Playoffs begin May 19

With a victory over the Central Rays on May 14, the Makena Royals clinched the final playoff spot for the Spring 2019 season. The playoffs will begin on May 19 with the single elimination first round taking place at Iron Maehara Stadium. The Lahaina Warriors (3rd seed, 8-5) will host the Royals (6th seed, 5-8) at 10am, followed by the Rays (4th seed, 8-6) and the Upcountry Dirtbags (5th seed, 6-8) at 1:15pm. The West Maui Brewers (1st seed, 12-1) and the La Perouse Pirates (2nd seed, 10-3) await the winners, who will advance to play in the best-of-three game second round beginning on June 2.

Since 2016, the 3rd seed has won 5 of 6 first round matchups, with the lone upset occurring when the Rays defeated the Royals during the Spring 2018 playoffs. Over that span, the 5th seed has beaten the 4th seed 5 out of 6 times, with the Dirtbags going a perfect 4-0 as the 5th seed.

The Warriors, who snapped a 4 season playoff drought, made the biggest improvement in regular season victories by winning 8 games after four straight 4 win seasons.

Ranked in terms of runs scored and team OPS, the Rays featured the league’s top offense this season, followed by the Pirates, Warriors, Brewers, Dirtbags, and Royals in order. In terms of team ERA, WHIP, and Ks, the Pirates pitched better than anyone else, with the Brewers, Warriors, Rays, Dirtbags, and Royals following them. In terms of errors and unearned runs, team defensive rankings match those for pitching. In games decided by 2 runs or less, the Brewers led the way (4-1), followed by the Royals (3-1), Pirates and Warriors (2-2), Dirtbags (1-2), and Rays (1-3).

To find out how these numbers will translate on the field during the playoffs, be sure to follow all the games and check back here for results the following week. Don’t forget to come out to Maehara Stadium on Sunday, May 19 to show your support for the Maui Adult Baseball League and watch your favorite players compete for the chance to be crowned MABL Champion for the Spring 2019 season.