Hawai'i Game Notes |
San José State Game Notes
HONOLULU – Coming off a hotly-contested series at home against Indiana, the University of Hawai'i baseball team (11-8) is looking to bounce back with Mountain West Conference foe San José State (9-9) coming to Les Murakami Stadium. The Rainbow Warriors and Spartans will face off in a four-game series, running Thursday, March 23 through Sunday, March 26.
The Rainbow Warriors and Spartans renew an old WAC series that will see its 98th game in the series opener. UH leads the overall series 57-40, UH winning 58.8 percent of the series contests. The teams last met in 2012, and UH won nine of the last 11 meetings.
The Spartans are fresh off a sweep of MW counterpart Nevada – which Hawai'i will face next week at home. SJSU is having one of its best starts under the guidance of first-year head coach Jason Hawkins, previously from Utah and UC Santa Barbara. Converse to this year, it was game 26 before SJSU hit the 9-win mark in 2016.
A pair of underclassmen are making the biggest impact for SJSU, as freshman center fielder Kellen Strahm leads the Spartans in hits (26), batting average (.366), stolen bases (6) and ties for the team lead of 11 runs. Sophomore shortstop Aaron Pleschner has 10 runs and a .338 average, recording six RBI. Also sharing the run lead is junior Shane Timmons, who bats .243 with a team-high 13 RBI. The Spartans are batting .255 as a unit and average 4.1 runs per game offensively.
With a team ERA at 4.65, the Spartans also average 5.8 runs allowed per contest and opponents have batted .276 against.
On the Hawai'i side of the pitching staff, the Rainbow Warriors have allowed only .245 batting against, even with some big-hitting squads coming up at the plate. Despite a tough week on the mound against the Hoosiers, UH still holds an NCAA 29th-best 3.07 team ERA, largely impacted by giving only 2.3 walks per nine innings – ranking UH at sixth nationally. UH allows just 4.1 runs per game on average.
While the pitching has been on the rise, the Rainbow Warriors have really picked it up at the plate and are hitting .270 as a team, which ranks second in the Big West (119th nationally). Junior center fielder
Dylan Vchulek is pacing the 'Bows with a .355 average, while leading the team in runs (16), on-base percentage (.451) and stolen bases (7) – also chipping in 11 RBI. Not far behind, sophomore catcher
Kekai Rios is getting hot, collecting a walk-off in Saturday's win on his last at-bat. Rios is hitting .349 with five doubles and 10 runs and six RBI, reaching base at a .446 clip. The Rainbow Warriors average 4.9 runs per game offensively.
The Rainbow Warriors look to keep the heat turned up, reaching double-digit hits in their last four games and nine of the last 12, despite facing off with a top-50 schedule.
Series Pitching Matchups
|
Hawai'i |
San José State |
| Thursday: |
RHP Brendan Hornung
(1-2, 2.15 ERA, 37.2 IP, 3 BB, 44 SO) |
RHP Jake Swiech
(2-2, 6.39 ERA, 25.1 IP, 19 BB, 19 SO) |
| Friday: |
RHP Neil Uskali
(3-1, 2.84 ERA, 31.2 IP, 8 BB, 20 SO) |
RHP Cameron Keup
(1-2, 6.35 ERA, 11.1 IP, 7 BB, 8 SO) |
| Saturday: |
LHP Dominic DeMiero
(3-1, 2.10 ERA, 34.1 IP, 5 BB, 21 SO) |
RHP Matt Brown
(2-0, 2.08 ERA, 13 IP, 12 BB, 10 SO) |
| Sunday: |
RHP Jackson Rees
(2-0, 4.18 ERA, 28.0 IP, 12 BB, 13 SO) |
LHP Graham Gomez
(0-0, 5.71 ERA, 17.1 IP, 7 BB, 19 SO) |
University of Hawai'i Games 20-23
What: Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (11-8) vs. San José State (9-9)
When: Thursday, March 23, 6:35 p.m. HT
Friday, March 24, 6:35 p.m. HT
Saturday, March 25, 6:35 p.m. HT
Sunday, March 26, 1:05 p.m. HT
Where: Honolulu, O'ahu (Les Murakami Stadium)
Television: OC Sports For Game 1
Live Video Streaming: OC Sports (
Game 1)
Radio: All games will be broadcast live on the radio, with Jim Leahey and Scott Robbs covering each game on the call. The first game will air on ESPN Honolulu 1420 AM, while the final three contests will be broadcast on NBC Sports 1500 AM. During the opener, 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 |
www.NBCSportsRadioHawaii.com
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be provided by Hawai'i Athletics throughout the series at the links listed below.
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Promotions: Hawaiian Airlines is the series sponsor and will award great prizes for each game. Sign up for your chance to win at each game of the series. Friday's contest will be followed by an
autograph session on the field. Little League teams are invited onto the field to stand alongside the UH baseball players for the National Anthem & Hawaii Pono'i prior to Saturday's game (Check-in 30 min. prior to first pitch near the Big West Conference logo on the ground level).
Throwback Thursday (Mar. 23) will feature discount tickets prices in the upper level (Adults - $5; Senior Citizen - $4; Youth (ages 4 to HS) - $3).
Sunday Funday (Mar. 26): Ticket Package 1 - $25 for family of four (two adults and two youth); Ticket Package 2 - $40 (four adults). Each ticket package includes four (4) upper level tickets, four (4) hot dogs, and four (4) bottle soda/water (while supplies last). Tickets can be purchased online, calling 944-2697 (option 2), walking up to the Les Murakami Stadium on game day or in advance at the Stan Sheriff Center Box Office.
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