Oahu Interscholastic Association West softball was well represented on National Letter of Intent signing day, but there are surprises in store.

That’s a happy surprise for Waianae softball. After Star-Advertiser All-State players Moani Ioane, Jerzie Liana and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas signed their national letters-of-intent on Wednesday morning, Ioane noted that her Kapolei team is an underdog this season.

Then Liana confirmed that she has left Kapolei and transferred to her hometown school, Waianae. Following suit, McEnroe-Marinas, the top softball recruit in Hawaii, also revealed that she will transfer from state champion Maryknoll to Waianae at the end of this first semester.

Ioane was an All-State outfielder for Kapolei as a junior, batting .481 with nine home runs, 20 RBIs, 16 runs and five stolen bases. Ioane signed with Cal State Northridge (CSUN).

“I love the campus. The environment is very safe. It’s going to be a great home away from home,” Ioane said.

Liana also signed with CSUN.

“The area is great and so are the coaches,” said Liana, a pitcher last season at Kapolei. “It’s a really good school and I’m glad to be there.”

As expected, McEnroe-Marinas signed with NCAA champion Oklahoma, following the path of former All-State Player of the Year Jocelyn Alo (Campbell). She batted .571 with six home runs, 27 RBIs and 29 runs scored as a junior.

“I still feel young, but now I feel like a young person doing adult things. After signing today, everything felt so real. I’m going to college now. It’s confirmed,” she said.

Between finalizing a choice of college and transferring high schools, the power-hitting shortstop is at peace.

“At first, it was more like, we weren’t really thinking about (transferring). We were joking about it one night. What if all the Waianae girls who went to other schools came back for senior year. After a couple of months, we kind of coordinated. My parents talked to Jerzie’s parents,” McEnroe-Marinas said.

Liana and McEnroe-Marinas played together on the Waianae Wildcats youth team. They were 10 and it was the first organized softball team for McEnroe-Marinas. With scholarships in hand, the freedom to return home was irresistible.

“Coach John (Uekawa of Maryknoll) was really understanding. I talked to him during school when he came over to campus last week. I told him it’s nothing to do with the Maryknoll program. I thought it would be really special for me to play in front of my family,” she said. “He wanted me to know he would support me.”

By summer, she will be a Sooner.

“The girls have a championship mindset, how much they train and their effort. I want to be surrounded by a mentality like that,” said McEnroe-Marinas, who also had Oregon, Washington and UCLA at the top of her list.

The three softball standouts were part of the signing ceremony hosted by Education 1st at the Blaisdell Exhibtion Hall.