HONOLULU – Coming off of a four-game series split with 2022 NCAA champion Ole Miss, Hawai'i hosts another perennial powerhouse in No. 13 NC State for a three-game series Friday through Sunday at Les Murakami Stadium.

The Wolfpack won two out of three games against the 'Bows in 2017 in the only meeting between the two schools. This weekend's series will also feature two of the nine active DI head coaches with over 1,000 career wins in UH coach Rich Hill and NC State's Elliott Avent.
 

HAWAI'I (2-2, 0-0 Big West) vs. #13 NC STATE (2-1, 0-0 ACC)
Dates & Times				Friday, Feb. 23 - 6:35 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24 - 6:35 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25 - 1:05 p.m.
Location				Honolulu, O'ahu -- Les Murakami Stadium
Radio				CBS 1500 (Friday, Saturday) | ESPN Honolulu (Sunday)
TV/Live Stream				Spectrum Sports / ESPN+  (Friday only)
Live Stats				Friday | Saturday | Sunday
PDF Notes				Hawai'i | NC State
Social Media				@HawaiiBaseball  | @Hawaiibsb
Promotions				First Hawaiian Bank is the series sponsor of Know Your 'Bows Weekend and will be handing out 650 rally towels before the game on Friday! Fans will be selected at random to participate in fun ball park games with the chance of winning amazing prizes! Friday (Feb. 23): Hawai'i Baseball kicks off their Friday night tradition of the Tropical Turn Up! Please join us at the mauka grass of the Les Murakami Stadium an hour before first pitch for games, autographs, and music by select DJs. With the addition of this Friday night tradition we hope to create a fun and fresh pre-game atmosphere! Buy your food and drinks from the concessions located on the concourse level and bring it down to the Tropical Turn Up at the Les!  Saturday (Feb. 24): 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 & Hawai'i Pono'i prior to Saturday's game (Check-in 30 minutes prior to first pitch near the Big West Conference logo on the ground level). Group-rates and ticket discounts available for select games.  Sunday (Feb. 25) We will start another tradition at the Les! Starting this season Coach Hill and the Hawai'i Baseball team invite youth attending the last game of each series to run the bases after the game. Please meet with a marketing staff immediately following the game down at the ground level as we will walk families and youth out to the field Also immediately following the game we will have our first autograph session of the season. Please listen for announcements such as location, and players participating, during the games!
Projected Rotations				Hawai'i Friday -- LHP Harrison Bodendorf (0-0, 6.75) Saturday -- LHP Randy Abshier (0-1, 11.25) Sunday -- TBD	NC State Friday -- RHP Sam Highfill (1-0, 1.80) Saturday  -- LHP Dominic Fritton (0-0, 10.38) Sunday -- LHP Ryan Marohn (1-0, 0.00)

  
HEAD COACH RICH HILL
At Hawai'i: 59-46, 3rd season
Collegiate Record: 1,138-784-4, 37th season

SERIES VS. NC STATE
NC State leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: 2017 (NC State won, 8-1)

LEADING OFF 
DID YOU KNOW?
The first UH true freshman to start at shortstop on opening day since 2017, Elijah Ickes currently leads the conference and is 32nd nationally with a .714 on-base percentage. He also leads the Big West and is 40th nationally with six runs scored.
 
INSTANT IMPACT
Hawai'i got key contributions from a number of newcomers on opening weekend. True freshman Elijah Ickes started all four games and hit .556 with a .714 OBP and six runs scored. Another pair of true freshmen, Isaiah Magdaleno and Itsuki Takemoto combined to strike out 11 batters and hold the Rebels to a run on three hits in seven innings on Saturday. Additionally, JC transfer Danny Veloz pitched twice and worked four scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
 
OPENING WEEKEND SPLIT
Hawai'i opened the season by taking the final two games of a four-game series against 2022 NCAA Champion Ole Miss. After falling in 13 innings in the opener and dropping a 5-2 decision in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, the Rainbow Warriors responded in a big way, outscoring the Rebels 22-5 over the final two games of the series to secure the split.
Additionally, fans packed Les Murakami all weekend as the opening series of the season drew a combined 12,359 fans for an average of 4,120 per day highlighted by a sellout for Friday's opener. The crowd of 4,633 at the season opener marked the 13th largest announced attendance in stadium history and the biggest crowd since the 2015 season opener against Oregon.
 
WALK THIS WAY
The Rainbow Warriors showed some high-level plate discipline on opening weekend against Ole Miss, drawing 27 walks to lead the Big West. Hawai'i also ranks 19th nationally in bases on balls through one week while also leading the conference and sitting in 20th in the country with eight hit by pitches. Ben Zeigler-Namoa leads the way with seven walks, a number that ranks second nationally and first in the Big West. Zeigler-Namoa worked three walks each in games one and four while Austin Machado also drew three free passes in Sunday's win.
 
MIX & MATCH
After using 46 different batting lineups in 49 games in 2023, head coach Rich Hill has continued to mix and match his batting order to start the 2024 season using four different lineups on opening weekend against Ole Miss.
 
» No UH player was in the same spot in the lineup in every game.
» Six of the nine spots have had at least three different players start in them.
» A different player has hit in the No. 2 and cleanup spots in all four games.
 
LIGHTS OUT FRESHMEN
Freshmen pitchers provided a bright spot for the Rainbow Warriors on opening weekend. Six freshmen combined to post a 1.64 ERA with 13 strikeouts and just six hits allowed over 11.0 innings of work against Ole Miss. Freshmen Isaiah Magdaleno and Zacary Tenn picked up each of UH's two wins while Itsuki Takemoto earned the save in the victory in game two of Saturday's doubleheader.
 
» Magdaleno and Takemoto combined to strike out 11 batters over seven innings while allowing just a run on three hits in Saturday's win.
» Magdaleno went four innings and fanned five while Takemoto threw the final three frames and struck out six while walking one and giving up a hit.
» Tenn did not give up a hit over 1.2 innings of relief with two strikeouts to get the win Sunday while Sebastian Gonzalez pitched a three-up, three-down inning.
 
DEFENSIVE VERSATILITY
Versatility has been a common theme among Hawai'i's position players, as a number of players have gotten starts at multiple positions on the field throughout their careers. The Rainbow Warriors have 11 players on their roster who have made starts at multiple positions on the field during their careers, with five of those players getting starts at three or more positions. The 'Bows used 35 different defensive lineups in in 2023, and have started this season with four different defensive lineups in four games.