Honokaa baseball leads Big Island honors after perfect state championship season
Honokaa’s 17-0 run ended with a first state title, and six Dragons landed All-Hawaii honors as Josyah Napoleon-Umeda and Waylon Salazar took top Division II awards.
Honokaa baseball’s perfect 17-0 season ended with the program’s first state title, and the Dragons were rewarded with six All-Hawaii honors plus Division II’s top player and coach awards. Josyah Napoleon-Umeda was named Division II Player of the Year, while Waylon Salazar earned Coach of the Year after guiding one of the strongest teams on the Big Island.
The Dragons finished a spotless BIIF and state tournament run on May 9, 2026, when they beat Damien 3-0 at Les Murakami Stadium for the school’s first-ever baseball championship and its first Koa Head Trophy. Honokaa had already secured the BIIF Division II crown on April 29, then rolled through the state bracket with a 9-0 quarterfinal win over Castle and a 5-2 semifinal victory over Kauai. By season’s end, the Dragons had outscored opponents 162-14 and posted 10 shutouts.
Napoleon-Umeda’s individual season matched the team’s rise. In addition to ScoringLive’s Division II Player of the Year honor, he was also named Hawaii’s 2026 MaxPreps Player of the Year, a selection tied to both individual production and team success. Salazar’s recognition came with numbers that explain why Honokaa controlled games so consistently: a 0.42 ERA in 33 2/3 innings, a 7-0 record, 59 strikeouts and 16 walks. ScoringLive also noted that Honokaa won by mercy rule eight times during the season.
The statewide honors give the Big Island a clear snapshot of where its baseball pipeline stands. Honokaa’s six All-Hawaii selections put a school from the north side of Hawaii Island in the center of a statewide conversation about development, depth and coaching, with players from small BIIF programs proving they can reach the top of the state bracket without leaving home. For younger athletes in Honokaa, Hilo and across the island, the Dragons’ season set a concrete target: a local program can build a perfect year, win in Honolulu, and still return home as the standard-bearer for Big Island baseball.
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