HONOLULU - Hawai`i opens the 2007 season with the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic, Feb. 8-11. The Rainbow Wahine take on Portland State and No.15 Nebraska in an opening day double header starting at 4:00 p.m. at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. DePaul and No.24 Auburn round out the field in what should be a hard fought battle for the tournament title.

Head coach Bob Coolen enters his 16th year at the helm after leading the youngest team in program history to a 32-22 mark in 2006. In conference play, the squad went 10-7 good for a third place finish. But UH ended its season by making some noise in the WAC Championship tournament. It started with a perfect game against Louisiana Tech thrown by Justine Smethurst. Then two dramatic comeback victories over the No.2 seed San Jose State and the No.1 seed, host No.23 Fresno State. In the finals, UH took the first game, with Smethurst shutting down the Wolf Pack for a 1-0 two-hitter. But then the Rainbow Wahine could not regroup after some key injuries and dropped the last two games. Nevada got the WAC's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament with the wins.

The 2006 season was marked with some highs and lows. But through the adversity, the team learned how to win together as a cohesive unit. Coming so close to going to the NCAA tournament has inspired and motivated this year's team to achieve greater things.

WAC Forecasts
The Western Athletic Conference announced its softball preseason polls on Jan. 30 with Hawai`i voted second in the coaches' poll. The Rainbow Wahine finished third in the regular season with a 10-7 record and second in the WAC Championship tournament. Senior first baseman/designate player Tyleen Tausaga was picked WAC Player of the Year and Kaulana Gould, Kate Robinson, and Smethurst all made the pre-season all-WAC squad. Gould was chosen as an outfielder, Robinson got the vote as a utility player, and Smethurst was the at-large choice.

Key Hawai`i Players
Pitcher Smethurst returns for her sophomore season after a record breaking freshman campaign. She threw three solo perfect games, Longwood (3/16), Utah State (5/5), and Louisiana Tech (5/11). A fourth perfect game was in combination with junior Jessica Morton who closed the game at Grambling State (3/27). Smethusrt finished the season with a 1.89 ERA and a record of 16-12. She fired 19 complete games, including six shut outs in 170.2 innings. She led the Rainbow Wahine in almost every category including strike outs (157) while holding opponents to a .186 batting average. The sophomore from Melbourne, Australia was chosen the the first team All-WAC as an at-large player in 2006 and again in the 2007 pre-season poll.

Junior leftfielder Brandi Peiler made an immediate impact in her first season at UH. The transfer from Hawaii Pacific finished with a .329 average with three doubles, nine home runs, and 32 RBI. She earned NFCA All-West Region honors for her efforts, becoming one of the few players to be on the All-Region team both in Division II and Division I. Peiler was also named WAC Player of the Week (4/3) when she went 7-8 for a .875 batting average in four games against Grambling State and San Jose State. She also earned a spot on the WAC's All-tournament team.

Senior Tausaga became only the ninth Rainbow Wahine to earn Easton All-America status when she was voted to the third team. The three-time all-conference player is a threat at the plate, but may see only limited action during the early part of the year. Tausaga had team-highs in several offensive categories including batting average (.373), hits (59), doubles (12), home runs (10), RBI (34), slugging percentage (.639), on-base percentage (.435), and total bases (101).

Junior Kaulana Gould is a two-time All-WAC first-team outfielder. But with the departure of last year's catcher, Kristi Yoshizawa, Gould will now shoulder the responsibility of taking the reins behind the plate. Although she started slow last season, Gould once again caught fire during conference play. She finished the season with a .273 average with six doubles a home run, 17 RBI and 21 runs scored.

UH And Season Openers:
UH is 14-7 (.666) in season-opening games dating back to the 1985 season. Hawai`i has won its last four openers.

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS
PORTLAND STATE Vikings
Thurs., Feb. 8 at 4:00 p.m.
The 2006 Pacific Coast Softball Conference Champion Vikings went 38-20 overall and 15-5 in conference to take the PCSC title and advance to the NCAA Corvallis Regional...picked to finish second in 2007 in the PCSC preseason coaches poll...PSU returns six starters and 12 letterwinners from 2006 including PCSC Pitcher of the Year Mandy Hill who went 24-7 with a 1.97 ERA...Hill also led the team on offense hitting .322 with four doubles, one triple, and a team-high 12 home runs and 48 RBI...Kimi Daniel (Sacred Hearts Acad./Kaneohe, O`ahu) was second on the squad with a .295 average, going 44-for-149, scoring 34 runs, with five doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, and she was 10-of-13 in stolen bases.

