HONOLULU-- The University of Hawai'i baseball team is set to host CSUN on short rest this week with the three game series beginning on Thursday with a break on Saturday due to graduation ceremonies taking place.
 

• The Rainbow Warriors currently sit at No. 3 in the Big West Conference standings with a 13-8 record for a .619 winning percentage.
• The 13 wins against Big West opponents is the most for UH in one season since joining the conference in 2011.
• UH has not been swept by a conference opponent this season, No. 1 UC Santa Barbara and No. 4 UC Irvine are the only other teams to claim the same.
• Heading to Las Vegas, Nevada, UH is currently 9-7 in true road games. The 'Bows have not had a winning record on the road since 2011 when they went 9-8.
• Graduate center fielder Cole Cabrera sits at No. 1 in the Big West for Sac Fly with 5. He's also No. 9 in runs scored with 33.
• Cabrera is one of five players in the Big West to have over 80 chances and not record a single error with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
• Li'i Pontes is top-6 in the conference with a 3.10 ERA and fifth in strikeouts with 68.
• Freshman Jordan Donahue took over the batting average lead as he batted .800 in the series with UNLV.

STANDING OUTSIDE THE FIRE
Junior pitcher Blaze Koali'I Pontes is letting it be known he is one of the premier pitchers in the Big West as he ranks in the top 10 of six crucial categories. Runs Allowed (3rd- 20), earned runs allowed (2nd-18), ERA (6th- 3.10), strikeouts (5th- 68), hits allowed (9th- 51), opposing batting average (7th- .252). All of this over 17 appearances, three starts, and 52.1 innings pitched.

DOING WHAT OTHERS HAVEN'T
The start of the season didn't go as planned for head coach Rich Hill and the Rainbow Warriors as they started 5-11 in non-conference action, followed by 3-6 to start the Big West schedule. But things have certainly taken a turn for the better as the 'Bows have won 10 of their last 12 conference games for a 13-8 record against the Big West, putting them at No. 3 in the standings. With nine games left on the conference schedule, UH has already won more games against conference foes in one season since joining in 2011.

TWO DONAHUES ONE TEAM
Kyson and Jordan have played together in about half of the games this season. The cousin duo has seen time side by side on the field, including most recently covering the left side of the infield at UNLV this past weekend. The Donahues combined for 11 hits, six RBIs, and 21 total bases in the series win. Jordan batted a weekend best .800, while Kyson was tied for team-best two homers in game two's victory. Jordan's performance allowed him to jump up into first on the team in batting amongst qualified hitters. Although Kyson has not met the minimum games played due to an early-season injury, he is batting .315 and slugging .511 in 28 appearances.

RPI BASEBALL
Hawai'i has strung together an impressive performance, winning five consecutive series, including two sweeps. After beating UNLV, who sat at 99 in the most recent rankings, UH jumped up 21 spots from 164 to 143 in the rankings. The 'Bows come into the week with four Big West schools ahead in the polls. UH still has CSUN and Cal Poly on the schedule, both of whom rank higher, giving them a chance to gain some more ground down the final stretch.

MYSTERY INCORPORATED
This year, the Hawai'i lineup has been anything but straightforward, with 13 out of 15 guys hitting in multiple spots in the lineup. Most notably, Stone Miyao and Dallas Duarte have each hit in eight of nine hitting slots, while Cole Cabrera has been in seven of nine. Being all over the lineup, you'd think it would be hard to get comfortable, but that's far from the truth when you unmask the numbers to find out these three are amongst the leaders of the offense for the 'Bows. All three Rainbow Warriors hold a spot in the top three for the longest on-base streak, with Miyao currently on a 19-game run. Miyao also owns the most multi-RBI games with 10 on the season. Cabrera boasts 44 hits, second on the team, and Duarte owns the second most doubles with 10. These guys have proven they can do it and do it anywhere in the lineup you need them to.

NOT SO LAZY SUNDAY
The Rainbow Warrior offense has been explosive in the back half of the season, but nothing compares to the final game of a series. In their last four series-ending games, UH has scored 72 runs against opponents, batting .419, slugging .581, and having an on-base percentage of .505. The run differential in these games is +49.

HOMEGROWN TALENT