Waiakea makes debut
in S-B Baseball Top 10

The Warriors keep working. And they aren't one of the three Kamehameha teams on baseball diamonds from Oahu to the Big Island.

The Waiakea Warriors made their debut in the Star-Bulletin Baseball Top 10 this week thanks to a 4-0 start in Big Island Interscholastic Federation play.

Waiakea, ranked No. 9, posted wins over Keaau and Ka'u last week and appears to be the favorite in the BIIF race. Ace pitcher Justin Kekaulua and catcher Raymond Velez are playing very well, coach Tom Correa said.

Kekaulua has been solid since preseason, pitching the Warriors into extra innings against Kaiser in a 1-all battle before losing in the eighth. Velez, though, has been a surprise.

Velez, then a junior, was cut from last year's team. "We carried 17 seniors last year, but we had only three returnees," Correa said. "He worked hard in the offseason and put his game together."

The 5-foot-10, 240-pound senior is 9-for-13 in four BIIF games as Waiakea's fifth hitter in the lineup.

Punahou led the poll once again after collecting 12 of 13 first-place ballots. Kamehameha rose two spots to No. 2.

Iolani fell out of the poll despite wins over Damien and Maryknoll. The team that replaced the Raiders, Waiakea, beat them in the preseason on Maui.

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