HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i softball team (29-21, 12-12 Big West) returns to host its final homestand of the season against UC Davis. The three-game, Big West Series will begin on Thursday, May 11 at 6:00 p.m. HT in a single game and conclude with a Friday night doubleheader beginning at 4:00 p.m. HT. On Friday, Hawai'i will celebrate 'Senior Night" and honor its four seniors--Amanda Ajari, Cira Bartolotti, Lepepaina "Princess" Matavao, and Rachel "Bueller" Sabourin.
 

GAMES 51-53 - HAWAI'I (29-21 12-12 BW) vs. UC DAVIS (27-19, 13-11 BW)
Date | Time				Thursday, May 11, 2023  |  6:00 P.M. HT Friday, May 12, 2023 - Doubleheader  |  4:00 P.M. & 6:00 P.M. HT
Location				Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium (1,200) - Honolulu, O'ahu
Promotions				•The University of Hawai'i Federal Credit Union (UHFCU) is the sponsor of Friday's "Show UHM Your Aloha" Senior Night game. •UHFCU prize packs will be awarded to the winners of the popular "Ballpark Bingo" on both Thursday and Friday. Also, T-shirts will be thrown into the stands during the fourth inning of each game. Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite aloha apparel and bring ti leaves to the senior night festivities. UHFCU will host the traditional "Senior Night" ceremony following the second game on Friday.
Television				FRIDAY DH ONLY - Spectrum Sports - Ch. 12 [SD] and 1012 [HD] - Scott Robbs (play-by-play), Kelly Elms (color analyst)
Live Stream				FRIDAY DH ONLY - ESPN+ (Blacked out in Hawai'i) - DH GAME 1  | DH  GAME 2
Radio				THURSDAY ONLY - CBS 1500 AM / Sideline Hawaii App - Tiff Wells (play-by-play), TBD (color analyst)
Live Audio Stream				THURSDAY ONLY - cbssportshawaii.com
Live Stats				GAME 1  |  GAME 2  |  GAME 3
Game Day Rosters				CLICK HERE
Game Notes				Hawai'i (PDF)  |   UC Davis (Link)
Social Media				@HawaiiSB  | #HawaiiSB | @HawaiiSoftball  | Facebook
Tickets				Admission is FREE

HEAD COACH: Bob CoolenOverall record: 1,150-782-1 (37th Season)
At Hawai'i: 1,078-689-1 (32nd Season)
Last week: Last week, Hawai'i was swept for the first time in 2023 by league-leader Cal State Fullerton. UH opened the three-game series with a heartbreaking, 1-0 loss. In a pitcher's duel, Hawai'i's Brianna Lopez fired a two-hitter in the loss. The 'Bows battled all weekend, but came up short in Saturday's doubleheader, falling 5-1 and 3-0 to end their last roadtrip of the year.

UC DAVIS (27-19, 13-11 BIG WEST)Series History: UH leads, 18-14
Streak: UCD won 2 
Last Series: Last year, UH ended the year at UC Davis and lost the series 2-1. The Rainbow Wahine won the first game, 6-4, but lost both ends of the following day's doubleheader, 5-3 and 4-2.
Head Coach: Erin Thorpe (Ninth Season)

