There are a few pitchers who took the mound as often as Jeremy Fujimoto.

No other, however, came through in the state tournament like the Punahou senior did. In three appearances, he won two games and preserved a victory in the final against Kailua for a save. He struck out 19 and walked only one in 10 innings, finishing with a 0.00 ERA as Punahou won its sixth state title in a row.

That sterling performance convinced coaches and media to select Fujimoto as Pitcher of the Year in the Star-Bulletin All-State Baseball selections.

Fujimoto's state-tourney dominance surprised most foes. His regular season mirrored Punahou's uphill battle—4-4 in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu with a 3.08 ERA and a league-high 42 strikeouts in 36 innings. He also walked 30.

At the state tourney, Fujimoto turned into a living, breathing pitching hero—emphasis on breathe. He applied a breathing exercise during his time on the mound.

“;Our mental (preparation) coach taught me that,”; he said of Brad Yates. “;I kind of made it routine after every pitch. I get too amped up sometimes. It helped me settle down a bit.”;

Batters managed to hit .061 against Fujimoto in the state tourney, down from the .185 during ILH play.

“;He had trouble throwing strikes early in the season, but he's a bulldog. He doesn't give in,”; Mid-Pacific coach Dunn Muramaru said.

Breland Almadova had superstar numbers just about everywhere. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound 'Iolani senior hit .461, belted nine homers, amassed 34 RBIs and scored 33 runs to earn Star-Bulletin Position Player of the Year honors.

The UH-bound speedster had a .921 slugging percentage, adding eight doubles and three triples to his homer total, and also had a .517 on-base percentage. He stole six bases in six attempts, committed just one error in 56 chances in centers field.

Almadova made nine appearances as a pitcher. He was 2-0 with an ILH-high four saves to go with a 0.39 ERA. He struck out 16 and walked three in 18 innings, and opponents hit .172. Just about the only thing to spoil his spectacular season was an upset loss to Moanalua in the state quarterfinals.

A month later, Almadova can only wonder.

“;What would've happened if we played Punahou,”; he asked.

Coach of the Year honors went to Punahou's Eric Kadooka, who guided his team to its sixth HHSAA state championship in a row. Punahou was 7-5 in regular-season play, but earned a state berth in the league's playoff tourney. In addition to Fujimoto's pitching, Kadooka took his staff's advice and moved junior-varsity pitcher Zachery Muenster to the varsity for the state tourney.

The move paid dividends: The freshman went 2-0 with an 0.72 ERA, including the title win over Kailua.