HONOLULU--The University of Hawai'i softball team (13-11, 7-2 BWC) returns home to host Cal Poly (8-21, 3-6 BWC) this week with a doubleheader on Friday, April 8 starting at 4:00 p.m., followed by a single game on Saturday, April 9 at 6:00 p.m.. Hawai'i remains tied atop the Big West standings with Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State with 7-2 conference records. Hawai'i won two of three games at UC San Diego last week, notching the team's third consecutive BWC series. The Tritons shutout the Rainbow Wahine in the series opener on Friday, 2-0. But UH roared back with a resounding 13-1, five inning win to even the series at 1-1. In the deciding Game 3, Hawai'i outlasted UCSD in a pitcher's dual between a pair of freshmen--UH's Brianna Lopez and UCSD's Jada Cecil. The 'Bows  won the extra-inning game, 1-0 in eight on a dramatic Dallas Millwood home run which led off the eighth inning propelling the 'Bows to the win of the game and series.

SCHEDULE CHANGE: The game times have changed for this week's games against Cal Poly. The doubleheader will be played on Friday, April 8, 2022 starting at 4:00 p.m. Saturday's single game will start at 6:00 p.m. at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
 

GAMES 25-27 - HAWAI'I (13-11, 7-2 BIG WEST) VS. CAL POLY (8-21, 3-6 BIG WEST)
GAME SCHEDULE				Friday, April 8 (DH) at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, April 9 at 6:00 p.m.
Location				Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium (1,200) - Honolulu, O'ahu
Live Stats				Game 1  |  Game 2  |  Game 3
Game Notes				Hawai'i  |  Cal Poly (link)
Social Media				@HawaiiSB  | #HawaiiSB | @HawaiiSoftball  | Facebook
Promotions				Softball fans will receive various UH prizes for the winners of the popular "Ballpark Bingo." Also, UH t-shirts will be thrown into the stands during the fourth inning of every game.
Tickets				Admission is FREE at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
Game Day Rosters				UH vs. Cal Poly (PDF)

HEAD COACH BOB COOLENCAREER RECORD: 1,112-752-1
HAWAI'I RECORD: 1,040-658-1

ALL-TIME RECORD vs. CAL POLYHawai'i holds a 19-10 series record against CP.  In 2021, UH played a four-game series in San Luis Obispo, Calif.. UH won the first three games, 10-6, 11-9, and 1-0 but fell in the series finale, 6-5.

THE MUSTANGS Last week, Cal Poly went 2-1 at home against UC Santa Barbara. The Mustangs fell in the first game, 6-1, but won the last two games to secure their first Big West series, winning 7-6 and 7-1. Maddie Amos leads Cal Poly with a .387 batting average (36-for-93) with team highs in doubles (6), home runs (3), RBI (20), and slugging percentage (.570). Jessica Clements is tied with Amos with 36 hits but comes into this week with a .383 average. She leads CP  with 20 runs scored and four stolen bases. In the circle, Krystyna Allman is their ace with a 5-11 record and 2.44 ERA.
 
