The call was too close for several voters in the Star-Advertiser Baseball Top 10.
Three voters on the coaches and media panel had ties at No. 1 on their ballots, but there’s no tying in baseball (or any other sports) ballots at the Star-Advertiser, so they were turned back for re-submission. Once those votes came back in, Baldwin emerged as the No. 1 team in the Top 10, a mere point ahead of Maui.
The two powerhouse programs each collected six first-place votes. Maui was the MIL champion and reached the final of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Championships with a semifinal victory over ILH runner-up Saint Louis. A showdown with MIL runner-up Baldwin, which was coming off a win over then-No. 1 Kamehameha, was postponed on Friday, and ultimately canceled on Saturday due to inclement weather.
The teams hoped to play the championship game at a later date on Maui, but the MIL and HHSAA declined to reschedule the game again.
Kamehameha and Saint Louis, which lost one-run games in the semifinals, finished third and fourth in the Top 10.
Kamehameha-Hawaii, which overpowered foes en route to the Division II state title, landed at No. 9.
Star-Advertiser Baseball Top 10 Final
May 20, 2024
Rank School (1st) (Record) Pts LW
1. Baldwin (6) (15-3 overall) 114 6
> (11-2 MIL, 1-1 playoffs, 3-0 HHSAA)
> def. Moanalua, 5-4
> def. No. 4 Hilo, 5-4
> def. No. 1 Kamehameha, 3-2
> vs. No. 3 Maui, cancelled
2. Maui (6) (14-3 overall) 113 3
> (11-2 MIL, 1-1 playoffs, 2-0 HHSAA)
> def. No. 8 Waiakea, 6-4
> def. No. 2 Saint Louis, 1-0
> vs. No. 6 Baldwin, cancelled
3. Kamehameha (17-6 overall) 94 1
> (10-4 ILH, 1-1 tiebreakers, 5-0 playoffs, 1-1 HHSAA)
> def. Pearl City, 4-0
> lost to No. 6 Baldwin, 3-2
4. Saint Louis (15-7 overall) 86 2
> (10-4 ILH, 2-0 tiebreaker, 1-2 playoffs, 2-1 HHSAA)
> def. Roosevelt, 10-0
> def. No. 5 Kailua, 6-4
> lost to No. 3 Maui, 1-0
5. Hilo (14-2 overall) 60 4
> (10-0 BIIF, 4-1 playoffs, 0-1 HHSAA)
> lost to No. 6 Baldwin, 5-4
6. Kailua (13-3 overall) 56 5
> (10-2 OIA, 3-0 playoffs, 0-1 HHSAA)
> lost to No. 2 Saint Louis, 6-4
7. Waiakea (13-5 overall) 47 8
> (8-2 BIIF, 4-2 playoffs, 1-1 HHSAA)
> def. No. 7 ‘Iolani, 1-0
> lost to No. 3 Maui, 6-4
8. ‘Iolani (13-8 overall) 38 7
> (10-4 ILH, 1-1 tiebreakers, 2-2 playoffs, 0-1 HHSAA)
> lost to No. 8 Waiakea, 1-0
9. KS-Hawaii (14-1 overall) 17 NR
> (9-1 BIIF, 2-0 playoffs, 3-0 HHSAA D-II)
> def. Radford, 7-1
> def. Kauai, 7-2
> def. Damien, 12-1 (5 inn)
10. Mid-Pacific (11-7 overall) 15 10
> (10-4 ILH, 0-2 tiebreakers, 1-2 playoffs)
No longer in Top 10: Aiea (No. 10).
Also receiving votes: Aiea 11, Pearl City 5, Moanalua 4.
