HONOLULU – After the first week of Big West play, the top two teams based on record will clash in Irvine, Calif. Friday-Sunday as the University of Hawai'i baseball team takes on UC Irvine in a four-game Big West Conference series at Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark.  
 

HAWAI'I (11-3, 3-1 Big West) at UC Irvine (11-6, 4-0 Big West)
Date | Time				Friday, March 26 at 12 p.m. HT; Saturday (DH), March 27 at 9 a.m. HT; Sunday, March 28 at 10 a.m. HT
Location				Irvine, Calif. - Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark
Television				N/A
Live Stream				BigWest.tv
Radio				ESPN Honolulu (Friday), CBS 1500 (Saturday and Sunday) | Sideline Hawaii App
Live Stats				UC Irvine Athletics
Game Notes				Hawai'i | UC Irvine
Social Media				@HawaiiBaseball  | #HawaiiBSB | @HawaiiBSB  | Facebook

 

PROBABLE ROTATION
HAWAI'I								UC IRVINE
Name				Yr.		(Rec., ERA)	DAY	Name	Yr.		(Rec., ERA)
Aaron Davenport				So.	RHP	(1-0, 1.67)	Fri.	Trenton Denholm	Jr.	RHP	(1-1, 3.48)
Cade Halemanu				So.	RHP	(2-0, 2.14)	Sat. (1)	Nick Pinto	Fr.	LHP	(1-1, 3.08)
Austin Teixeira				Fr.	LHP	(2-0, 1.45)	Sat. (2)	Michael Frias	R-So.	RHP	(3-0, 1.69)
Logan Pouelsen				Sr.	RHP	(1-0, 5.40)	Sun.	Peter Van Loon	Jr.	RHP	(1-1, 5.71)

HEAD COACH MIKE TRAPASSO
Overall record: 523-508 (20th season)
At Hawai'i: same

SERIES VS UC IRVINE
Overall record: 30-12, UC Irvine
Under Trapasso: 25-10, UC Irvine
Streak: UC Irvine, 2

FIRST PITCH

• The Rainbow Warriors are ranked for the first time since Week 1 of 2011. Hawai'i is ranked 30th by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
• Hawai'i ranks 22nd in the nation in batting average (.300) and ranks second in the Big West.
• The Rainbow Warriors have turned the 37th most double plays per game in the country (0.86).
• Hawai'i has allowed the 7th fewest walks per nine innings in the country (2.40).
• Scotty Scott ranks 4th in the country in hit by pitch per game (0.73) and ranks 13th in hit by pitch (8).
• Cade Halemanu threw 8.1 scoreless innings against Long Beach State (3/20 GM1), and combined with Calvin Turchin for the first Big West shutout since 2018 (UC Riverside).
• Alex Baeza hit a home run in the sixth inning of the series finale with Hawai'i Hilo and was replaced at first base by Safea Villaruz-Mauai who hit a home run in the following inning.
• Safea Villaruz-Mauai hit his first collegiate home run on Sunday, an opposite field home run to right field, considered to be extremely rare at LMS.
• Hawai'i's 10-game winning streak is the longest since 1998 and the longest in Trapasso's tenure.
• Hawai'i won an away game at a ranked non-conference opponent for the second year in a row (Vanderbilt in 2020) when the Rainbow Warriors topped #15 Arizona State to open the 2021 season.
• Aaron Davenport was named a preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Davenport ranked 2nd in the country in wins (4-0) in 2020 and had a 2.15 ERA. 
• Hawai'i has 18 local players on its roster in 2021.

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. 

HOMEGROWN TALENT
Head coach Mike Trapasso has built a strong contingent of talent from the Hawaiian islands, and brought in some of the top names from the 2020 class, including the second-ranked recruit in the state. In total, 18 of the teams' 37 roster spots are Hawai'i high school graduates, 10 of which are from O'ahu.
 

NAME	HOMETOWN (HIGH SCHOOL	YEAR	POS.
Bubba Akana	Honolulu, O'ahu (Saint Francis)	Fr.	INF
Tai Atkins	Kohala, Hawai'i (KS-Hawaii)	Fr.	LHP/OF
Naighel Calderon	Lanai City, Lanai (Lanai)	Fr.	OF
Matt Campos	Waipahu, O'ahu ('Iolani)	Jr.	INF
Nainoa Cardinez	Kapa'a, Kaua'i (Kapa'a)	Fr.	C/UTL
Dallas Duarte	Ke'eu, Hawai'i (KS-Hawai'i)	So.	C
Tyler Dyball	Honolulu, O'ahu (Kaiser)	Fr.	RHP
Cade Halemanu	Pearl City, O'ahu (Pearl City)	So.	RHP
Blake Hiraki	Honolulu, O'ahu ('Iolani)	Fr.	C
Trevor Ichimura	Honolulu, O'ahu ('Iolani)	Fr.	RHP
Jacob Igawa	Hilo, Hawai'i (Waiakea)	So.	UTL
Stone Miyao	Hilo, Hawai'i (Waiakea)	Fr.	INF
Konnor Palmeira	Kahalui, Maui (KS-Maui)	Fr.	C/UTL
Li'i Pontes	Honolulu, O'ahu (KS-Kapalama)	So.	RHP
Austin Teixeira	Waimanalo, O'ahu (Saint Louis)	Fr.	LHP/OF
Aaron Ujimori	Honolulu, O'ahu ('Iolani)	Fr.	INF
Safea Villaruz-Mauai	Hilo, Hawai'i (Waiakea)	Fr.	INF
Matt Wong	Honolulu, O'ahu (Saint Louis)	Jr.	OF

 





















DOLLARS FOR DOUBLES

• The University of Hawai'i Athletics and 'Ahahui Koa Ānuenue are inviting fans this year to make a "Dollars for Doubles" pledge for the 2021 baseball season.
• Although attendance at games is not possible due to COVID19 rules, this initiative provides an alternate way to cheer on the Rainbow Warriors from home while also supporting UH Athletics at the same time.
• Make your pledge here.

Complete game notes »