The Lady Lunas include (from left): front — Shaelia Pascua and Kimberlyn Pepa; second row — Briann Keohuloa, Chey-Lea Akina, Leimamo Arruda and Kaila Vasquez-Momoa; third row — Deisha Dagdag, Keani Pagan, Tamiya Duldulao-Kahaialii, Seraya Casco, Alana Koa, Nohili Hong, Lily Kamaunu, Ocean Makekau, Ka’aina Kalanikau and Taylor Ganer. Brogan Mitchell is not pictured.

LAHAINA – For over a decade now, Lahainaluna High School softball head coach Lei Nakamura has continued the sterling tradition of championship teams set down by predecessors Alan Agawa and Earle Kukahiko.

After a Maui Interscholastic League title last year, the Lady Lunas are on track to another championship season as they approach the midpoint of the 2019 campaign. Coach Lei, assisted by Lithe Pokipala Waiohu, Shan Tsutsui, Joe Keanini and Flint Nakamura, reported that the experience and dedicated spirit of the seniors on the roster has resulted in a fast start this year.

“We have a group of four-year seniors that represent our team philosophy of respect, accountability and dedication,” she said last week from the state- of-the-art softball facility on the lower slope of the historic campus. “They understand our insistence on being a good person to yourself first, and then it’s easier to interact with others.”

That senior leadership group is made up of Nohili Hong, Ka’aina Kalanikau, Seraya Casco, Deisha Dagdag, Keani Pagan, Ocean Makekau and Tamia Duldulao-Kahaialii.

The remainder of the roster includes juniors Lily Kamaunu, Taylor Ganer and Alana Koa; sophomores Briann Keohuloa, Shaelia Pascua and Kimberlyn Pepa; and first-year players Chey-Lea Akina, Leimamo Arruda, Brogan Mitchell and Kaila Vasquez-Momoa.

“We’re having a great year so far,” Coach Lei continued to say. “We coach the girls to have an aggressive mind-set and to play the game with that spirit. What really helps is the great support of the Lahaina community. We have big crowds for our home games, and I know that a lot of old-timers come out to support us, and we certainly appreciate that. We also send our mahalos out to Athletic Director Scott Soldwisch and Trainers Jon Conrad and Becca Cohen. And, of course, thank you to our coaching staff and to my husband, Flint (Nakamura), for his faithful maintenance work on the field.”

The MIL regular season runs through April 10, with the postseason tournament slated for the following week, April 17-19, at the Maui High softball complex in Kahului.

The Hawaii High School Athletic Association state tournament is scheduled for April 30 to May 3 at Rainbow Wahine Stadium on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus in Honolulu.

Go Lady Lunas!