Hawai'i Game Notes | UC Santa Barbara Game Notes

SANTA BARBARA, Calif -- The University of Hawai'i baseball team (18-20, 7-5 Big West) looks to regroup after a tough midweek loss and keep its conference aspirations alive with a three-game weekend series at No. 16 UC Santa Barbara (26-10, 5-4 Big West), Friday-Sunday (April 29-May1) at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. The 'Bows fell 2-1 in the conference series at CSUN last weekend, while the Gauchos were swept at Cal Poly and the series will be a battle for the 'Bows to remain in the upper tier of the conference standings.

Both teams opened the week on a three-game losing skid, but the Gauchos were able to capitalize on a midweek contest, earning an 11th-inning win over St. Mary's (Calif.) on Tuesday night, 4-3, on the road.

The Gauchos jumped out to a solid start to the season to earn their national ranking, currently sitting at a 21-6 non-conference record. However, much like the most-recent UH opponent, CSUN, the Big West slate hasn't been as kind, sitting at 5-4 heading into this weekend's meeting with the Rainbow Warriors.

Redshirt junior Devon Gradford leads a Gauchos order that's batting .263, personally putting up a .361 average with 11 RBI and 10 runs as a substitute player who has appeared in most contests. Pacing the starters, redshirt sophomore catcher Dempsey Grover is hitting .313 with a Big West second-most 11 doubles (, batting in 20 runs and scoring 24 of his own. Sophomore Austin Bush has proven a hitter to look out for, hitting .308 with nine doubles and three homers, batting in 26 runs and scoring 18 of his own. Meanwhile, redshirt junior Andrew Calica is a threat on the bases, hitting .282 and reaching base as a hit batter the sixth most-frequently in the nation (15). Once on base at a team-high .469 clip, Calica has stolen successfully in 13-of-17 attempts, going on to score a Big West-high 37 runs.

Perfect Game's Preseason Big West Pitcher of the Year, right-handed junior Shane Bieber leads off the Gauchos rotation and draws a lot of the spotlight, going 7-2 with a 3.30 ERA, collecting 52 strikeouts in 73.2 innings -- aided by three complete games. Freshman right-hander Noah Davis follows with a 3-2 record and 4.60 ERA, striking out 45 across 58.2 innings. Rounding out the trio is redshirt sopohomore righty Joe Record, who has logged at 4-4 with a 4.11 ERA, fanning 36 in 57 innings. The starters for UCSB have averaged 8.5 opposing hits per nine innings but have given an average of 3.1 runs per game. Having a tough reliever behind doesn't hurt, as UCSB features one of the toughest in the Big West in sophomore left-hander Kyle Nelson, who has a 6-0 record, 1.20 ERA and four saves, with 51 strikeouts in 45 innings out of the bullpen, holding opposing hitters to just .174 hitting.

Holding the spotlight all season, shortstop Jacob Sheldon-Collins continued his run last week, hitting .467 against CSUN and Loyola Marymount to contribute to his Big West second-best .401 batting average. The senior also ties for the conference lead in hits (57), going seven beyond the most base knocks for any Rainbow Warrior last season and contributing 20 RBI and 21 runs on a team-best .443 on-base percentage. Kekai Rios remains among the top freshmen catchers, hitting a Big West sixth-best .339 to rank second for UH, adding six doubles and a game-winning home run, 17 RBI and 16 runs, in addition to the impressive 17 runners caught stealing. Center fielder Matt LoCoco has come on strong in the conference season, batting .340 against Big West opposition and .290 overall. The sure-handed senior ranks 11th in the Big West with a team-high 27 runs, tying for the conference lead with four triples, on top of his seven doubles and two homers. 

On the mound, UH will see the normal crew of RHP Brendan Hornung (3-6, 2.52 ERA, 71.1 IP, 55 K, 17 BB), RHP Kyle Von Ruden (5-1, 3.01 ERA, 77.2 IP, 39 K, 10 BB) and LHP Alex Hatch (3-5, 4.72 ERA, 55.1 IP, 47 K, 19 BB).

In the series with the Gauchos dating back to 1982, the 'Bows have held the historic advantage, holding the 16-10 advantage, but UCSB has chipped away at the lead and have won 5-of-10 since UH joined the Big West. Last season, UCSB took the series, but UH dodged the sweep, taking the second game at Les Murakami Stadium, holding off the Gauchos for the 1-0 win. UCSB claimed the other two series games, both in 5-0 finishes.
 What: Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (18-20, 7-5 BWC) at UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (26-10, 5-4 BWC)
When: Friday, April 29, 3:00 p.m. PDT (12:00 p.m. HT)
           Saturday, April 30, 2:00 p.m. PDT (11:00 a.m. HT)
           Sunday, May 1, 1:00 p.m. PDT (10:00 a.m. HT)
Where: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Caesar Uyesaka Stadium)
Television: None
Live Video Streaming: None
Radio: All games will be broadcast live on the radio on ESPN 1420 AM with Mel Proctor on the call. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KHLO in Hilo, KKON in Kona and KTOH on Kaua'i.
Audio Webcast: www.ESPN1420am.com
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be provided by UC Santa Barbara Athletics at the links listed below.
        Game 1
        Game 2
        Game 3