NEWS & NOTES

• Last week's opening game at UC San Diego was a pitcher's dual between freshmen UH's Brianna Lopez and UCSD's Jada Cecil. Cecil got the better of the 'Bows, fanning 16 en route to a 2-0 shutout. But Hawai'i responded on Saturday, bursting out for a 13-1 five inning win to start the day with senior Ashley Murphy picking up her first complete game victory since March 21, 2021 to even her record at 2-2. The UH offense tied their season team-highs with 13 runs score, 15 hits and 13 RBI doing all their damage in the fourth and fifth innings. In the series finale, Cecil and Lopez squared off again with almost the same results, except that it was Lopez who came out on top, firing a six-hit, eight inning shutout in her longest appearance of the year. First baseman Dallas Millwood led off the eighth inning by launching a solo shot over the left-centerfield fence for what proved to be the winning run, 1-0.
• Redshirt freshman, designated player Haley Johnson, had a breakout series at UC San Diego. She led UH for the series with a .500 batting average going 4-for-8  with a run scored, four RBI and UH's first two triples of the year. After going hitless in the first game of the series, Johnson went 2-for-4 with four RBI in the second game. She ripped a 2-RBI triple to drive in Maya Nakamura and pinch runner Kaeli Bush and later capped UH's scoring in the fifth with a 2-RBI single to score Nawai Kaupe and Martinez again. In the series finale, Johnson was 1-for-2 with a triple. Overall, Johnson is hitting .273 (6-for-22) with a team-high .636. Four of her six hits have gone for extra bases--one double, two triples and one home run.
• Brianna Lopez has solidified her position as UH's No. 1 starter. The freshman lefty pitcher has lowered her ERA overall to 1.71, which ranks third in the Big West and in conference games, she has a miniscule 1.33 ERA while holding BWC opponents to a .186 batting average. Overall she is 7-5 with a save in 15 appearances and 86.0 innings of work. She has started 13 games and has tossed 10 complete games. For the season, she has 61 strikeouts with 33 walks. In the series finale at UCSD, Lopez was solid, holding the Tritons off the scoreboard for the eight inning game with two walks and seven strikeouts.
• Senior Ashley Murphy earned just her fourth start of the season the start in the middle game of the UCSD series. She came through for UH earning the five-inning, complete game win for her second-straight win to even her overall record to 2-2. It marked Murphy's first complete game win since defeating CSUN on the road on 3/21/21. Murphy allowed one run while scattering four hits with a pair of walks and a strikeout at UCSD. 
• Junior first baseman Dallas Millwood started the UCSD series struggling at the plate, going 0-6 in three games with five strikeouts. BUT, she ended the series with a huge BANG! In the top of the eighth inning, she blasted a 1-1 pitch with a shot over the left-centerfield fence to break a scoreless game to that point. It was her third homer of the season and fourth of the year. 
• GOING FOR 2! — With three more double plays last week at UC San Diego, the UH defense continues to lead the league in DP's while moving up the NCAA rankings to No. 3 with 15 total double plays turned this year. 
• LUCKY #13 — The 13 runs and 13 RBI matched the 'Bows season team game highs in UH's BWC opener at UC Santa Barbara (3/19/22-GM1). The 15 hits tied the team's best offensive output since amassing 15 at UNLV (2/12/22).
• THAT BALL SAID ALOOOOHA! — Hawai'is two home runs at UCSD helped UH to hold on to their conference-best .67 HR's per game. Nawai Kaupe leads UH with five, Maya Nakamura and Dallas Millwood have three each. Ka'ena Keliinoi, Brittnee Rossi, Mya'Liah Bethea, Chloe Borges and Haley Johnson have one HR apiece.
• SWISS ARMY KNIFE—Thoughout Ka'ena Keliinoi's career, she has been the epitome of being a "utility player" starting 67 games at seven different positions and playing whereever she can help the team best. This year alone, she has started 12 games in leftfield, nine at third base, and one each in rightfield and most recently centerfield. Last season, Keliinoi started 22 gmes at catcher, one at second base, one as designated player. In her true freshman year, she caught 11 games, 11 at second base, one in rightfield and one as designated player.
• THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE—Thoughout Ka'ena Keliinoi's career, she has been the epitome of being a "utility player" starting 67 games at seven different positions and playing whereever she can help the team best. This year alone, she has started 12 games in leftfield, nine at third base, and one each in rightfield and most recently centerfield. Last season, Keliinoi started 22 gmes at catcher, one at second base, one as designated player. In her true freshman year, she caught 11 games, played 11 at second base, one in rightfield and one as designated player during the COVID shortened season. This year, She is third on the team with a .328 batting average and leads UH with five doubles. She is ranked at No. 56th in the NCAA and fifth in the Big West as toughest to strike out. She has been fanned only three times this season in 58 total at-bats.
• HAWAI'I'S OWN — With the exception of the UH battery, in six of UH's last seven games, UH has started an all-Hawai'i infield. Dallas Millwood earned all-state honors in 2016, '17, and '18 while playing at Kamehameha Schools—Kapalama. Maya Nakamura was an all-state shortstop at Roosevelt High School in 2017 and '18. UH shortstop Nawai Kaupe garnered all-state honors in 2017 playing for Maui High School, while Ka'ena Keliinoi was an all-state catcher in 2018 and '19.
• THE ANCHORS—Only second baseman Maya Nakamura and shortstop Nawai Kaupe have started all of UH's 24 games. This past week, Brittnee Rossi had her streak of 97 straight-starts in centerfield. She has started 23 of 24 games this season. Freshman catcher Izabella Martinez has started the last 22 games behind the plate and 23 games overall.