State Baseball Brackets Unveiled

Can Kamehameha-Hawai’i get over the proverbial hump and win a state championship in baseball?

The Warriors are looking at a familiar foe as they open their quest for a state championship in Division II when the Wally Yonamine Foundation/Hawai’i High School Athletic Association State Baseball Championships get underway next week on Oahu.

Kamehameha-Hawai’i, the regular season and tournament champion in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, is seeded second in the eight-team Division II field, behind two-time defending champion Maryknoll. The Spartans, Interscholastic League of Honolulu champions, have beaten the Warriors in the final game of the season each of the last two years.

The first opponent for Kamehameha-Hawai’i is Molokai, the lone representative from the Maui Interscholastic League. The Farmers were the only league champion not seeded in the tournament, but didn’t get matched up against fourth-seeded Kauai, as protocol usually dictates. Instead, Molokai was switched on the board with BIIF runner-up Konawaena, and the Wildcats will get the Kauai Interscholastic Federation champions instead.

Oahu Interscholastic Association champion Aiea is seeded third and will face ILH runner-up Pac-Five. Kapolei rounds out the field and will face Maryknoll in the opening round.

In Division I, BIIF regular season champion Waiakea will finally get a chance to hit the diamond after what will amount to a 17-day layoff. The Warriors were knocked out by Hilo in the league semifinals, but still earned a state tournament berth for winning the regular season title outright.

Waiakea opens up play Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. against Kailua, winners of four of their last five games. The game will be broadcast at ESPNHawaii.com.

Hilo, meanwhile, earned the BIIF’s overall championship with its tournament win over Kea’au. The Vikings were seeded fourth and will open play on Thursday against the winner of Wednesday’s game between Kamehameha-Kapalama and Kaiser.

Campbell earned the top seed in the Division I tournament after winning the OIA with five consecutive wins. ILH champion Mid-Pacific Institute picked up the second seed, and MIL winner Baldwin grabbed the third seeded spot.

The Division I tournament will be played May 6-9 at Les Murakami Stadium on the campus of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. The Division II tournament opens May 7 at Hans L’Orange Park and ends May 9 at Les Murakami Stadium.

2015 Wally Yonamine Foundation/Hawai’i High School Athletic Association Baseball Championships

Division I

Wednesday, May 6

Waiakea vs. Kailua – 10 a.m. (broadcast at ESPNHawaii.com)

Maui vs. Moanalua – 1 p.m.

Kamehameha-Kapalama vs. Kaiser – 4 p.m.

Mililani vs. Pearl City – 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 7

#4 Hilo vs. KS-Kapalama/Kaiser winner – 10 a.m. (broadcast at ESPNHawaii.com)

#3 Baldwin vs. Mililani/Pearl City – 1 p.m.

#1 Campbell vs. Maui/Moanalua winner – 4 p.m.

#2 Mid-Pacific vs. Waiakea/Kailua winner – 7 p.m.

Division II

Thursday, May 7

#4 Kauai vs. Konawaena – 11:30 a.m.

#2 Kamehameha-Hawai’i vs. Molokai – 2 p.m.

#1 Maryknoll vs. Kapolei – 4:30 p.m.

#3 Aiea vs. Pac-Five – 7 p.m.