To help focus on the next opponent this season, the 'Iolani School softball team would wear its foe's colors the day before the game.

But the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion Raiders — who are the top seed in the DataHouse Division I State Championships that begin today — will be making no assumptions this week on what to wear.

"We won't know," head coach Lance Watanabe said before yesterday afternoon's practice. "I don't want to guess."

With a wide-open 12-team field, that's probably a wise decision.

First-round play begins today with four games at the University of Hawai'i's Rainbow Wahine Stadium: Hilo vs. Mid-Pacific at 1 p.m., Kamehameha-Maui vs. Kapolei at 3, Castle vs. Sacred Hearts at 5 and Campbell vs. Mililani at 7.

"It's pretty equal," said Roosevelt coach Clay Okamura, whose O'ahu Interscholastic Association champ Rough Riders are seeded No. 2. "Everybody has had their good and bad days."

Both 'Iolani (13-1 in league play) and Roosevelt (14-1) put together enough good days to end long title droughts.

The Rough Riders' OIA championship was their first-ever in softball, after a 32-year wait. The state tournament appearance will be their first since 1999.

"(This week) is like starting all over again, everybody starts clean," Okamura said. "We just have to keep doing what we've been doing, except we cannot strand as many runners."

Roosevelt has been led by the hitting and pitching of Lianna Bajarin and the sparkling defense of shortstop Charisse Tanabe.

'Iolani, which won its first ILH title since 2001, has been led by pitcher Brittany Guro (110 strikeouts in 94 innings), shortstop Jana Tokuhama, left fielder Kryn Masutani and catcher Kelli Ann Lum.

"Brittany's given up only one earned run the whole year, but that's also a credit to our defense," Watanabe said. "We were really fortunate to win 13 games, because about half of them were decided by one run. We've gotten just enough hits to get by."

Tonight's Campbell-Mililani game should be intriguing. Mililani has appeared in the past four title games, but Campbell features junior pitcher Katie Manuma, one of the state's hardest throwers.

"Both of those teams could win this tournament," Watanabe said.