HONOLULU – The Hawai'i baseball team opens the 2023 season this week when it hosts defending Horizon League champions Wright State for a four-game series Friday through Sunday at Les Murakami Stadium. First pitch for Friday's opener is set for 6:35 p.m. while Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's series finale will both begin at 1:05 p.m.
 

HAWAI'I vs. WRIGHT STATE
Dates & Times				Friday, Feb. 17 - 6:35 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 - 1:05 p.m. (Doubleheader -- Game two to start 45 mins. after the end of game one) Sunday, Feb. 19 - 1:05 p.m.
Location				Honolulu, O'ahu -- Les Murakami Stadium
Television				Spectrum Sports (Friday and Sunday only)
Radio				Friday - ESPN 1420 AM | Saturday - CBS 1500 AM | Sunday - ESPN 1420 AM
Live Stream				Friday | Sunday
Live Stats				Friday | Saturday (Gm 1) | Saturday (Gm 2) | Sunday
PDF Notes				Hawai'i | Wright State
Social Media				@HawaiiBaseball  | @Hawaiibsb
Promotions				Outrigger Resorts and Hotels is the sponsor of opening weekend and will award over $300 in prizes throughout the series.  Fans can register to win at the sports marketing table located near the main entrance.  Little League teams or groups that have purchased a group rate package are invited onto the field to stand alongside the UH baseball players for the National Anthem & Hawaii Pono'i prior to Saturday's game (Check-in 30 minutes prior to first pitch of the first game near the Big West Conference logo on the ground level)
Buy Tickets				Here

 
  
HEAD COACH RICH HILL
At Hawai'i: 28-24, 2nd season
Collegiate Record: 1,107-762-4, 36th season

SERIES VS. WRIGHT STATE
Overall: 5-0
Last meeting: June 3, 2006 (Hawai'i won, 5-3)
Streak: W5

LEADING OFF 
WHAT A TURNAROUND
The Rainbow Warriors are coming off of their best conference finish since joining The Big West in 2013, coming in third in the league at 19-11 and 28-24 overall head coach Rich Hill's first season. Despite going 8-16 in the first 24 games of the year, UH turned things around by winning its next seven series, going 20-8 over the final 28 games. It was also the first time the 'Bows finished over .500 in Big West play, while the 28 total wins were the most by at UH team since 2017.
 
'BOWS ROLL DEEP
Hawai'i heads into the season with one of its deeper rosters in recent years, carrying 40 players, 21 of which are returnees who have contributed at some point in their careers. The 'Bows return seven every day starters while bringing back several key bullpen arms. UH also welcomes in a talented group of newcomers that includes six freshmen and three D1 transfers.

PLAYING FOR HAWAI'I
For the second straight year, the Hawai'i roster will have a strong local flavor to it as 20 of the 40 players on the roster are local products. Head coach Rich Hill has made it a point of keeping the best local talent home, as UH has suited up 20 homegrown players in each of the last two seasons. The Rainbow Warriors haven't had that many local products on the roster since the 2000 season.
 
PARTY AT THE LES
One of the best venues in the country has remained one of the hottest tickets nationally in recent years, as Hawai'i has continued to pack Les Murakami Stadium. The Rainbow Warriors have led The Big West in average attendance every year since joining the league in 2013 and have consistently been in the top 35 nationally in average attendance and the top five among teams in the western U.S. in average attendance since the NCAA began reporting yearly attendance figures in 2014.

PACKING A PUNCH
Hawai'i is coming off of its best offensive season statistically since joining The Big West in 2013, thanks to a deep lineup that produced top-to-bottom in 2022. The Rainbow Warriors had six different starters hit .290 or better, while four players drove in at least 30 runs and six players came across to score at least 30 times. The UH lineup ended the year with its highest season output since joining the league in a number of different categories.
 
» Most home runs (32), RBIs (279), walks (210) and stolen bases (56) in a season since becoming a part of The Big West.
» Second in the league in stolen bases, third in OBP (.371) and fourth in runs per game (5.9). 
» Third in The Big West in conference games, hitting .279, while finishing fourth in runs scored (182).
 
SECOND HALF SURGE
The offense was a huge key to Hawai'i's success in the second half of last season, as the Rainbow bats caught fire over to help UH go 20-8 over the final 28 contests. The 'Bows hit .306 with 24 home runs, 193 RBIs and 211 runs scored during the second-half surge, while scoring double-digit runs eight times and reaching double-figures in hits 15 times over that span.

SWING AND MISS STUFF
The Hawai'i pitching staff showed off some electric stuff a season ago, finishing with the most strikeouts by a Rainbow Warrior staff since 2006 with 454. UH pitchers racked up double-digit strikeouts in a game 20 times in 52 games with a high of 15 punch-outs in four different games. The 454 strikeouts are also the fifth-most in a season in program history while also marking the first time that Hawai'i pitching has fanned at least 450 batters in a season in which it played fewer than 60 games.
 
» Second-most strikeouts per game in a season in school history (8.73), trailing only the 2020 COVID shortened season (9.00 in 17 games).
» Tai Atkins led the team in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.38, fanning 51 over 40.1 innings.
» Dalton Renne finished with a K/BB ratio of 5.25/1, striking out 42 and walking just eight.
 
BULLPEN 'BOWS
A number of Hawai'i's key bullpen arms return in 2023, as the Rainbow Warriors hope to turn to their relievers as one of their strenghts this year. UH returns five pitchers who made 10 or more appearances out of the bullpen in 2022 for a relief pitching unit that accounted for over half of the team's strikeouts, recording 261 of the UH's 454 total punch-outs. Tai Atkins led the way for UH out of the bullpen, posting a 3.08 ERA and 50 strikeouts in his 26 relief appearances, while Dalton Renne struck out 34 while walking just six and picking up six saves in his 16 outings in relief.
 
» The 'Bows went 24-3 when leading after six or seven innings while going 25-1 when leading after eight.
» UH finished fourth in The Big West with 16 saves.
» Hawai'i relievers struck out 9.13 batters per nine innings.
» Relievers accounted for 51.4 percent of UH's innings pitched (239.0 of 464.2).