One hurler was virtually unhittable all season long. Another happened to be a valuable outfielder, hitter and catcher while racking up wins on the mound for a state championship team.

Coaches and media selected Waiakea senior Kodi Medeiros as the Star-Advertiser All-State pitcher of the year, and picked Saint Louis senior Jordan Yamamoto as position player of the year.

It was a fitting honor for each standout. Medeiros stymied batters with his left-handed delivery and mastery on the mound. His fastball popped at 90 mph, but his breaking ball made him a nightmare for opposing hitters. He went 7-1 with a 0.97 ERA. In 43 innings, he permitted just 14 hits while striking out 83 with a mere 15 walks. When he wasn’t pitching, Medeiros was crafty with the stick, hitting .496 with 13 RBIs. He had an on-base percentage of .543 and a slugging percentage of .784. That kind of talent is the reason he was an All-State first-team outfielder last year, when arm trouble kept his pitching to a minimum.

"He has major league velocity and that cutter or slider he throws is a tough pitch to recognize," Saint Louis coach George Gusman said. "Not seeing anybody of that caliber, it was tough. We have a lot of crafty pitchers in our league, guys with great velocity and control, but nothing like what we saw in him. To be honest with you, I’ve coached a long time and I haven’t seen anybody like him. The combination of being lefty with that breaking ball is just very, very tough. It was very difficult to have success against him."

Yamamoto was the star hurler of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, but his versatility, speed and defense were highly valued assets. He hit .324 with 10 runs and nine RBIs with an OBP of .410. He was 8-2 on the mound with a 1.79 ERA, striking out 70 in 62 innings with just 23 walks. He surrendered 46 hits.

Being a solid outfielder and stellar catcher when needed made Yamamoto extremely useful.

"Jordan, you don’t find players like him every year," Gusman said. "He’s a once-in-a-generation guy if you’re lucky. The skill level. The baseball knowledge, the ability to play multiple positions, to throw the ball 90 mph plus."

Gusman long worked at making defense and pitching the cornerstones of the Crusaders program. Yamamoto offered something rarely seen.

"His slider is a combination between slider and fastball. That’s what separates him from all the rest of the pitchers in the state," Gusman said. "His poise is another thing. He’s aware of things and he remembers things."

The position POY voting was tight, with contenders in Saint Louis shortstop Rayson Romero, Campbell’s Dorrien Villanueva-Hermosura, Waipahu’s Dylan Sugimoto and even clutch-hitting Saint Louis first baseman Jordan Mopas, who was second in the voting for first-team first baseman behind Villanueva-Hermosura.

Gusman led the way in coach of the year voting. At 63, the former longtime Kamehameha assistant has truly found his niche as head coach of his alma mater. And he keeps delving for new approaches.

"The mental side of the game was part of our emphasis this year. Every day before practice we talked about that for a few minutes. I know that’s something that Mid-Pacific does. You have to be able to expand your coaching," Gusman said.

"It’s tough. I don’t know how guys like Dunn (Muramaru of MPI) have done this for such a long time. I have much appreciation for coaches who have done this a long time. It’s no longer just a baseball season. It’s strength and conditioning, the offseason. It’s lots and lots of stuff. Fall baseball, summer baseball."

Top COY vote-getters include Ryan Kato of Aiea, Mark Hirayama of Mililani, Randy Yamashiro of Maryknoll, Rory Pico of Campbell and Corey Ishigo of Kailua.

In an era of BBCOR bats and a deep wealth of pitching talent — Campbell’s fireballing junior, Ian Kahaloa, joined Medeiros and Sugimoto as a first-team pitcher — finding standout defensive talent wasn’t entirely tough. Finding defensive aces who could produce big offensively was harder. A defensive whiz, Romero, edged a mega-talented corps of shortstops. The senior hit .333 with 17 RBIs and 13 runs scored with an OBP of .423 while anchoring Saint Louis’ steely infield.

FIRST TEAM

SECOND TEAM

THIRD TEAM

HONORABLE MENTION

PITCHERS
Noah Apolo, Baldwin
Ryley Widell, King Kekaulike
Chay Toson, KS-Hawaii
Kobi Candaroma, KS-Hawaii

CATCHERS
K.J. Harrison, Punahou
Makana Victorine, Baldwin
Jacob Tiu, Maui
Evyn Yamaguchi, Konawaena
Noah Shackles, Mid-Pacific
Sean Sonognini, Mililani
Dalton Kalama, Kailua
Hunter Yara, Aiea
Patrick Villanueva, Waipahu
Ethan Rosehill, Kamehameha

FIRST BASEMEN
Josh Nobriga, Baldwin
Chazz Ishikawa, Maui
Jalen Carvalho, Hilo
Noah Auld, Kailua
Ryan Kiyotoki, Mid-Pacific
Makana Arakaki, Kamehameha
Ty Desa, Mililani

SECOND BASEMEN
Jordan Hirae, KS-Hawaii
Lane Kashiwamura, Baldwin
Brendan Odo, Kailua
Sean Romo, Kalani
Tanner Atiburcio, Saint Louis
Nick Matsuoka, Roosevelt
Jake Mendoza, Campbell

THIRD BASEMEN
Brendan Uchima, Saint Louis
Ryan Sato, ‘Iolani
Liwai Manoa, Aiea

OUTFIELDERS
Cameron Igarashi, Mid-Pacific
Peter Kanoho, Kailua
Callen Beeson, Maui
Isaiah Banasan, Hilo
Matt Chun, KS-Hawaii
Alika Young, KS-Hawaii
Dewayne Sprinkle, Campbell
Max Look, ‘Iolani
James de Jesus, Kamehameha
Blayze Arcano, Campbell
Jedd Andrade, Maryknoll

SHORTSTOPS
Isaiah Maddela, Baldwin
Caleb Freitas-Fields, Hilo
Micah Kaaukai, Hilo
Koa Ellis, Hawaii Prep
Michael Austin, Kaiser
Jobe Ibana, Campbell
Casey Isa, Moanalua
Justice Nakagawa, Mililani

UTILITY
Zane Gray, Konawaena
Joseph Byers, Kailua
Keola Himan, Campbell
Josh Muneno, Maryknoll