> How did Punahou overcome the loss of Harrison (Jeeter) Ishida's pitching prowess? Depth. They always had depth, but it wasn't until the late part of the season than Reece Kiriu and Jeremy Fujimoto began to really shine.

> Zero errors for Saint Louis in four games, and they still didn't win the state title. The pitching was there, as coach Duane Fraticelli has always said. But the sluggers of Kalaepohaku were tamed to an extent. Maybe the biggest surprise of all.

> D-I or D-II? Kauai's pitching dominated the Division II field to the tune of three shutouts in three days. Coach Hank Ibia wouldn't comment about it during the tourney, but the notion that the Red Raiders should be in D-I for baseball is rather common -- not just on Kauai, either. Enrollment-wise, Kauai is in the middle of the pack statewide. The problem with allowing one KIF team into D-I would be figuring out a format that's fair to other leagues that have far more D-I teams. Would Kauai need a play-in game? The WAC always has a pig-tail game involving the two worst seeds, but Kauai -- at least this year -- was a Top 10 team all season regardless of classification.

Complicated, and when all is said and done, keeping all the KIF teams in D-II is the simplest solution.

> MIL youth. Maui and Baldwin are relatively young teams, and with so many pitchers due back next season, both teams will have more of an impact.

> St. Anthony's rocky road. A lot happened on the Trojans' campus this season, and the talk that several underclassmen will transfer out hasn't become reality just yet. If this is the end of a magnificent era for St. Anthony baseball, that would be sad. Small private schools have always faced a dilemma between academic standards and athletic quests. It would be nice, for a change, to see a school toe the line academically and still reach the upper echelon of state athletics.

> Molokai. Talk about a long season. The Farmers lost all but one coach after a mid-season dispute between parents and the previous head coach. Some say he stood his ground and refused to take any more of the parental pressure. Others say he caved in to the pressure. Whatever the case, the players lost out because adults didn't take care of business. That's not good. However, they deserve a lot of credit for getting this far, and they played hard to the very last inning of the state tourney with just 12 players. That says something about their character as young men.

> Waipahu. It was only a couple of seasons ago when the Marauders were struggling in Division I. This year, triumph in D-II, even with the disappointing loss in the state quarterfinals. The program is on the upswing, which makes me happy for veteran coach Milton Takenaka and his staff. Waipahu has a rich history in baseball. I hope there's more history to be made.

> Pearl City. Another outstanding season with a ton of quality victories. Catcher Carlton Tanabe has one of the quickest snap throws I've seen at the prep level. This team went far, and they'll miss seniors like Corey Yuh, a true pitcher-hitter. Hat's off to first-year head coach Gary Nakamoto for carrying the torch left behind by gentleman Mel Seki.

> Mid-Pacific. If not for the injury to ace Matt McDaniel, who knows how far the Owls would've gone. It's quite unfortunate for a team that was on its way to a payoff year after going through growing pains in recent seasons.

> Kamehameha. The Warriors didn't reach the state tourney, but the loss of at least one key player to academic probation caused a chain reaction that left ace Chris Pascual with a sore elbow during the ILH tourney.

> Roosevelt. This team is proof that skill plus poise can take a team quite far. No team gave Punahou a closer game than the Rough Riders did. After a so-so regular season, Roosevelt will end up in the Star-Bulletin Baseball Top 10 tomorrow.

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