The 2019 University of Hawai'i softball team will open its 35^th Anniversary Season this week as they host the Hawai'i Paradise Classic from Thursday, Feb. 7 – Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019.
 
The Rainbow Wahine return 15 letterwinners and eight starters from last year's squad which finished seventh in the BWC with a 23-27 overall record and a 7-14 conference mark. Leading the 'Bows for the 28th season is head coach Bob Coolen. Coolen is actually entering his 30th season with the program as he served as an assistant coach for two seasons under previous head coach Rayla Allison prior to becoming UH's third coach in softball history. Coolen begins the season with a 1,045-691-1 overall record and a 973-598-1 record with the Rainbow Wahine. Coolen's squad is a good combination of experience and youth with 13 under classmen and 11 upper classmen—including eight seniors.
 
PITCHERS

This year's squad comes into the season with five pitchers—the most in recent years. Sixth-year senior Brittany Hitchcock looks to regain her position as a three-time all-Big West selectin. Last year, after appearing in just 10 games, Hitchcock went down with a season-ending injury that required the same surgery that held her out of her true freshman season. She is the longest tenured softball player in UH history. In her three-plus year career, she has recorded a 55-38 overall record with a 2.10 ERA in 609.1 innings with 399 strikeouts with 97 walks.
 
Returning for their second seasons are sophomores Emily Klee and Dominique Martinez. Last season, Klee posted a 2-2 record while appearing in 13 games. She tossed 32.0 innings while striking out 13 batters and walking 16. Martinez also appeared in 13 games as a rookie. She notched a 1-5 overall record with a 5.00 ERA in 42.0 innings.
 
Coolen is looking to his two freshman pitchers to also make an impact this season. Izzy Dino is a 6-2 right-handed pitcher and is the first Canadian on the Rainbow Wahine softball team, while Ashley Murphy is a 5-6 pitcher out of Granada Hills, Calif.
 
CATCHERS

The catchers are led by fourth-year senior Heather Cameron. She has appeared in 112 career games with 96 starts and a .240 career batting average with 32 runs scored, 14 doubles and three home runs. With Cameron projected to be the primary catcher this season, junior Callee Heen will also see some time behind the dish. Heen, who earned all-Big West and all-West Region honors last season, led UH with a .333 batting average, 14 home runs and 37 RBI in 2019. But Heen will be also seeing time at first base on the field instead of being the designated player when not catching.
 
Two rookies who are also working hard behind the plate are freshmen Mikaela Gandia-Mak and Kaeli Bush.
 
FIRST BASE








Heen is projected to be the starting first baseman this season. Last year, she also led the team with 24 walk plus 10 multiple-hit and 10 multiple-RBI games. Heen also had a 14-game hit streak to lead the 'Bows. Last year, Heen saw time as UH's catcher/designated player. When Heen does slide over to catcher there are several options for the 'Bows to consider between seniors Victoria Ayala, Carly Pina and sophomore Madison Veldman who saw actin in 19 games with 10 starts last season (eight as designated player and two at first). Veldman hit just a shade under .300 last season, going 8-for-27 for a .296 average.
 
MIDDLE INFIELD - SECOND BASE/SHORTSTOP







Hawai'i has a lot of experience at the middle-infield positions. Projected to start at shortstop this season is Sissy Pantastico. Last year, Pantastico played in 38 games with 25 starts primarily in rightfield. She's sliding over to play her natural position at shortstop, where she played during her days at Campbell High School. Shifting to second base to start the year is Cheeks Ramos who has started the past two seasons at shortstop for the 'Bows. The dynamic duo up the middle should prove to be solid on defense. On offense however, Pantastico hit .203 last season with two doubles and four RBI while Ramos batted .192 overall as a sophomore after hitting .310 as a freshman. Also vying for playing time are a pair of seniors—Alyssa Sojka and Jenna Kumabe. Sojka appeared in 39 games last season at second base while hitting .135 overall. Kumabe appeared in 14 games in 2019 with four starts at second. She recorded a .143 batting average overall.
 
THIRD BASE








Senior Nicole Lopez has had third base locked down for the past three seasons, and is the anchor of the defense. She has started 156-straight games at the hot corner. Last year, Lopez led UH with 49 hits and was tied for the team-lead with 26 runs scored and six doubles. For her career, she is a .308 hitter with 26 doubles, 25 home runs and 81 RBI.
 
Sophomore Mama Rivera is behind Lopez on the depth chart at third. Rivera appeared in 11 games as a freshman with seven starts at designated player.
 
OUTFIELD

In leftfield, sophomore transfer Tatumn Satow looks to have the edge to start. UH's projected lead-off hitter is looking to make her debut wearing the Green and White after sitting out last year as a redshirt after transferring to UH from California. Battling Satow in left is redshirt freshman, Samantha Thomas.
 
Sophomore Brittnee Rossi right now has the inside track in centerfield. Rossi, who finished ranked third last year for the 'Bows on offense, hit .269 overall, going 32-for-119 at the plate with five doubles, a triple and four home runs. She recorded 19 RBI while scoring 17 runs. Right behind Rossi is senior Jennifer Iseri and Kawai Mielke. Iseri played in 36 games last season with 25 starts in leftfield. She hit .229 as a junior with 19 hits, three doubles, a home run and nine RBI.
 
Rightfield has been a competition between redshirt-sophomore Bree Soma and incoming freshman Mikaela Gandia-Mak. Soma has seen some hard luck in her young UH career, a knee injury in her freshman season curtailed her season just 23 games into 2017, while last season she suffered another season-ending injury just 15 games into the year. This year she is cleared to play and she's making the most of her opportunity after being granted a medical redshirt for last season. The versatile Gandia-Mak may also see time behind the plate at catcher.