After a season of jockeying not just for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu baseball championship but also for the lone state tournament berth that went with it, Interscholastic League of Honolulu teams begin league play today with not one or two, but THREE state berths up for grabs.

But with the unusual number of standout returnees on almost every team, that won't make getting to the state tournament much easier than it was last year.

"This year in the ILH, everybody is going to knock off everybody," said Damien coach Terry Derby. "There's talent on every team."

The talent, of course, starts with four-time defending state champion Punahou. The Buffanblu lost only one senior starter from last year's team that went 17-1 in the regular and postseason.

Back for Punahou, which opens league play against Pac-Five today at 3:45 p.m. at Ala Wai Field, are starting pitcher and reigning Advertiser State Player of the Year Jeeter Ishida and five other Advertiser All-State first-team selections: second baseman Reece Kiriu, shortstop Josh Bninski, outfielder Matt Suiter, catcher Zach Kometani and designated hitter/pitcher Paul Snieder.

"Until somebody can knock them off, they're the team to beat," Kamehameha coach Vern Ramie said.

The Buffanblu, ranked No. 50 in the Baseball America/National High School Coaches Association preseason poll, went 13-4-1 in nonleague play, including a 3-2-1 record against some of the top teams from the Houston area on a recent trip to Texas.

Punahou coach Eric Kadooka called it "an eye-opening experience to big-time high school baseball."

Their other two losses came to Mililani and its ace, Dustin Antolin, in the season opener and to Kailua, 11-10, in the championship game of the inaugural Honolulu Container Storage Baseball Classic.

Mid-Pacific also returns most of its starting lineup, including All-State first-team catcher Aaron Fujiki.

Returnees Matthew McDaniel and Dane Kinoshita lead an experienced pitching staff, and junior Mike Arakaki fills one of the few voids at third base.

The Owls were an impressive 17-1 in nonleague play, with the only loss coming to defending O'ahu Interscholastic Association champion Pearl City.

"We still haven't faced the top pitchers, so you can take it for what it's worth," MPI coach Dunn Muramaru said. "This (ILH season) is gonna be rough because you play somebody good every day. You have to have depth and you have to be able to hit the ball and score runs."

'Iolani, the 2007 league runner-up, also returns several key players but many of them played basketball and recently rejoined the team.

The Raiders went 7-9 in nonleague play, with a tough schedule that included games against Mililani, Castle, Pearl City, Mid-Pacific, Kailua, Roosevelt, Kaua'i and Waiakea (twice).

"We haven't been sharp, we're still figuring things out," 'Iolani coach Dean Yonamine said.

Starting pitchers Sheldon Lee and Jarret Arakawa, shortstop Kela Marciel and third baseman Lionel Fujioka all played on the Raiders' basketball team that ended its season in the state tournament just 11 days ago.

Also, returning pitcher J.R. Bunda suffered a shoulder injury during football season and did not play until this past Saturday.

'Iolani also returns one of the state's top sluggers in junior first baseman Reyn Nagamine, a two-time Advertiser All-State first-team selection, and pitcher Kelsey Outram, an all-ILH first-team pick. Fujioka was an all-ILH first-team outfielder last season.

Kamehameha went 14-5-2 in nonleague play with a young squad that includes just four seniors, two of them projected starters. Three of the five losses were to Punahou, Mililani and Mid-Pacific.

"We've played some great games, and some lousy ones, too," Ramie said. "But that's what happens with so many young guys. The majority of the new guys are up from the JV, so a lot of it is not knowing how they're going to react at this level. It's a young squad, but they're talented."

The Warriors return two veteran pitchers in Chris Pascual and Alika Pruett, and shortstop Pi'ikea Kitamura and second baseman Kapena Kalehuawehe-Gomes swapped middle infield positions from last year.

With already limited on-campus field space further crunched by the switch of softball to the spring season, Kamehameha has had little time for full practices.

"That's why we tried to play as many (nonleague) games as we could, just to get these guys on the field," Ramie said. "But we still had some games rained out."

Saint Louis, with 15 returnees, appears to be a dark horse contender. The Crusaders went 9-4 in nonleague play, with losses to Mililani, 'Iolani, Kailua and Kaua'i.

"We have a bunch of three-year starters who are now seniors, so that's the main thing," Saint Louis coach Duane Fraticelli said. "We have a lot of experience and we're deep at every position."

The returnees include 2007 ILH second-team all-stars Cole Shidaki (first base) and Danny Higa (shortstop), as well as right-fielder/second baseman/pitcher Kyle Gonzaga, closer Tamatoa DeMello and designated hitter Marcus Kimura.

Other key returnees are catchers Keoni Haina and Moses Samia, and pitchers Josh Saia and Kamakani Usui.

Derby was pleased with Damien's nonleague play, during which he tried to substitute to give more players experience.

The Monarchs will be led by catcher Darby Ventura, shortstop/pitcher Travis Derby, shortstop/pitcher/third baseman DJ Andrade and center fielder Michael Memea, who hit the game-winning home run in the 2005 Little League World Series.

"We're going to have to rely on team play, because we don't have a lot of depth," Derby said. "But I've been happy with the whole lineup, one through nine. Everybody's working hard."

Pac-Five's nonleague journey was an "up-and-down experience," coach Todd Koishigawa said.

"We should hit and play defense, but the biggest thing is we have a lot of young ones on this team," Koishigawa said.

The Wolfpack does have some veterans in outfielders Kama Moises and Jon Ray Rodrigues — both of whom were all-ILH second-team selections last year — and second baseman Ian Padaken, center fielder Ross Yamato, first baseman Travis Ogami and shortstop Tyler Moon.

Maryknoll returns to varsity play after a two-year hiatus, but will be classified as a Division II program. The Spartans will be the league's representative in the inaugural DII state tournament in May.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.