SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--The University of Hawai'i softball team (7-14) open their Big West season on the road this week at UC Santa Barbara. The Rainbow Wahine will face the Gauchos in a single game on Friday, March 15th followed by a Saturday doubleheader on March 16th. First pitch for both days is at 9:00 a.m. HT at UCSB's Campus Diamond. 
 

HAWAI'I (7-14, 0-0 Big West) vs. UC SANTA BARBARA (6-15, 0-0 Big West)
Dates | Times				Friday, March 15, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. HT Saturday, March 16, 2024 (DH) | 9:00 a.m. HT
Location				Campus Diamond - Santa Barbara, Calif.
ESPN+ Live Stream Links				Friday | Saturday DH Game 1 | Game 2
Live Stats Links				Friday | Saturday DH Game 1 | Game 2
Game Notes				Hawai'i  | UCSB
Social Media				@HawaiiSB  | #HawaiiSB | @HawaiiSoftball  | Facebook

HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (7-14, 0-0 Big West)Head Coach: Bob Coolen (33rd Season)
Record at UH: 1,064-704-1
Overall Record: 1,136-777-1 (38th season)
Series Record vs. UCSB: 59-29
Last meeting: In last year's three-game series, the Gauchos won the first game, but Hawai'i swept the doubleheader in Honolulu to win the series.
Streak: UH won 2

UC SANTA BARBARA (6-15, 0-0 Big West)Head Coach: Jo Evans (Second Season
UCSB Record: 32-37
Career Record: 1,019-541-2 (29 seasons)


QUICK HITS

• Hawai'i went 3-3 in the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Wahine Classic last week, picking up two wins over Cleveland State and one against UConn. UH fell twice to New Mexico and once to UConn.
• Senior second baseman Maya Nakamura earned her first Big West Player of the Week award after leading UH hitting .444 with six of her eight hits going for extra bases (two doubles, one triple and three home runs). It marked her second conference weekly honor.
• Nakamura got off to a slow start at the plate this year. She came into last week hitting .190. But she has regained her old form to raise her average to .263 in one week. She leads the team with 13 runs scored and 14 RBI. When at the plate with runners in scoring position, Nakamura leads UH hitting .400 (6-for-15).
• Redshirt senior Dallas Millwood comes into the week leading UH with a .340 batting average and a .414 on-base percentage. After missing much of last year due to a season-ending foot injury in week two of 2023, Millwood is making the most of her final year. She is one of three Rainbow Wahine to have double-digit RBI.
• Senior designated player/catcher Haley Johnson has been one of the most consistent hitters for UH every week. Currently she has reached base safely a team-high 12-straight games. She just had her team-best nine-game hitting streak (which began vs. No. 5 Tennessee on 2/25) snapped last ween in UH's second game vs. New Mexico. Last week, she hit .412 (7-for-17) with three RBI. Overall, Johnson is second on the team hitting .339 with a team-best 20 hits. She leads UH with four doubles, 14 RBI and five multiple-hit games.
• UH starter Addison Kostrencich has emerged as a solid starter to lead the pitching rotation. Currently, she has a 4-5 record with a 5.33 ERA in 10 appearances. She's tossed five complete games with two cg shutouts. She is the only UH pitcher to have more strikeouts than walks (12-to-10) and her 46.0 innings pitched is a team-high as well. This past week, Kostrencich went 2-1.
• Both Mya'Liah Bethea and Chloe Borges are tied with CSUN's Shaylan Whatman with five home runs apiece to lead the Big West. Bethea, a utility player who has already seen time in leftfield, centerfield and first base, is hitting .250 (12-for-48). She is second on the team with 11 runs scored and a .604 slugging percentage. Borges is right below Bethea with a .243 batting average (19-for-37). 
• Aussie pitcher Millie Fidge has seemed to figure out her role as a middle relief/closer. Fidge is 2-2 with a team-low 4.04 ERA in 10 appearances. She has held opponents to a team-low .232 batting average.