One team made history for winning its first state championship. The other won a historic 15th national title.

Both included Ikaika Lester.

"That was pretty neat for him," Lewis-Clark State College baseball coach Ed Cheff said of his senior first baseman being a part of multiple championships on different levels.

Lester, a member of the memorable Moloka'i baseball team that won back-to-back state titles, helped Lewis-Clark State College win its second straight Avista NAIA World Series title last week.

Lewis-Clark State (Lewiston, Idaho) defeated Spring Arbor, 9-2, Thursday, to win its 15th championship in 31 years. Grand Canyon, with four, has the second-most NAIA titles.

Lester was named to the all-tournament team as a "fifth," or extra, infielder, after going 7 for 15 with two doubles, two home runs, six RBIs and scoring four runs.

He hit a solo home run to right-center in the top of the eighth to break a 7-7 tie in an 8-7 win over Houston Baptist May 30. He drove in the first five Warrior runs in an 8-1 win over Bellevue May 29.

"I think he matured a lot as a player, physically and mentally, and there was some opportunity," Cheff said. "We needed a middle-of-the-lineup hitter. And give a lot of credit to him, he had great work ethic and a good idea about developing himself as a hitter."

Lester is no stranger to championships. He was an two-time Advertiser All-State first-team selection on Moloka'i teams that won the school's first state championships in any sport in 1999 and 2000.

In the best-of-three Super Regional against host Azusa Pacific, he went 9 of 15 with 10 RBIs and three runs scored. He had two home runs and a double.

Lester played at Skagit Valley after redshirting at Lewis-Clark in 2004. After playing 12 games last year, he played in 31 this season, starting 24.

"He just improved a lot," Cheff said. "He improved his skills as a defensive first baseman, and was pretty committed to the weight room."

Although lower back problems hindered him in the middle of the season, Lester returned to the postseason as the team's No. 4 or No. 5 hitter and "was a big factor on how we played in the regionals and national tournament," Cheff said.

Lester's emergence in the postseason meant opposing teams had to change their strategy. Instead of pitching around NAIA Player of the Year Beau Mills, "it got to the point that people had to pitch to Mills a little bit, they couldn't pitch around him. It changes what your opponent is willing to do. We had been looking for that all year."

Cheff said Lester will be remembered for being "a great teammate. I just think of him as an overall team player. He had a great personality."

Note: Also on the Lewis-Clark roster were sophomore outfielder Bryson Tajiri ('Aiea '04) and senior pitcher Jared Joaquin (Maui '98).

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.