No.15 NEBRASKA Cornhuskers
Thurs., Feb. 8 at 4:00 p.m.
In 2006, Nebraska recorded an overall mark of 44-12, 13-4 in Big 12 competition...pitching staff finshed 20th nationally with a 1.65 ERA...led by senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr, a two-time All-Big 12 and All-Midwest Region player who went 26-10 with a 1.50 ERA, 25 complete games, 12 shut-outs, with 304 strike outs in 229.1 innings pitched...Molly Hill set a single-season school record as a freshman last year with a .900 winning percentage and a 18-2 record and a 1.43 ERA...two all-Big 12 seniors, infielder Devin Porter and catcher Jamie Waldecker, look to provide power on offense along with second-team all-Big 12 pick Crystal Carwile, who led the Huskers in home runs with 12...Nebraska's appearance at the Paradise Classic marks the return for sophomore Kimberly Fuller (Roosevelt High/Honolulu, O`ahu).

No. 24 AUBURN Tigers
Fri., Feb. 9 at 4:00 pm
The 2006 Tigers went 36-22 overall and finished 3rd in the SEC West with a 15-15 record...advanced to the NCAA tournament where they went 2-2 in the Tucson Regional...Tigers are coming off their third straight winning season--fourth in five years...AU returns four starters from last year's squad: senior pitcher Holly Currie went 19-14 with a 1.79 ERA while striking out 286 opposing batters in 219.0 innings; two-time All-SEC senior outfielder Sara Ghezzi hit .357 with 35 RBI, 10 doubles, and eight home runs; and sophomore returnees Ashley Arcuri and Tatiana Fernandez look to anchor the infield...Arcuri finshed last season with a .962 fielding percentage and is expected to be their defensive leader...Fernandez hit .311 last season with 12 doubles, one triple, eight home runs and a team-high 41 RBI which earned her SEC All-Freshman team honors while starting 57 of 58 games behind the plate last season.

DePAUL Blue Demons
Fri., Feb. 9 at 6:00 pm
The 2007 Blue Demons return all nine starts from a squad that notched a 33-22 mark last season...in conference, DePaul finished 13-9 (5th) in their first season as a member of the Big East Conference...second-team All-Big East pitcher Stephanie Blagaich and seniors Megan Huiting and Tracie Adix will control the game from the circle...Adix made 24 appearances in 2006 with 21 starts, 15 complete games, and five shut outs. She finished with a team-low 1.71 ERA...Blagaich went 14-5 witha 2.16 ERA in 26 appearances and at the plate she hit .299 on the season with six doubles, one triple, five home runs, and 28 RBI...second baseman Amber Patton started and played in all 54 Blue Demon games while leading her team with a .316 average...she also had a team-high 22 sacrifice bunts and went 10-for-16 in stolen bases...first baseman Marcy Wilus hit .309 with four doubles, three triples, five home runs, and 28 RBI.

2007 OCEANIC TIME WARNER CABLE PARADISE CLASSIC GAME SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007
10:00 am Auburn vs. DePaul
12:00 pm Portland State vs. DePaul
2:00 pm Nebraska vs. Portland State
4:00 pm HAWAI`I vs. PORTLAND STATE
6:00 pm HAWAI`I vs. NEBRASKA

Friday, Feb. 9, 2007
10:00 am Portland State vs. Nebraska
12:00 pm Portland State vs. Auburn
2:00 pm DePaul vs. Nebraska
4:00 pm HAWAI`I vs. AUBURN
6:00 pm HAWAI`I vs. DePAUL

Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007
12:00 pm BRACKET GAME #1: Seed 3 vs. Seed 4
2:00 pm BRACKET GAME #2: Seed 2 vs. Seed 5
4:00 pm BRACKET GAME #3: Seed 1 vs. Winner Game #1

Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007
8:00 am BRACKET GAME #4: Fifth Place Game
Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2
10:00 pm BRACKET GAME #5: Third Place Game
Winner Game #4 vs. Loser Game #3
12:00 pm BRACKET GAME #6: Championship Game
Winner Game #2 vs. Winner Game #3

-UH- 2007sftbll02