HONOLULU--The University of Hawai'i softball team (22-13, 5-4 Big West) heads to San Luis Obispo, Calif. to take on Cal Poly in a three-game Big West series. The two team will face off in a single game on Friday, April 7 at 2:00 p.m. HT and will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 8 beginning at 11:00 a.m. HT.
HEAD COACH: Bob Coolen
Overall record: 1,143-774-1 (37th Season)
At Hawai'i: 1,071-681-1 (32nd Season)
Last week: UC San Diego defeated UH in the series opener last Friday, but the 'Bows battled back to sweep Saturday's doubleheader with a pair of shutouts from pitchers Key-Annah Campbell-Pua and
Brianna Lopez. In the series finale and the series tied at 1-1, Lopez fired her first career no-hitter and was a walk shy of a perfect game. In the win,
Haley Johnson drove in all three runs with a two-run home run and an RBI-double that scored
Maya Nakamura
CAL POLY (10-14, 3-6 BIG WEST)
Series History: Hawai'i holds a 19-13 series record against CP. Last year, UH went into the Cal Poly series with a 7-2 conference record. The Mustangs took care of the 'Bows with a three-game sweep in Honolulu.
Last week: The Mustangs come into the weekend trying to snap a four-game losing streak. Last week Cal Poly was swept at UC Santa Barbara.
Head Coach: Jenny Condon (19th season)
NEWS & NOTES
- The Rainbow Wahine bounced back after dropping the first game against UC San Diego to win the three game conference series, 2-1 after UH picked up a pair of shutouts during Saturday's doubleheader. UH evened the series with a 2-0 win with Campbell-Pua tossing a six-hitter for her fifth complete-game shutout of the season. In the rubber game, Lopez threw her first career no-hitter as UH won the series with a 3-0 win over the Tritons.
- OFFENSIVE OUTPUT - Hawai'i has out-scored their opponents, 177-to-115 while out-hitting their foes, .278-to-.236. Hawai'i continues to lead the league with a team slugging percentage of .462. 37 doubles, while averaging 1.00 home runs per game.
- DEFENSE - Defensively, UH is No. 1 in the Big West with nine shutouts and a .40 double plays per game average.
- LEADING THE LEAGUE
- Maya Nakamura leads the Big West and is ranked 14th in the NCAA with a .550 on-base percentage. Her .364 batting average leads the team and she has scored a team-best 26 runs and has drawn a team-high 25 walks while being plunked seven times. She is second on the team with a .597 slugging percentage with 10 of her 28 hits going for extra bases. Last week against UC San Diego, Nakamura hit a team-best .667 (4-for-6) with two doubles and two runs scored.
- Haley Johnson's .91 RBI per game leads the league. Currently, the designated player/catcher is hitting .333 with a team-high 32 hits and 32 RBI. Last week, against UC San Diego, Johnson was responsible for four of UH's seven total runs.
- Mya'Liah Bethea continues to lead the conference with nine home runs and a .26 home runs/game average. Bethea a utility player who has seen action in the outfield, at catcher, and at first during her career, has started the last 25 games at first base after Dallas Millwood went down with a season-ending injury in UH's first game in Las Vegas vs. Montana. Bethea actually started the first seven games in leftfield.
- Catcher Izabella Martinez has emerged as a tough-out in the five hole. The sophomore is second on the team hitting .337 (31-for-92). With just two strikeouts on the season, she is the toughest player to strikeout in the league and is ranked No. 5 in the NCAA through the first eight weeks of the season. Martinez has a team best six doubles and is second ont hee squad driving in 25 runs.
- UH starter Brianna Lopez leads the Big West in both victories (11) and shutouts (5). Overall she has an 11-6 record with a 3-3 mark in conference. She has a team-low 2.02 ERA in 100.2 innings pitched. She has struck out 82 while walking 38. Both she and Campbell-Pua have held opponents to an identical .217 batting average. Lopez has tossed 19 complete games on the season in 19 appearances.
- THAT BALL SAID ALOOOHA! - The Hawai'i bats have been blasting off for a total of 35 home runs thus far. That's just two homers shy of what UH recorded all of last season. UH's current 35 HR's is on pace to be the most since UH hit 51 in 2019 (the last full season before COVID).
- STEADY LINEUP - The first three and fifth spots in UH's batting lineup has started all 35 games with Xiao Gin leading off, Ka'ena Keliinoi batting second, Maya Nakamura hitting third and Izabella Martinez batting in the fifth spot. Since Dallas Millwood went down, Hayley Johnson has hit cleanup with Mya'Liah Bethea sixth and Cira Bartolotti has hit eighth in the last 28 games. Position wise, only three players have started the same position all 32 games--Gin at short, Nakamura at second, and Bartolotti in center. Offensively four others have started all 32 games but at various positions. Kellinoi has started 17 at third, 10 in right and five in left. Johnson has started 27 games as the DP and five at catcher and Bethea started the first seven in left before switching to first for the last 25.
- UH's No. 2 starting pitcher, Key-Annah Campbell-Pua comes into the week with an 8-4 overall record with six complete games and two shutouts. She has a 2.73 ERA in 66.2 innings pitched while holding opponents to a team-low, .216 batting average. She has 35 strike outs to 17 walks. On Feb. 19 vs. Montana in Las Vegas, Campbell-Pua fired a no-hitter while facing the minimum 21 batters in a 7-0 win with a career-high six strikeouts. For her efforts that week, she earned both Big West Pitcher and Freshman of the Week.
- Junior Xiao Gin has led off and started at shortstop in every game thus far this season. The transfer from Oregon State has gotten the job done, she is second on the team with 25 runs scored and is one of three UH players to have 30 hits. Overall, she is hitting .294 and is second on the team with 23 walks.
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