KAPA‘A — The Kawaihau Community Little League Minors All-Star team will be on the field starting at 8:30 a.m., Friday. Mikey Cardinez, enjoying his first year in post-season play for the Kawaihau Little League, said his team will be playing
KAPA‘A — The Kawaihau Community Little League Minors All-Star team will be on the field starting at 8:30 a.m., Friday.
Mikey Cardinez, enjoying his first year in post-season play for the Kawaihau Little League, said his team will be playing the Kaneohe A when the team start its bid for a state title.
“We play in the District tournament on O‘ahu this weekend,” Cardinez said. “If we get past that, we go back in a week to play in the state tournament.”
To help the team prepare for its off-island match, coach Aaron Kupihea and the Kawaihau 10-11 All-Star team were scrimmaging the Minors at the Main Diamond.
“We go directly to the state tournament which will be played at the Keolu Elementary School in Kailua, O‘ahu,” Kupihea said. “If we get the state title, that’ll be it for this season.”
The Kawaihau 10-11 All-Star team will play June 17-24.
The Kawaihau Little League Majors All-Star team, to be formed shortly, will be hosting the District tournament at the Kawaihau Main Diamond starting July 2.
Winners of the District advance to the State tournament. But it doesn’t end at that level as the Waipio Little League, playing at the Kawaihau Main Diamond in 2008, went on to advance and win the Little League World Series.
Just three years prior to that, the ‘Ewa Beach team became folk heroes after coming back from a three-run deficit to beat Curacao for the Little League World Series title in 2005, the first time a Hawai‘i team achieved such a feat.
“He’s really excited,” said Elvis Park’s dad, who was watching the Tuesday scrimmage at the Main Diamond. “This is his first year playing ball and to be selected to go to O‘ahu, he’s really excited.”
Kaupena Kaauwai, one of the Minors All-Star coaches, said the coaches are proud of all the boys, but wanted to thank the community for responding so generously to all the fishnets asking for contributions so the boys could make the trip.
“It’s the community,” Kaauwai said. “They make it all happen.”
