It was a final week to remember for Leilehua ace Kamryn Kamakaiwi. She won two games at the state tourney, but also injured her right ACL in the state final. Coaches and media voted the senior Star-Advertiser All-State Pitcher of the Year.
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Video by Paul Honda
The craft of pitching in softball is always a work in progress, but Kamryn Kamakaiwi's.
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Part 3. Leilehua ace Kamryn Kamakaiwi talks shop. She went 8-2 with a. 1.56 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 56 innings on the mound, but also belted five home runs while batting .375 for the state champion Mules.
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Sammie Ofoia is the Star-Advertiser Softball All-State Position Player of the. year after belting 12 home runs for the Division II state champion St. Francis Saints. She hit .605 and was their reliable third baseman.
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Part 2. St. Francis third baseman Sammie Ofoia talks about the ups and downs of the Saints as they rose to the Division II state championship.
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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Kamryn Kamakaiwi of Leilehua, bottom, is the All-State pitcher of the year, while Sammie Ofoia, left, of St. Francis is the position player of the year. Leilehua’s Wendell Au is the coach of the year after leading the Mules to the Division I state title.
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In August 2016, life began on an unfamiliar campus for Kamryn Kamakaiwi.
Two springs later, it has led to a state championship and the Star-Advertiser All-State pitcher of the year honor.
Coaches and media declared Kamakaiwi top hurler in the islands, outpointing fellow first-team hurlers Sierrah Kupihea of St. Francis and Jaeda Cabunoc of Roosevelt.
After transferring from Maryknoll, the southpaw became an ace on a talented pitching staff at Leilehua, posting a minuscule 1.56 ERA — no small feat in what clearly appears to be a new era of long-ball softball statewide. Her 8-2 mark was a major reason for the Lady Mules’ rise from contender to state champion.
The panel also voted St. Francis third baseman Sammie Ofoia the position player of the year. The senior sparked St. Francis to a 9-3 mark, sharing first place in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu with Punahou. The Saints went on to capture their first Division II state crown as Ofoia finished with a state-leading 12 home runs. She hit .605, drove in 23 runs and scored 21 times. Her OPS of 2.260 was also unmatched. She outpointed sluggers D’Asha Saiki of Punahou and Mari Foster of Roosevelt.
Kamakaiwi was the only pitcher in the state with at least 10 decisions to post a sub-2.00 ERA.
“Oh man, it’s her moxie. Her ability to move the ball and keep people off-balance, that’s what kept us in the games for a while,” Leilehua coach Wendell Au said.
Buoyed by a steady defense and potent offense, Kamakaiwi thrived. She struck out 50 batters and walked 26 in 58-plus innings. Kamakaiwi also was one of the best-hitting pitchers, sporting a .375 average with five home runs, 15 runs scored and 13 RBIs.
“She would step up for us not only as a pitcher, but as a hitter, too. I couldn’t keep her bat out of the lineup,” Au noted.
It was in the top of the first inning against Punahou during the state final when Kamakaiwi’s high school career came to an abrupt close. As she tagged out a runner near third base during a rundown, Kamakaiwi injured her knee. The diagnosis later: a torn ACL. Leilehua went on to win the game 14-4 for its first state crown in one of the rare instances where an often dominant pitcher didn’t have to carry the burden all the way to the finish line.
“I voted for Kamryn because she was the ace of the state championship team, and her statistics with an ERA under 2.00 was outstanding. I felt she deserved the honor,” Punahou coach Dave “Boy” Eldredge said.
“Her being a lefty pitcher and having the pitch come from a different angle made it hard for batters,” Kamehameha coach James Millwood said. “She has very good spin on her ball and pitch a back-door curve away from a righty and into a lefty. Her regular curve had a big bite on it and made it very difficult for lefty batters. She was very good at getting ahead of batters and keeping them off-balance and guessing.”
A pitching guru like Michael “Shag” Hermosura appreciated the skills of Kamakaiwi.
“Kamryn is a pitcher with a lot of confidence on the mound,” the longtime Campbell coach said. “She knows how to mix speeds and hit her spots well.”
In addition to a sterling season against ILH Division I foes, Ofoia hit .636 in the D-II state tourney (7-for-11) with five home runs, eight RBIs and seven runs scored. She had 22 total bases for a 2.000 slugging percentage.
“Sammie Ofoia is one of the most feared hitters in the state. The power that she hits with is amazing. She can change the game with one swing of her bat,” Millwood said. “She’s very athletic and quick. She played third and first base and has a great glove. ILH pitchers and coaches are very happy that she is graduating.”
Maryknoll coach John Uekawa is one of those coaches who saw the difference for St. Francis.
“If you look at St. Francis’ losses, she did not play in any of them. She is a born leader that other players follow,” he said.
Au got a close-up look when the Mules scrimmaged St. Francis during a layoff before the state tournaments.
“Sammie deserves everything she’s getting. She can hit the ball, she has a good glove, and she can really run,” Au said. “She has a great personality and outlook on things, so I think that keeps her real level-headed.”
Ofoia is one of five Saints (at last count) who will play in college next season. They’ll miss her, but she has left her mark.
Saints coach Randy Langsi said, “She is hard-working, and it was the case more so this year. She really applied herself, studied the game. She can change a game with one swing.”
Coach of the year voting was extremely close. Panelists settled on Leilehua’s first-year coach, Au. St. Francis’ eighth-year coach, Langsi, was second in the voting and Punahou’s Eldredge was a close third.
Also receiving votes were Akeamakamae Kiyuna of Kamehameha-Hawaii, Kristin Fujii-Dias of Roosevelt, Dean Oshiro of Moanalua, Rose Antonio of Mililani and Uekawa of Maryknoll.
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FIRST TEAM
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