Hawai'i Notes | Long Beach State Notes

Taking to the road for two straight weeks, the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (15-26, 6-9 Big West) baseball team heads out for a matchup this weekend at Long Beach State (23-17, 8-7 Big West), with the three-game conference series beginning on Friday at Blair Field.

The LBSU 49ers, or 'Dirtbags' by preference, are coming off a series loss over the weekend at big-hitting Cal Poly, demonstrating the parity in the conference race. LBSU picked up a win in the finale on an extra innings affair, 12-11. On Tuesday, LBSU made it consecutive exta innings contests, arising after 13 innings victorious over No. 2 UCLA at home, 2-1.

In non-conference games, the Dirtbags finished 15-10 and have fared well at home with an 18-6 record, while the 'Bows are 2-12 away from Les Murakami Stadium, including neutral site games in Houston. Dropping to fifth in the Big West standings, LBSU has struggled at the plate this season, sitting below the 'Bows with a .240 average. However, the pitching staff has helped to keep things within reach, sporting a 2.78 team ERA.

Leading the Dirtbags is sophomore shortstop Garrett Hampson, who is hitting .294 with 13 RBI and a team-best 29 runs. Right fielder Zach Rivera is making his impact felt with the extra bases, but hits .257, while racking up a team-high 24 RBI. So far this year, Rivera has a team-leading 10 doubles, one triple and three home runs. Coming on fast is outfielder Luke Rasmussen, who has hit .393 with four doubles, one triple and two home runs through 27 games. He has 10 RBI so far.

Freshman right-hander Chris Mathewson has been leading the Dirtbags on the bump, pitching Saturdays with a 1.42 ERA and 5-3 record, striking out 51 through 63 innings. The Friday night starter, redshirt senior right-hander Kyle Friedrichs is the strikeout guy, ranking 16th in the NCAA and first in the Big West with 85 K's through 72.2 innings. He has a 5-3 record and 2.48 ERA. Rounding out the top LBSU starters, junior righty Tanner Brown has a 4-2 record and 2.72 ERA, fanning 49 through 59.2 innings of work.

The Rainbow Warriors largely played well against now-No. 6 UC Santa Barbara over the weekend at Les Murakami Stadium, meeting arguably the top pitching rotation in the league. The 'Bows were able to secure the 1-0 win on Saturday over Justin Jacome, but dropped a pair of 5-0 shutouts on Friday and Sunday.

The weekend sliced averages for the 'Bows top hitters, despite a hitting tear leading up to the past couple of weeks at home. Freshman first baseman Eric Ramirez leads the team with a .286 average and 26 RBI, also scoring 19 runs himself. Alex Sawelson has been steady since his move exclusively to designated hitter, currently hitting .285 with 14 RBI and 11 runs. Catcher Chayce Ka'aua remained hot as the top hitter over the weekend for UH, and his average continues to rise, now at .275 with 14 RBI and 16 runs.

Junior right-hander Tyler Brashears is the reigning Big West Pitcher of the Week after limiting UCSB to just three hits in leading the 'Bows to the shutout win. He has taken the first lead in the wins column for the UH pitching staff, holding a 6-4 record and team-leading 1.97 ERA—dropping down and moving into fourth in the BWC ERA rankings. He has 55 strikeouts in 73 innings.

Junior right-hander LJ Brewster holds a 2.51 ERA and 5-4 record, striking out 48 through 71.2 innings of work. Wrapping up the rotation, senior left-hander Jarrett Arakawa holds a 4.28 ERA and 2-3 record, striking out 18 in 33.2 innings.

Coming out of the bullpen, a set of Rainbow Warriors have been outstanding in relief, Quintin Torres-Costa, Eric Gleese and Andrew Jones. The trio combined for 8.0 scoreless innings with just six hits allowed over the weekend. Torres-Costa has been on a tear lately, holding opponents without a run through his last nine appearances (15.1 innings), allowing only six hits and striking out 23.

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What: Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (15-26, 6-9 Big West) at Long Beach State Dirtbags (22-17, 8-7 Big West)
When:  Friday (May 1), 6:00 p.m. PT (3:00 p.m. HT)
             Saturday (May 2), 2:00 p.m. PT (11:00 a.m. HT)
             Sunday (May 3), 1:00 p.m. PT (10:00 a.m. HT)
Where: Long Beach, California (Blair Field)
Live Video Streaming: None
Radio: ESPN Honolulu 1420 AM will carry the broadcast with Mel Proctor for the first two games. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KHLO in Hilo, KKON in Kona and KTOH on Kaua'i. Sunday's contest will be on NBC Sports Radio Hawai'i 1500 AM.
Audio Webcast: www.espn1420am.com | www.nbcsportsradiohawaii.com (Sunday)
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be provided by Long Beach State Athletics throughout the series at the links listed below.
           Game 1 Live Stats
           Game 2 Live Stats
           Game 3 Live Stats