Before he became coach at the University of Hawai'i, Les Murakami made his mark in Hawai'i AJA baseball.

The longtime icon of Hawai'i baseball will throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the 74th annual Hawai'i State AJA Baseball tournament tomorrow at the University of Hawai'i baseball stadium that bears his name.

Murakami, as well as longtime AJA board members Ken Takata and Walter Ifuku, will be honored between tomorrow's 10 a.m. game between the Big Island and Maui and the 1 p.m. game between O'ahu and Kaua'i, according to a league press release.

Takata and Ifuku have 68 years of combined service to the league. Murakami had long been associated with the Sheridan franchise as its coach.

The tournament resumes Sunday with the losers of tomorrow's games playing at 10 a.m. and the winners playing at 1 p.m. for the championship.

Maui is the defending champion. It beat O'ahu, 9-8, in 13 innings last year at Iron Maehara Stadium in Wailuku. Before Maui's title, O'ahu had won 15 consecutive state titles.

The American of Japanese Ancestry tournament has been held since 1930, except from 1942 to 1947.