The Hawaii STATE AJA Baseball Association CHAMPIONSHIP Tournament RESUMES in 2022 after a two year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic.
2022 State Tournament Preview
The 2022 (85th Annual) Hawaii State AJA Baseball Association Championship Tournament will be held April 2 3, 2022 at Maui’s Ichiro “Iron” Maehara Stadium, hosted by the Maui AJA Baseball League. The Oahu AJA Baseball League, returns as defending State Champion and hopes to earn its 6th consecutive Championship, will open Tournament play on Saturday (4/2/22) at 10am vs Maui. Kauai AJA Baseball League & Hilo Memorial AJA Baseball League will play at 1:30pm with Opening Ceremonies to occur between games. On Sunday (4/3/22), the Consolation Championship game will be played at 9am with the Championship game scheduled for 11:30am.
Formed in 1930 for the purpose of unifying the AJA Baseball leagues throughout Hawaii and to determine a State Champion, the Hawaii State AJA Baseball Association continues to crown a State Champion every year since 1930 till the present, except for five years (1942-47) during World War II and for two years (2020-2021) during the COVID pandemic.
AJA Baseball in Hawaii began its 118th year of play in December 2021 with AJA baseball leagues from the islands of Hawaii (the Big Island), Maui, Oahu and Kauai crowning its own island’s 2021-22 regular season champion and then competing in the 85th Annual Hawaii State AJA Baseball Championship Tournament. Hawaii AJA baseball played its 116th year in 2019-20 before COVID stopped play in all island leagues. For the 2020-21 season, AJA baseball in Hawaii continued its 117th year of play with only Kauai playing their season. Hawaii, Maui & Oahu cancelled their seasons due to COVID. The State AJA Tournament rotates among the four islands with the Maui AJA Baseball League hosting in 2022 and welcoming its neighbor island competitors. Oahu will host next year, Kauai the following year, then Hilo the year after & circling back to Maui the year after.
The Kauai AJA Baseball League will be represented by the League Champion Makaweli Indians beating out the Hanapepe Rivermen, Kalaheo Farmers, Lihue Townies & Kapaa Homesteaders.
The 8 team Oahu AJA Baseball League, returning to defend it State Championship, will be represented by Waialae who beat out Waipahu, Waialae, Pearl City, Kaneohe, Ewa, Manoa, Sheridan and McCully. Waialae won its 2nd consecutive title and 6th since 2008. Oahu will be hosting the 2023 State AJA Tournament.
The Maui AJA Baseball League will be represented by Wailuku, who beat out Asahi, Daimyo, Happy Hour and Maui A’s.
The Hawaii AJA Memorial Baseball League will be represented by the Waiakea Pirates, who beat the Keaukaha Warriors, & 2 new teams, the Wreckers Black & Wreckers Gold.
Each island’s league is run entirely by volunteers dedicated to perpetuate the century old AJA baseball legacy passed on to them by men before them. This “giri” for those volunteers and those that will follow and of the AJA ballplayers who play now, in the future and the past, makes this league different from any league.