Contingency plans in place for HHSAA diamond sports

Due to inclement weather across Oahu, the HHSAA postponed both its softball and baseball tournaments, the final two HHSAA state tournaments in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Both sports are in the semifinal phase of the their respective Division I and II tournaments and were previously scheduled to conclude on Friday.

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In softball, both the Division I and II Tournament semifinals will take place at Moanalua and Pearl City on Friday, which both feature all-turf fields. Each school will host a 10 a.m. game and 2 p.m. semifinal contest. The Division II semifinals will begin at 10 a.m., while the D-I semifinals take place at 2.

The hope is for the Division II championship to take place at 4:30 p.m. on Friday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, with the D-I championship to follow at 7.

The Division I and II baseball semifinals only will take place on Friday. Once the Division I and Division II finals are set, the HHSAA will determine the best course of action for each matchup.

There’s a possibility the Division I baseball finals is an all-Maui matchup with Baldwin and Maui on opposite sides of the bracket. In that case, the state would consider moving the finals to Iron Maehara Stadium in Wailuku. However, Maui has its graduation on Sunday, while Baldwin has its graduation on Monday, which could also alter the schedule.

In 2013, the HHSAA Division I tournament was held on Maui, although the championship game between Mid-Pacific and Mililani was moved to Oahu’s Les Murakami Stadium and played on a Tuesday due to inclement weather in Maui.

The 2024 HHSAA Division II semifinals features an all-Oahu matchup between Damien and Waianae on one side of the bracket and Kauai and Kamehameha-Hawaii on the other. Depending on how the logistics align, the finals could be moved to Kauai.

The delay in the 2024 HHSAA baseball tournament could prove to be beneficial for pitching staffs on certain teams, as pitch count rules limit the workload of hurlers on teams. However, with the delay, multiple arms could be able to return later on, depending on when they first pitched.

All consolation games for both HHSAA baseball and softball tournaments in 2024 were previously canceled on Tuesday.