NEWS & NOTESPLAYING FOR PRIDE
•The Rainbow Wahine are looking to snap their season-long five-game losing streak so they can notch the team's 30th win of the season. It would be the first 30-win campaign since the 2019 team's 33 wins.
•Two wins this weekend would result in UH posting a winning record in the Big West for just the fifth time since rejoining the league in 2013.
• Overall, this is just the sixth time since 2013 (when UH rejoined the BW) that UH has recorded an overall winning record.
• Two weeks ago, prior to the beginning of the Long Beach State series, UH was vying for a league title, they were tied for third place with UC Davis just two games behind LBSU and three behind Fullerton. The 'Bows have since lost five of the last six games and have tumbled down the league standings and enter this week with a 12-12 BW mark in sixth place.
RUN, RUN, RUN - The UH offense has out-scored their opponents, 231-to-177 overall this season. The 231 total runs in through 50 games is the most since UH scored 251 in 2015 in 54 games. UH has outscored opponents in every frame, except the seventh and ninth innings. UH's most dominant inning has been the second in which the 'Bows have outscored their foes, 31-to-12.
THAT BALL SAID ALOOOHA! - Hawai'i is averaging a Big West best 1.04 home runs per game which ranks them at No. 37 in the NCAA. As a team UH leads the Big West with 52 home runs. In all, 11 different Rainbow Wahine have belted at least one home run each--including all seven who have started all 50 games this year. It is the most HR's since 2015's squad which hammered 56 homers.
TURNING TWO - After finishing last season atop all NCAA DI teams with 26 double plays, Hawai'i has continued their turning-two prowess this season as they lead the Big West with 18 double plays through 50 games. Shortstop Xiao Gin has been apart of a team-high 13 while fellow middle infielder, second baseman Maya Nakamura has been on 11   and first baseman Mya'Liah Bethea comes in with 10.
TOUGHEST TO K - The top two Big West players who are the toughest to strikeout are both Rainbow Wahine. Izabella Martinez has been fanned just four times in 136 at-bats to lead the league. Second on the BW's list is Maya Nakamura who has struck out eight times in 123 AB's.
STEADY LINEUP - Seven Rainbow Wahine have started all 50 games this season. Only Xiao Gin, Maya Nakamura, and Cira Bartolotti have started all 50 games at the same position (SS, 2B, and CF respectively). After Dallas Millwood went out with a season-ending injury, Coolen has had the same top six in the batting order for the next 39 games. Only in the last four games has UH shaken their batting order up. Position wise, the 'Bows have consistently started seven of the nine positions consistently. With Millwood's injury, Bethea started the season in left for the first seven games and has started the last 43 at first base.  Martinez has started 45 games at catcher and five at DP, while Haley Johnson has just the opposite, starting 45 at DP and five at catcher. When Rachel Sabourin has got the start at third, Ka'ena Keliinoi has played in the OF with 26 games at third, 13 in left and 11 in right.
OH MAYA! - Junior second baseman Maya Nakamura continues to lead UH with a .390 overall batting average and a .439 average in the Big West. She leads the league with a .531 on-base percentage and is fourth with a .585 slugging percentage. She has a team-highs in runs scored (35), hits (48-tied w/Martinez), and 29 walks. She is also tied with Xiao Gin with a team-best 13 multiple-hit games.
BELLA BY THE PLATE - Sophomore catcher Izabella Martinez comes into the final week of the season ranked second on the team with a .353 batting average. In conference she is also second hitting  .371. Overall, she is tied for the team-lead with 48 hits, eight doubles  and leads UH outright with a .610 slugging percentage. She is second on the team with 38 RBI and a .424 on-base percentage. Martinez has the longest hitting streak of the season for UH at 11 and is second on the squad with 12 multiple-hit games. Behind the dish, Martinez continues to call her own game and she has been a force, gunning down 19 of 31 runners trying to steal.
STARTING PITCHING DUO - The Rainbow Wahine pitching staff is led by sophomore Brianna Lopez and freshman Key-Annah Campbell-Pua. Lopez and Campbell-Pua are the first UH pitching duo since Brittany Hitchcock and Kanani Aina Cabrales in 2015 to both have earned double-digit wins in the same season. Lopez comes into the final series with a career-high 15 victories while Campbell-Pua has earned 11 wins. Both Lopez and Campbell-Pua have also both fired complete-game, seven inning no-hitters. Campbell-Pua's came in Las Vegas, Nev. in UNLV's Desert Classic against Montana (2/19/23), while Lopez's came at home in the series clinching win over UC San Diego (4/1/23).
JOHNSON DRIVING 'EM IN - Sophomore Haley Johnson leads UH with 40 RBI--the most since Callee Heen drove in 45 in 2019. Johnson also leads UH with 13 multiple-RBI games. She drove in a career-high five RBI at CSUN on Mar. 18--four of her RBI came on her first career grand slam. Johnson is also tied with a team-best eight doubles. Currently she is third on the team with a .303 batting average.
BETHEA'S BOMBS LEAD THE BW - Junior Mya'Liah Bethea has led the league and the team all season in home runs. Currently she has 12 home runs--which is more than four other Big West teams have combined--including this week's opponent, UC Davis. After starting the first seven games in left, the utility player from Las Vegas took over at first base after Dallas Millwood's season-ending injury. Bethea has started 43 games at first base. In year's past, she has also seen time at catcher, left and rightfield.  The right-handed hitting left-handed thrower had a team-long streak of 14 games in which she reached base safely.
UNSUNG HERO - Although utility player Ka'ena Keliinoi is hitting just .224, she has helped to set the table as the second batter in the lineup. Her batting average does not reflect her importance to the team both on offense and defense. She leads the Big West with 14 sacrifice bunts in which she has advance leadoff hitter Xiao Gin all 14 times. Keliinoi's bunts have lead to seven runs scored due to her execution and selflessness.