LAS VEGAS, Nev.--The University of Hawai'i softball team (3-3) heads off on its first road trip of the 2023 to Las Vegas, Nev. to compete in UNLV's Desert Classic. The three-day tournament will run from Feb. 17-19 at Eller Media Stadium. Hawai'i will open the tournament with games against Montana and UNLV on Friday, Feb. 17. On Saturday, Feb. 18 the Rainbow Wahine will take on CSU Bakersfield in a non-conference game followed by a second game against UNLV. UH will conclude the Desert Classic with a single game vs. Montana on Sunday, Feb. 19.
 

UNLV Desert Classic - Feb. 17-19, 2023
Tournament Schedule				Friday, Feb. 17, 2023 10:30 a.m. HT - vs. Montana 4:00 p.m. HT - UNLV Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023 8:00 a.m. HT - CSU Bakersfield 1:00 p.m. HT - UNLV Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023 7:30 a.m. - vs. Montana
Location				Eller Media Stadium (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Video Stream				Friday | Saturday | Sunday (Only UNLV games will have audio)
Live State				unlvrebels.com
Desert Classic Central Page				Tournament Central
Game Notes				Hawai'i  | UNLV | Montana | CSU Bakersfield
Social Media				@HawaiiSB  | #HawaiiSB | @HawaiiSoftball  | Facebook

HEAD COACH: Bob CoolenOverall record: 1,125-763-1 (37th Season)
At Hawai'i: 1,053-670-1 (32nd Season)

Hawai'i vs. MontanaSeries History: UH leads Montana, 3-0
Streak: UH played the Grizzlies twice in 2022 in the Outrigger Hawai'i Invitational. Hawai'i won 7-5 on 2/24/22 and 2-0 on 2/26/23.
Head Coach: Melanie Meuchel (Sixth season)
•The Grizzlies enter Week 2 with a 0-5 record
•Montana is led by Kelly Sweyer's .375 batting average (6-for-16) and Hannah Jablonski who is hitting .357 (5-for-14).
•The Griz have used four pitchers with Allie Brock seen the bulk of the workload. She is 0-2 with a 5.57 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched.

Hawai'i vs. UNLVSeries History: UH leads UNLV, 38-35
Streak: UNLV won two. Last season in Las Vegas, the Rebels defeated UH twice. UNLV downd UH 5-3 on 2/22/22 and then rallied back to squeak by Hawai'i 12-11 in eight innings on 2/12/22.
Head Coach: Kristie Fox (Fifth season)
• Last week, the Runnin' Rebels won their two games by mercy rule with a 13-3 win over Southern Utah in six innings to open the season. On the final day of the Rebel Kickoff tourney, UNLV downed Weber State, 12-4 in six innings.
• On the flip side, two of their four losses were by mercy-rule to 7th-ranked Arkansas, 11-0 in five and a 9-1 loss in five to Baylor who was receiving votes to start the season.

Hawai'i vs. CSU BakersfieldSeries History: UH leads UNLV, 38-35
Streak: UH has won all six meetings with CSUB in program history. Last season, head coach Bob Coolen earned his 1,100th career win against the Roadrunners in a non-conference game in Las Vegas. The 'Bows then swept the 'Runners in Honolulu, later in the Spring.
Head Coach: Daniel Sperl (First season)
• The 'Runners opened the season last week at the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament at UCLA. CSUB lost all five games, with two coming against host and 2nd-ranked UCLA by mercy rule. CSUB took Nevada to nine innings however in their second meeting, but fell, 3-2.

NEWS & NOTES•The Rainbow Wahine got off to a hot start, winning their first three games for the first time since 2016 when UH started off 4-0. But then after scoring the most runs since 2019 with a 16-2 win over St. Mary's-CA in five innings, the 'Bows then fell to Utah Tech in five innings with a 12-4 loss. In that game against the Trailblazers, UH gave up eight runs in the top of the first. Hawai'i dropped both games of their Sunday doubleheader to even their record at 3-3 to enter Week 2.
•OFFENSIVE ATTACK - In the six games played, UH out-hit their opponents in five of them. Hawai'i's offense had 14 extra-base hits (six doubles, one triple and seven home runs) out of their 28 total hits. As a team, UH hit just a shade under .300 with a combined .295 batting average.
•A TALE OF TWO HALVES OF THE PARADISE CLASSIC - In the first three games, UH hit .338 with eight extra base hit--including five home runs and in the pitching circle, UH 's Brianna Lopez, Key-Annah Campbell-Pua and Millie Fidge combined for a 1.47 ERA in 19.0 innings. However, in the three losses, as a team the 'Bows hit .260 and the pitching staff of six had an ERA of 6.63 in the final 19.0 innings of the tournament while the opponents had a 1.88 ERA against UH.
• BUELLER BOMBS - After an injury plagued junior season, senior Rachel "Bueller" Sabourin returned this season to give everything she had for one last season. Last week, she came off the bench to blast a pair of pinch-hit home runs. It was her first two career homers. In four games, she went 4-for-6 for a team-best .667 batting average with three runs scored and four RBI.
•BETHEA BLASTS AWAY - Leftfielder Mya'Liah Bethea retuns to her hometown of Las Vegas this week after  she had a solid weekend at the plate. The junior hit .294 (5-for-17) with four extra-base hits--a double and three home runs. Her three home runs were more that she hit in her first two seasons at UH.
•JOHNSON STEADY AT THE PLATE - Sophomore designated player Haley Johnson enters this week hitting .438 going 7-for-16 on offense. Her seven hits leads the team and her three hits that came against St. Mary's-CA was a single-game career high. In the season opener against the Utah Tech she drove in the tying and go-ahead run in the sixth with her third career triple to lift UH to the win over the Trailblazers, 2-1.
•MARTINEZ STREAKING - Catcher Izabella Martinez is the only Rainbow Wahine to hit safely in all six games thus far as she begins the week with a .353 batting average (6-for-17). Currently she leads UH with four runs scored, two doubles, and six RBI. She started at catcher in all six games.
•LOPEZ, CAMPBELL-PUA GET OFF TO STRONG START - Starting pitchers Brianna Lopez and Key-Annah Campbell-Pua both got off to strong starts this season. Lopez, the sophomore lefty recorded a 2-1 record with a team-low 1.56 ERA in 18.0 innings pitched. Campbell-Pua went 1-1 earning her first collegiate win in her first start. She has a 4.08 ERA in 12.0 innings of work with three walks and five strikeouts.
•NAKAMURA CONTINUES SOLID PLAY - Junior second baseman Maya Nakamura picked up right where she left off in 2022. She enters Wee 2 with a .364 batting average while on defense she's recorded 10 putouts and 17 assists with no errors.
•GIN MAKES IMPACT - Malia "Xiao" Gin led all six games off while starting at shortstop. She hit .294 for the oturney scoring three runs with a double  and two RBI. She leads UH with five walks. Gin is a junior Covid transfer from Oregon State. She earned her degree in three years at OSU in kiniesiology and is currently pursuing her masters in KRS.