The Kapolei Charter Iwa will make their varsity athletics debut with softball this spring season. Spencer Honda | SL

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_20021640_SKH_7959.jpg - Spencer Honda | SL

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The Oahu Interscholastic Association just got a bit larger.

Kapolei Charter School by Goodwill Hawaii will make a daring entrance into interscholastic sports by playing in the highly regarded OIA Division I West, which has won the past 10 league titles and six of the previous 10 state crowns.

"As long was we do our part, pitch strikes, hit a little bit, we should be all right," coach Garrick Asato said.

The school's mascot is Iwa, a frigate bird.

The school opened three years ago and compete only in softball. The Iwa will play all of their games away. They practice at Kapolei Recreation Center field.

Iwa finished 2-2 in last week's Maryknoll tournament and are competing in Mililani's tournament this week with wins already over Castle, Leilehua and Kamehameha-Hawaii.

The school made its athletics debut in JV softball in the fall, finishing third with a 9-3 record.

The varsity will have 15 players whose experience comes from four different club teams. The players' grade range is from freshmen to juniors as 2021 will be the school's first graduating class.

Among players with varsity experience are outfielder/shortstop Daelyn Stephens, who played for Waianae as a freshman and batted .333 with two homers and 14 RBIs, as well as pitcher/outfielder/shortstop Shaycelen Akiona, who played at Kapolei as a sophomore. She hit .267.

Aiea, which was 0-12 last season, moves to Division II to make room for Kapolei Charter.