LONG BEACH, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i softball team (16-13, 0-0 Big West) hits the road this week to open their Big West Conference season at No. 18 Long Beach State (26-7, 0-0 BWC). The two teams will square off in a three-game series beginning with a single game played on Friday, March 30 with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 31. Both days' games are slated to start at 10:00 a.m. HT.

Sophomore catcher/designated player Callee Heen leads UH into battle against The Beach. Heen leads the Rainbow Wahine with a .405 batting average (34-for-84) and a slugging percentage of .833. She leads Hawai'i with 18 runs scored, 34 hits, 10 home runs (ranked second in the BWC), 10 walks, and 27 RBI. Currently, she is on a 14-game hit streak and she also leads UH with eight multiple-hit games (tied with Britnee Rossi) and eight multiple RBI games. Heen's 14-game hit streak is the longest since Keiki Carlos hit safely in 15-consecutive games in 2013.

Coming on strong during UH's tournaments was rookie rightfielder Britnee Rossi. She is second on the team with a .356 average (26-for-73). Rossi has started in 26 of UH's 29 games thus far. She has taken over and has been UH's leadoff hitter for the last nine games. Rossi has raced around for two inside-the-park home runs this year and she blasted a three-run walk-off home run over the rightfield fence to defeat Cleveland State on March 15.

Holding steady at No. 3 on the team on offense is junior third baseman Nicole Lope. She is currently hitting .330 (31-for-94). Lopez has consistently been a hot hitter for UH over the last three seasons. This year she leads UH with five doubles and has five home runs with 15 RBI and 17 runs scored.

Senior pitcher Dana Thomsen has taken over the reins as the No. 1 pitcher for the 'Bows. She has been the anchor of the staff, appearing in UH's last 17-straight games either as a starter or reliever. Thomsen enters the conference season with a 9-9 record and a 3.09 ERA in 115.2 innings pitched. She has walked 34 while striking out 100 opposing batters.

Freshman Emily Klee made some solid appearances in the last UH tournament. Overall she is 2-0 with a 4.57 ERA with 11 walks and 11 strikeouts in 23.0 innings pitched.

Games 30-32
Teams: Hawai'i (16-13, 0-0 Big West) at No. 18 Long Beach State (26-7, 0-0 Big West)
Dates: Friday, March 30 at 10:00 a.m.; Saturday, March 31 at 10:00 a.m. (DH)
Site: Beach Softball Complex (Long Beach, Calif.)
Livestats: Live in-game stats will be available at longbeachstate.com
Video: A live video stream of the games will be available through BigWest.tv.