HONOLULU – Following a three-game sweep in a nonconference series against Tulane, Hawai'i jumps back into Big West play with a key road series at Cal State Fullerton Friday through Sunday. The 'Bows and Titans are two of the four teams in the league over .500 in conference play in the early going, as Fullerton is tied for second at 5-1 while UH sits in fourth at 2-1.
| HAWAI'I (12-8, 2-1 Big West) vs. CAL STATE FULLERTON (12-8, 5-1 Big West) |
| Dates & Times |
Friday, March 31 - 3 p.m. HT
Saturday, April 1 - 2 p.m. HT
Sunday, April 2 - 10 a.m. HT |
| Location |
Fullerton, Calif. |
| Television |
None |
| Radio |
Friday & Saturday - CBS 1500 AM; Sunday - ESPN 1420 AM | Listen Online |
| Live Stream |
Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Live Stats |
Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| PDF Notes |
Hawai'i | Cal State Fullerton |
| Social Media |
@HawaiiBaseball  | @Hawaiibsb  |
| Promotions |
N/A |
| Projected Starting Rotations |
Hawaii
Friday: LHP Harry Gustin (2-1, 3.54)
Saturday: LHP Randy Abshier (2-1, 3.12)
Sunday: TBD |
Cal State Fullerton
Friday: LHP Tyler Stultz (3-1, 3.74)
Saturday: RHP Trevor Hinkel (0-3, 7.98)
Sunday: TBD |
HEAD COACH RICH HILL
At Hawai'i: 40-32, 2nd season
Collegiate Record: 1,119-770-4, 36th season
SERIES VS. CAL STATE FULLERTON
Record: 16-24
Streak: UH won 2
Last Meeting: May 1, 2022 (UH won, 17-3)
LEADING OFF
DID YOU KNOW?
In his last four outings, Big West Pitcher of the Week
Harry Gustin has posted a 1.71 ERA with 24 strikeouts over 21.0 innings pitched. UH has won in each of Gustin's last four starts.
DOMINANT WEEKEND
Hawai'i is coming off of a dominant weekend sweep of Tulane in which it outscored the Green Wave, 15-3 over the three games. Rainbow Warrior pitching gave up just one run in each of the three games, while allowing only 13 hits all weekend. Hawai'i starting pitchers
Harry Gustin,
Randy Abshier and
Alex Giroux combined for a 0.53 ERA and 21 strikeouts to only three walks while giving up just five hits over 17.0 innings.
Kyson Donahue led the way at the plate, driving in eight runs while homering in each of the last two games of the series and batting .417.
Ben Zeigler-Namoa led the team with a .545 average (6-for-11) with a double and three runs scored.
BIG WEST SUCCESS
The Rainbow Warriors have enjoyed elevated success in Big West play during their short time under head coach
Rich Hill. Last year, UH posted its best-ever finish in the conference, coming in third at 19-11. Hawai'i went 16-5 over its final 21 Big West games in 2022, winning six of its final seven conference series with three weekend sweeps in that stretch. The 'Bows off to a 2-1 start in Big West play this year and have already made more history as they won a weekend series against Cal Poly for the first time since joining the league in 2013.
KYSON IS KRUSHING
Junior third baseman
Kyson Donahue has been on a tear over the last few weeks. Donahue heads into the Cal State Fullerton series on a 12-game hitting streak, batting .383 (18-for-47) with four homers and 18 RBIs over that stretch. He has driven in a run in 10 of the 12 games during his hitting streak and has an RBI in five straight games going into this weekend. On the season, the Punahou School graduate is batting .351 while leading the team with five homers and 24 RBIs. Donahue is also first on the team with a .623 slugging percentage and second with six doubles.
LIFT OFF
The Hawai'i bats have shown some pop over the first five weeks of the season. The Rainbow Warriors have hit 18 home runs on the year, the most by a UH team through the first 20 games of a season since 2010. Seven different 'Bows have homered, led by
Kyson Donahue with five and
Matt Wong and
Jared Quandt with three each, to put UH in third place in the conference in long balls.
» UH's 18 home runs are already just as much or more than it has had in seven of the last 11 seasons.
» The 'Bows are second in The Big West with six multi-HR games.
» Hawai'i has hit back-to-back homers twice this season, while 14 of the 18 HRs have come in wins.
» Eight of the home runs have come in two-strike counts while six have been to lead off an inning.
LEANING ON THE LOCAL BOYS
The Rainbow Warrior position player group once again is made up of a core group of local players. In all but two games this year, at least seven of the nine players in the lineup have been from Hawai'i while eight of the nine starters have been local products 11 times.
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Ben Zeigler-Namoa is second on the team and eighth in the conference with a .355 batting average while hitting two homers and driving in 15 runs and leading the team with seven doubles.
»
Matt Wong is hitting .329 with three homers and 15 RBIs while
Jacob Igawa has two homers and 10 RBIs and
Matthew Miura has scored nine runs and has an OBP of .375.
SHUT THE DOOR
Lefty
Connor Harrison has been one of the Rainbow Warriors' go-to arms out of the bullpen so far. the junior leads the team with nine appearances and has posted a 0.98 ERA with 23 strikeouts to just two walks over 18.1 innings pitched. Harrison also leads The Big West and is 15th nationally with five saves and is holding opponents to a .167 batting average against.
» Earned saves in each of UH's two wins at the Cambria College Classic over Minnesota and Maryland.
» Has finished eight of the Rainbow Warriors' 12 wins.
» Has not allowed a run in nine of his 11 appearances and has given up an earned run in only one of his outings.
CAN'T TOUCH THIS
One of the key pieces on the Hawai'i pitching staff over the first six weeks has been JUCO transfer ALEX GIROUX. The sophomore right-hander owns a conference-leading 0.81 ERA with 22 strikeouts and five walks over 22.1 innings pitched in seven appearances. Giroux has made two starts while being used in long relief in his last five times, owning a 0.55 ERA over 16.1 innings when coming out of the bullpen.
LETHAL LEFTIES
Hawai'i has gotten some strong performances out of its lefties in the starting rotation over the last month of the season. The Rainbow Warriors have started lefties
Harry Gustin and
Randy Abshier in the first two games of each of the last four weekends while
Harrison Bodendorf and
Ben Zeigler-Namoa have also gotten the ball to start in that stretch. UH has started a left-handed pitcher in 17 of its 20 games this season.
» Gustin is 2-1 with a 3.54 ERA over a team-hig 28.1 innings with 26 strikeouts to just 10 walks.
» He earned Big West Pitcher of the Week honors after allowing just one run on one hit with eight strikeouts over seven innings and taking a no-hitter into the seventh vs. Tulane.
» Abshier has started six games and has a 3.12 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 26.0 innings.
» He gave up just one hit over six shutout innings with eight strikeouts Saturday vs. Tulane.
» Bodendorf has 24 strikeouts in 18.2 innings and went worked two shutout innings of relief in back-to-back appearances against the Green Wave.
» UH pitching as a whole has been tough on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .193 batting average.
