vs. Kapaa | Kap, 7-6 | Les Murakami Stadium |
| 11 | May 11 | Damien vs. Radford | DMS, 12-0 (5) | Les Murakami Stadium |
| * — consolation | ||||
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