As the school year starts to wind down, spring sports are doing the same.
The Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) softball and baseball championships begin this afternoon on the leeward side, giving teams a chance to capture island glory.
Following the conclusion of the BIIF championships, the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) softball and baseball championships will begin May 14 on Oahu.
Softball
No. 2-seeded Waiakea and No. 1 Kealakehe will face off in Game 1 of the DI finals at 2 p.m. at UH-Hilo. The Warriors and Waveriders have been two of the top teams on the isle all season, as Kealakehe is currently ranked No. 2 and Waiakea No. 10 in MaxPrep’s state rankings. The series will be best-of-three, with Game 2 being held Saturday at the same time and place.
The Waveriders have not lost once this season, outscoring opponents 154-18 through 12 games — including a 6-3 win over the Warriors on March 29 (the team’s closest win). Kealakehe has a plethora of talent in its batting and pitching, as strong two-way play has led to seven run-rules in 2024. Slugger Rihanna Joaquin leads the squad in hits (21), runs (28), RBI (23) and home runs (three). Joaquin is also third in the state in batting average at .700.
Emalia Emmsley has been one of the central contributors for the ‘Riders on the mound, leading the team in wins (nine), innings (44.0) and strikeouts (61). On the other side of the field, Emmsley is additionally second in the state in doubles with nine.
In the semifinals against Kea‘au, Kealakehe swept comfortably — run-ruling the Cougars in both games.
Waiakea has had quite the year itself, too. Despite dropping two games to Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i and Kealakehe, the Warriors have run-ruled opponents in seven of their 11 games. Keani Kaneshiro leads the bats in hits (21), runs (25), RBI (18), triples (five) and home runs (two). Over in the pitching department, Meghan Spencer leads Waiakea in wins (five), innings (35.6) and strikeouts (48).
In the semifinals against Hilo, the Warriors swept — 13-2 in six innings and 19-0 in four innings.
In the DII finals, Game 1 of the best-of-three series will also be held today at UH-Hilo. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. between No. 2-seeded Kohala and No. 1 KS-Hawai‘i. Game 2 will be held at the same time and place Saturday. There will also be a third-place matchup between fourth-seeded Konawaena and No. 3 Honoka‘a at 10 a.m., right before Game 2.
The No. 17 state-ranked Warriors have been dominant in Division II all season, dropping just their first two games. Since then, KS-Hawai‘i is riding a nine-game win streak — run-ruling opponents in six of those matchups. The Warriors even beat DI powerhouse Waiakea by a rout of 16-4 on April 5. Like the DI teams, KS-Hawai‘i has balance on both sides of the field, outscoring opponents 146-41. The Warriors swept Konawaena in the semifinals 20-2 and 18-7.
The Cowgirls had ups and downs at the start of the season, but have had a nice bounce-back since. Kohala is coming off four straight victories, including an impressive two-game sweep of Honoka‘a last week. The Cowgirls outscored the Dragons 32-10 across the series, with both games ending in run-rule fashion.
Both KS-Hawai‘i and Kohala faced off once during the regular season, in which the Warriors won 5-4.
Baseball
No. 1-seeded Hilo will play for the BIIF DI championship starting at 5 p.m. today at Wong Stadium against No. 2 Waiakea. Game 2 will be held on Saturday at the same time in the best-of-three matchup.
To almost no one’s surprise, the Vikings have had another dominant season. Ranked No. 1 in the state per MaxPreps, Hilo has handled everyone put in front of them in its undefeated season — outscoring opponents 108-15. Since March 27, the Vikings have allowed just three runs across six games.
The Warriors have also had a strong season. Winners of the last five BIIF titles, Waiakea is currently ranked No. 10 in the state rankings, having lost just two games all season. One of its losses was to Hilo on March 27, falling 3-1. In the semifinals, Hilo swept Kealakehe, while the Warriors did the same to Kea‘au.
In the DII finals, second-seeded Konawaena and No. 1 KS-Hawai‘i will begin their series today at 3 p.m. in Hilo, right before the DI game.
The Warriors have looked like the top team in the division all season — losing just one game to DI powerhouse Hilo on April 13. Besides the outlier, KS-Hawai‘i has looked nothing short of dominant, outscoring opponents 135-17. Kaohu Kawelu leads the team in hits (17), runs (18), RBI (16), doubles (five) and triples (three). Shiloh Santos’ is the Warriors primary pitcher, leading the group in innings (20.3) and strikeouts (28).
In KS-Hawai‘i’s semifinals series against Pahoa, the Warriors won Game 1 7-2 and Game 2 15-5 in five innings to advance.
The Wildcats are coming off a semifinals sweep against Ka‘u, where they won 10-0 in six innings and 8-1 to close it out. Kona is led by its ace in Koa Nakagawa, who leads the green and white in wins (five), innings (34.6) and strikeouts (28).
When the two squads faced off in the season opener on Feb. 21, KS-Hawai‘i won 6-1.