Hawai'i's two reigning state softball champions will be back on the big stage at Rainbow Wahine Stadium tonight, starting their quest to win another title.

But only one of them will advance to tomorrow's quarterfinals.

That's because defending Division I champ Mililani (12-3) faces 2005 Division II champ St. Francis (12-2) in tonight's DI first-round feature game at 8.

"It's kind of sad that at the end of the night somebody will be out, because these are two very good teams," St. Francis coach Mark Glushenko said.

The championship-type atmosphere and level of play should be great for the fans, however, and one in particular will be watching both teams with greater interest than most. Mike Okimoto, who was Mililani's head coach from 1995 to 2005 and guided the Trojans to five O'ahu Interscholastic Association titles in addition to last year' state crown, has been helping St. Francis as a part-time volunteer this season.

Glushenko said Okimoto has been a big asset but has not leaked any inside information to him regarding his former Mililani players.

"He's not doing that," Glushenko said. "But he has been helping us more and more, and the softball knowledge he gives the girls and coaches is great. If you want to learn the game more, there's nobody better than him."

St. Francis will need every bit of help against the Trojans, six of whom started in last year's championship game. That includes sophomore Makani Duhaylonsod, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after pitching a total of 26 innings with three complete games.

Mililani coach Rose Antonio rested Duhaylonsod during the OIA's third-place game Saturday, but plans to go to her ace tonight and throughout the championship rounds if the Trojans continue to win.

"We've been going with her all year, so that's what we're going to do," Antonio said.

Mililani lost that third-place game to Pearl City, 9-5, but Antonio said she does not think it was a costly defeat despite the eventual pairing with St. Francis, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu runner-up. The Trojans have had tough first-round matchups in the past, including perennial power Baldwin in 2004.

"It's no shock; we always seem to get into that situation," said Antonio, who was Okimoto's top assistant for several years. "We had to change our lineup (in the third-place game) because of some injuries, but our players didn't let the loss bother them. Their spirits are up. The (state tournament) first-round game is always huge."

Tonight's may be the biggest game in St. Francis' young history. For several years, the Troubadour players had to join with players from Hawai'i Baptist and St. Andrew's Priory to form a team. Last year's Division II state championship was their first state title in any team sport.

"Division I is a different story, but we have seven starters back from last year so at least we have that under our belt," Glushenko said. "The atmosphere will not be a total shock."

St. Francis' only losses in the regular season came to ILH champion Kamehameha, the No. 1 seed in this week's tournament. In the second loss two weeks ago, the Troubadours had a chance to score the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning, but had a runner thrown out at the plate in a close play.

In the 10th, the potential winning run was nullified when the runner was sent back to third after an automatic double.

The Warriors ended up winning the game on a grand slam in the 12th inning.

"Those two things didn't fall our way, and if they went our way then maybe we would be ILH champs and the No. 1 seed," Glushenko said. "But what we got from that game was it gave our girls confidence. The first time we played Kamehameha, we got licked pretty bad (8-0), but it was kind of a wake-up call for us and it turned our season around. The girls started working harder and got better.

"The second time, we lost again, but it showed our girls that they can play with anybody."

St. Francis' success immediately after making the jump to Division I is even more remarkable considering two seniors who were expected to be the Troubadours' top returnees transferred in the fall. Pitcher/shortstop Anita Manuma and infielder Sydney Kaneshiro have helped Campbell and Kailua, respectively, to DI state tournament berths.

"It was a little bit of a shock to lose Anita and Sydney, but I knew the other girls would still do well," Glushenko said. "But they actually are doing better than I thought. The other girls had to step up, and they progressed quicker than expected."

Junior pitcher Brittney Akana has been a workhorse starter, and junior first baseman Shannon Lum helped win two games against Iolani with clutch extra-base hits in the seventh inning.

But just as St. Francis was a play or two away from being ILH champs, Glushenko knows the same could be said for Mililani in the OIA.

"In my opinion, I thought they would be No. 1, but they had some bad luck and things didn't pan out," Glushenko said. "They're still one of the best teams in the state."

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.