Punahou will try to make history this week by becoming the first team to win four straight Wally Yonamine Foundation/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association baseball championships.

But the youthful, No. 1-seeded Buffanblu (only three seniors) face a challenge from a young field in general that features several strong pitchers and teams with dangerous underdog spirits.

Here is a closer look at all 12 teams (records do not include non-league play):

HILO

COACH: Sid Nozaki

RECORD: 10-3

BERTH: BIIF third place

NOTABLE: The Vikings defeated Kohala for third place after getting no-hit by Kamehameha-Hawai'i in the league tournament semifinals. Royce Ebesu is 3-1 as a pitcher and also plays outfield. Shortstop Cortney Arruda bats leadoff and sophomore second baseman Cade Uyetake bats second and provides solid defense.

KAILUA

COACH: Corey Ishigo

RECORD: 11-2

BERTH: OIA runner-up

NOTABLE: The Surfriders suffered a bad break in the regular-season finale when outfielder/reliever Marcus Mathews injured his shoulder. He had provided strong long relief and was a candidate to be a third starter. Regular starting pitchers Preston Nakata and Kili Vierra are not big strikeout guys but are effective nonetheless. Shortstop and leadoff batter Zach Akamine is a tough out and puts pressure on the defense with speed on the bases.

KAISER

COACH: Peter Ho

RECORD: 9-5

BERTH: OIA fourth place

NOTABLE: The Cougars are very young, with eight new starters, but are fundamentally sound. Only five of the 20 players are seniors. Senior right-hander Toby Inouye established himself as one of the league's best starting pitchers. Ho, a former University of Hawai'i player, is joined on his staff by two other former UH players in Mark Rasmussen and Sean Takamori.

KALANI

COACH: Shannon Hirai

RECORD: 10-4

BERTH: OIA fifth place

NOTABLE: Senior right-hander Micah Takahashi is one of the hardest throwers in the league, touching the high-80 mph range with his fastball. He was injured for much of the season with back problems, but returned with strong relief appearances in the regular season and won both his starts in the OIA tournament. Senior outfielder Ridge Carpenter bats leadoff and is one of the league's top all-around talents.

KAMEHAMEHA-HAWAI'I

COACH: Andy Correa

RECORD: 10-3

BERTH: BIIF runner-up

NOTABLE: Senior outfielder/pitcher Reece Alnas has drawn interest from the Major League Baseball scouting bureau. Senior right-hander Kelii Kimi is coming off a no-hitter against Hilo in the league tournament semifinals. Junior pitcher/shortstop Blake Amaral has a 3-1 record. Junior catcher Kolten Wong has made a verbal commitment to play for the University of Hawai'i in 2009.

KAMEHAMEHA-MAUI

COACHES: Scott Takakura and Brandon Kanamu

RECORD: 10-5

BERTH: MIL runner-up

NOTABLE: The Warriors are making their first state tournament appearance. "The school is excited; it's a big thing," Takakura said. "We got a young team." Only six of the 18 players are seniors. Sophomore left-handers Isaiah Kaneakua and Naea Kalehuawehe and junior right-hander Aaron Asato Jr. "got us to where we are," Takakura said. He added that offensively, "we've been struggling the last couple games at the plate."

KAUA'I

COACH: Hank Ibia

RECORD: 11-1

BERTH: KIF champion

NOTABLE: The Red Raiders had an 18-game win streak (including non-league) until splitting a doubleheader against Waimea, and they had already clinched the KIF title so they played reserves in the game they lost. Kaua'i is extremely young with one senior, four freshmen and eight sophomores, but it won the Baldwin tournament by beating St. Anthony, Lahainaluna, Baldwin and King Kekaulike. The Red Raiders also defeated Wai'anae, Leilehua and Kahuku. "Overall, we have a pretty good team coming over," Ibia said. "I'm pretty confident." Junior left fielder Aaron Soong, sophomore center fielder Rysan Sakamoto and junior first baseman Schyler Arakaki were three of the most productive hitters in the league. Junior left-hander David Buster has a 6-0 record.

MILILANI

COACH: Dean Sato

RECORD: 10-3

BERTH: OIA third place

NOTABLE: The Trojans have two hard-throwing right-handers in Dustin Antolin and Richie Mariano, both of whom touch the 80-mph-plus range with fastballs. Mariano also is the starting catcher when he doesn't pitch. Mililani has the potential to score runs in bunches, as shown in its 12-11 league semifinal loss to Kailua. In that game, the Trojans bounced back from a 3-0 deficit to lead 4-3, then cut a 12-4 deficit in half with a four-run inning, then closed it to 12-11 with a three-run sixth.

PUNAHOU

COACH: Eric Kadooka

RECORD: 14-1

BERTH: ILH champion (No. 1 seed)

NOTABLE: The Buffanblu are young (only one senior starter and three seniors total) but have a lot of big-stage experience, as many of the players have competed in youth world series events on the Mainland in addition to the past two state tournaments. They also are physically big, with 6-foot-3 shortstop Josh Bninski, 6-1 center fielder/leadoff batter Matt Suiter and 6-2 catcher Zach Kometani. Starting pitchers Jeeter Ishida and Paul Snieder also are strong hitters and solid fielders when not pitching.

PEARL CITY

COACH: Mel Seki

RECORD: 11-3

BERTH: OIA champion (No. 2 seed)

NOTABLE: The Chargers made an impressive run through the league tournament after finishing third in the Western Division. They scored six runs each against two of the league's top pitchers, then notched 12 runs and 15 hits in a semifinal victory over Kaiser and 11 runs (in five innings) and 10 hits against Kailua in the final. Senior center fielder and leadoff batter Rorry Nakayama uses his speed well. He stole five bases in the past two games, and also is an outstanding fielder. Pearl City has strong hitters throughout the lineup, but the middle of the order (Ryno Acosta, Bryson Nakamura, Kellen Ushijima, Jeff Domingo and Carlton Tanabe) is particularly dangerous. Nakamura also is an effective pitcher who won two complete games in the playoffs.

ST. ANTHONY

COACH: Shane Dudoit

RECORD: 10-3

BERTH: MIL champion (No. 4 seed)

NOTABLE: The Trojans are making their first state tourney appearance since 1991, and they are doing it without any seniors. "They have fun," Dudoit said. "We're not the most talented team ... (but) they worked well together and the ball bounced our way." Pitcher/outfielder Michael Jahns and catcher Aaron Uehara are the only juniors who start. No. 2 pitcher/right fielder Patrick Wilhelm-Ioane is a sophomore.

WAIAKEA

COACH: Gordon Mau

RECORD: 12-1

BERTH: BIIF champion (No. 3 seed)

NOTABLE: The Warriors' only loss came to Kamehameha-Hawai'i in the regular season. They are yet another young team, with only five seniors on a 21-man roster. "I'm elated," Mau said. "They've performed over and beyond what was expected of them." Pitcher/center fielder Michael Inaba has a 5-0 record. He and pitcher Jensen Sato and catcher Rory Inouye are the only returning starters. Third baseman and No. 3 batter Kevin Sagawa is out for the season with a knee injury.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com and Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.