Memorial Day weekend is nearly here, which means its time for a busy three days of baseball in Kailua-Kona.
Teams from around the state will converge at Old Kona Airport Park for the 16th annual PONY Baseball Memorial Day Tournament, which will run Saturday through Monday.
Bronco (11-12) and Mustang (9-10) teams will compete in competitive bracket play. The younger Pinto (7-8) squads will play a “goodwill” format, which helps promote healthy competition, rather than worrying about the outcome in what is the first travel-team experience for many of the players.
The home run derby — which has hosted names such as Kolten and Kean Wong — is always a top attraction for the young athletes. The Bronco derby will be held Saturday at 6:30 p.m., while the Mustang and Pinto players will swing away starting at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
West Hawaii had only produced one winner in the 15-year history of the tournament before last year, when Kona Crush doubled that total by winning the Bronco division.
The most crowded division this year is Mustang, with 20 teams battling it out in pool play before entering a playoff bracket. With only one of the four teams from each of the five brackets earning a spot in the playoffs, and the first tie-breaker being fewest runs scored, every run will count in pool play.
Kona Lil Soljahs are a standout team to watch in the 9-10 division. The Lil Soljahs took home the Mustang consolation championship last year, but went on to have a long summer that included the first state title for a West Hawaii PONY team in any age group, and a deep run at the PONY Mustang 9s World Series in Walnut, Calif.
Lil Soljahs head coach Kallen Hiraishi said he will have about half of that team, with the other half playing with Waimea for the Memorial Day tournament. He also will have a few new players who have graduated from Pinto.
“There are a lot of great teams that come to this tournament from around the state, and we expect them to bring their A-game,” Hiraishi said. “These kids are still young, but they work hard and should do great if they show up ready to play.”
Lil Soljahs and Waimea faced off for the regular-season PONY title recently, with the Lil Soljahs pulling away for a hard-fought victory. The win not only granted the Lil Soljahs the title, but also meant Hiraishi will have the opportunity to coach the Kona all-star Mustang squad with hopes of returning to the World Series.
The Kona all-star roster is expected to be announced following the tournament. That Hiraishi-coached squad will face a Hilo all-star team in a best-of-three series at Old Kona Airport Park on June 20-21, with the winner advancing to states, July 3-7 on Maui.
“This tournament is always a good tune-up for the long summer,” Hiraishi said.
