HONOLULU-- The University of Hawai'i softball team will embark on its first road trip of the season by visiting Big West Conference foe CSUN for a three-game series beginning on Friday.
HEAD COACH BOB COOLEN
Overall record: 1,087-726-1 (35th season)
At Hawai'i: 1,017-630-1 (30th season)
SERIES VS CSUN
Overall record: 18-17, Hawai'i
Streak: W1
Last Hawaii win against CSUN: 4-3 on May 4th, 2019. UH took the series 2-1, the 'Bows first series win over the Matadors since 2015.
FIRST PITCH
- The Rainbow Wahine started off the conference schedule on the right foot by winning two out of three against UC Santa Barbara, tying them with Cal Poly for the No. 3 position of the conference standings.
- The 'Bows first win of the season, and the game setting the tone for the series with the Gauchos featured freshman Maya Nakamura's heroics. In the bottom of the sixth of a 2-1 game, Nakamura launched a three-run homer over the left-field wall for a 4-2 lead, eventually resulting in a 4-3 victory.
- While Nakamura enters the series with the Matadors hitting .200 on the season, the early power is showing. Nakamura has collected three hits over six games, with each hit being an extra-base hit, including two doubles and a home run. She is No. 2 on the team in slugging percentage at .533. Only senior left fielder Bree Soma has a higher slugging at .545.
- When you're looking for a leadoff hitter, every team wants a high on-base producer, and junior centerfielder Brittnee Rossi fits the description. Rossie leads the team with a .474 on-base percentage while accumulating three hits, four walks, and two hit by pitches this season.
- By no surprise, senior Angelique "Cheeks" Ramos leads the offense in terms of production. She's hitting a team-high .267 after the first six games along with freshman Mya'Liah Bethea, with a team-high four runs batted in and a homer. Fellow infielder junior Nawai Kaupe leads the team in long balls with two, while as a team, UH is tied with Long Beach State for the conference lead in homers against conference opponents at three.
- The current offensive numbers can be labeled as "modest" as UH played a three-game series with top-10 ranked Washington, followed by their series with UCSB. The series with the Gauchos was scheduled to be for four games rather than three. The two squads started the fourth game, and UH held a 9-0 lead in the fourth, but the game was called due to field conditions as it was the fourth rain delay of the day. If the game and stats had counted, the offensive numbers would have different in a positive way for the 'Bows.
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 series between CSUN and the 'Bows didn't happen, meaning the last time the two squads met was in 2019, where UH took the series 2-1 at CSUN. Before the 2019 season, it was 2015 when UH last took a series from CSUN, and it was also on the road.
FAN CUTOUTS AT RAINBOW WAHINE SOFTBALL STADIUM
The University of Hawai'i Athletics Department is offering fans an opportunity to get a cutout of yourself, a friend, a family member or even your pet which will be placed in an open seat in the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Each cut out will cost $50 and remain in place for all 2021 Rainbow Wahine Softball home games. Proceeds from the cutouts will support University of Hawai'i student-athletes.
NCAA EXTENDS EXTRA YEAR TO SPRING SPORTS ATHLETES
All returning college players were granted an additional year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic that ended the 2020 season six weeks into the season. All NCAA athletes (D-I, D-II and D-III), and junior college athletes keep their athletic standing from the 2020 season. Thus a freshman in 2020 is a freshman in 2021. A redshirt junior in 2020 stays a redshirt junior in 2021.
Hawai'i has decided to label all athletes as their athletic eligibility rather than advance their eligibility or add on additional confusing language such as "second-year freshman" or "sixth-year junior."
Incoming freshmen are as listed, freshmen.
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