Dirtbags, Royals to play for title

The Upcountry Dirtbags and the Makena Royals will meet in the Maui Adult Baseball League Spring 2022 Championship Series, getting underway at 10:00am this Sunday, June 5, at Eddie Tam Park in Makawao. As the league’s top two finishers during the regular season, each team earned a bye for the first round of the MABL Playoffs. The Royals, who went 11-3 during the regular season en route to the #1 seed, defeated the Lahaina Warriors two games to none in order to advance to their fourth straight Championship appearance. After going 10-4 during the regular season, the Dirtbags staved off a strong Central Rays squad in a back and forth series that went three games, returning to the Championship series for the first time since the Summer 2020 season. That match-up was won by the Royals, 2 games to 1.

The Royals hope to win their third title in four seasons, and their fourth overall. Featuring the league’s top offense (.839 OPS, 136 runs scored) and top pitching staff (3.63 ERA, 1.27 WHIP), Lance Fujii‘s squad includes many of the MABL’s top young players. In his third season, Chazz Ishikawa was one of the league’s most dangerous offensive weapons. Ishikawa led the MABL with a .515 batting average and .636 on-base percentage, to go along with 16 RBIs and 11 stolen bases out of the 2-spot in the Royals’ lineup (both 2nd highest totals this season). Paired with lead-off man, Mitchell Crim (.404/.533/.468 AVG/OBP/SLG, 7 stolen bases, and a league-best 27 runs scored), the defending champs benefit from a dynamic duo setting the table for the rest of the offense. The emergence of Max Nishikawa (.439/.500/.561, 15 RBIs), in his second season, underscores the considerable depth of this lineup. The Royal’s pitching staff is led by Jacob Tiu, also in this third season. The Maui High graduate went 3-1, with a paltry .188 opponent’s average and 0.89 WHIP over 36.0 innings during the regular season. Among his Spring 2022 appearances, was a one-hit shutout of the Dirtbags on January 30, and a 17 strikeout, 10 inning victory over the Lahaina Warriors on April 10.

In contrast to the youth of the Royals, the Dirtbags feature some of the league’s top veteran players. Originating from one of the MABL’s first two teams, the Dirtbags have won five titles since the league began in 2009, most recently during the Summer 2017 season. During the Spring 2022 regular season, the ‘Bags were the league’s second ranked offense (.797 OPS, 130 runs), and finished in the top half of the league in pitching (5.24 ERA, 1.67 WHIP). Lead by 3-time MABL Manager of the Year, Rich Doster, the Dirtbags featured one of the most electrifying players to ever grace an MABL roster for the first 10 games of the season in Peter Reyes. Reyes led the league in ERA (1.85), wins (6), strikeouts (70), opponents’ average (.152), and WHIP (0.85), and hit .414 with 5 extra-base hits and 14 RBIs before leaving the island at the end of March. In his absence, Trevor Caughey (.421/.476/.553 AVG/OBP/SLG, 12 RBI), Joe Smith (.389/.463/.452, league best 17 RBI), and Keoni Luft (.440/.481/.760, 1 HR, 10 RBI) paced an offense that also features two-time MABL MVP Tim Page, all-time hits leader Anthony Benigno, and the active career leader in on-base percentage, Ken Henry.

These two teams split their season series, with the Royals winning 10-0 on January 30, and the Dirtbags pulling off a 5-3 victory in a highly anticipated March 27 match up. Following Game 1 this Sunday, the best-of-three Championship Series will conclude on June 12, with the first pitch of Game 2 scheduled for 10:00am at Eddie Tam Park, and Game 3 (if necessary) immediately afterwards. Catch the action in-person at Eddie Tam Park on Sunday, or tune in to Chip Swinger’s live broadcast on the MABL Instagram account. Scores, stats, and photos from the Championship Series will be available on our website following the games.


The Makena Royals following their Summer 2021 Championship victory.
The Upcoutry Dirtbags’ Spring 2022 team photo.

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