Hawaii All-State Baseball Team: A season of perfection

It was a year of perfection within imperfection.

Of clutch genes in large moments. Of what coulda-been, and what happens when a pitcher of perfection meets a team of destiny.

Coaches and media voted Saint Louis shortstop Bruin Agbayani to top honors as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Baseball Position Player of the Year. They also selected Mililani’s Kai Hirayama as Pitcher of the Year.

Agbayani outpointed ‘Iolani outfielder Chase Thompson in the voting.

“It’s definitely a blessing,” Agbayani said of the honors. “The hard work that paid off, working with my dad day in and day out. It was fun winning a state championship with my dad. The brotherhood means a lot to everyone.”

The left-handed hitting senior batted .365 with an on-base percentage of .512 (19 walks) and a whopping .714 slugging percentage. Agbayani clouted three home runs, had 15 RBIs and scored 22 runs. He also stole 17 bases.

He was clutch at the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA State Championships at Iron Maehara Stadium in Wailuku: .571 batting average (8-for-14), three RBIs, five runs scored, a homer, two triples, a double, four steals and two walks (.625 OBP).

His hitting tools include the 2025 edition of DeMarini’s The Goods, at 33.5 inches and 30 ounces.

“The silver one in 2024 is different, more barrel heavy. The ’25, I have more control. It’s definitely my favorite bat,” he said.

Agbayani played at ‘Iolani in his first two seasons, transferred to Mililani, then Page High School in North Carolina as a junior. Ranked No. 45 nationally by Perfect Game, he signed a letter of intent with Michigan. Through all the changes, the grind was consistent.

“I’m always working on defense. If you can play shortstop, you can play anywhere,” he said. “All those tools you need to play shortstop, you have to work at it. You have to understand angles.”

He spent June on the road. First was the MLB combine in Arizona, followed by the MLB draft league in Maryland.

Hirayama edged three Kamehameha pitchers — two-way standout Greyson Osbun, Elai Iwanaga and Kai Kaneshiro — for top honors. He battled through injuries for most of his high school career, but was finally healthy in ’25.

His command of four pitches stymied hitters. He went 5-1 with a 0.96 ERA in 43-plus innings, permitting just 16 hits. He struck out 67 and walked a paltry five opposing hitters.

When he wasn’t pitching, Hirayama played center field and battled .343 with six RBIs and seven runs scored.

His senior highlight was a perfect-game win with 10 strikeouts against Kailua in the OIA semifinal round. It also came with a tweak, literally. After the final out, he and shortstop Malosi Mata‘afa-Alferos leaped high for a celebratory chest bum. Hirayama landed awkwardly and injured his back.

The senior pitched through the injury at the state championships, but Mililani lost to eventual champion Saint Louis in the quarterfinal round, 5-3.

“For sure, I wasn’t 100%. I was getting worked on, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse,” Hirayama said. “I was ready to give what I had. There’s no way I wasn’t going to pitch.

“The big thing for me growing up is work ethic. My trainers helped me stay healthy. Wherever and whenever my team needs me, that was my goal for this year.”

Hirayama will play at Jessup (Calif.) next season.

Benny Agbayani guided Saint Louis to the state crown and was voted Coach of the Year. Skyler Tengan, who led Damien to the D-II state championship, was runner-up with several more coaches in close proximity. That group includes Shane Dudoit of Kamehameha-Maui, Duke Sardinha of Kapaa, Chris Honda of Waiakea, Reyn Sugai of Pac-Five, Daryl Kitagawa of Kamehameha and Mark Hirayama of Mililani.

The father-and-son combo winning a state title, as well as coach and position player of the year honors, is a rarity.

“It’s so special because I did it at my alma mater. I was blessed and got to do it with my son. Not too many people get that opportunity to coach their son,” Benny Agbayani said.