HONOLULU--The University of Hawai'i softball team (8-16, 1-2 Big West) returns to Honolulu to host their Big West home opener this week against CSUN (16-10, 0-3 Big West). The Rainbow Wahine and Matadors will face off in a single game on Friday, March 22nd at 6:00 p.m. HT followed by a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2:00 p.m. HT. All games will be held at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium where admission is FREE.
 

HAWAI'I (8-16, 1-2 Big West) vs. CSUN (16-10, 0-3 Big West)
Dates & Times				Friday, March 22, 2024 - 6:00 p.m. HT Saturday, March 23, 2024 - 2:00 p.m.HT/4:00 p.m. HT (DH)
Location				Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium (1,200) - Honolulu, O'ahu
Promotions				Great Prizes will be awarded for the winners of the popular "Ballpark Bingo." Also, UH prizes will be thrown into the stands during the fourth inning of every UH game
Live Stats				Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Game Day Rosters				CLICK HERE
Game Notes				Hawai'i  | CSUN
Social Media				@HawaiiSB  | #HawaiiSB | @HawaiiSoftball  | Facebook
Tickets				Admission is FREE

HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (8-16, 1-2 Big West)Head Coach: Bob Coolen (33rd Season)
Record at UH: 1,065-706-1
Overall Record: 1,137-779-1 (38th season)
Series Record: UH leads 24-20
Last season: UH won the series opener at CSUN, 12-3 in five innings, but fell in the doubleheader, 5-8 and 1-11 (5 innings) 
Streak: CSUN won 2

CSUN MATADORS (16-10, 0-3 Big WestHead Coach: Charlotte Morgan (Fourth Season)
CSUN /Career Record: 74-84

QUICK HITS

• vs. UC SANTA BARBARA - Last week, Hawai'i went 1-2 at UC Santa Barbara to open the 2024 Big West season.
  • The Rainbow Wahine led 5-0 in the first game, but the Gauchos rallied for nine runs in the fourth and tow in the fifth to power to an 11-5 lead. UH tried to respond, getting four runs back in the sixth on a two-RBI single by Maya Nakamura and a two-run home run by Dallas Millwood, but it was not enough as UCSB won, 11-9. 
  • UH starter Key-Annah Campbell-Pua earned a complete-game victory as the 'Bows opened Saturday's doubleheader with a 2-1 win. The Gauchos took a quick 1-0 lead in the first, but UH scored two in the fourth on an RBI single by Chloe Borges and a sacrifice fly by Mya'Liah Bethea.
  • UCSB scored three runs in the first to begin the rubber-match. But a two-out error in the second changed the inning from ending, to the flood gates opening as UCSB scored six runs in the frame to go up, 9-0. UCSB's Ainsley Waddell took a no-hitter into the fifth innings, but freshman Madixx Muramoto hit a double with two outs to deny the no-no.
• JOHNSON STEADY LEADER - Overall, the Rainbow Wahine are led on offense by senior designated player Haley Johnson's .328 batting average. She leads UH in average, hits (22), doubles (5), amd is tied with Nakamura with a team-best five multple-hit games. Johnson's streak of reached base safely in 14-straight games was snapped in the series finale at UCSB.
• TURNING THINGS AROUND - For the second-straight week, senior second baseman Nakamura led UH at the plate hitting .600 (3-for-5 with two walks and a sacrifice fly. Through the first 13 games of the season, Nakamura was hitting below the Mendoza line (.200). But she has turned it around and has been hitting like herself again in the last 11 games with a .483 average (14-for-29) with 15 RBI, two doubles, a triple and three home runs. Overall, Nakamura has improved her average to .290 (18-for-62) and leads UH with 16 runs scored and 16 RBI with a .565 slugging percentage. Nakamura leads UH with five multiple RBI games and she had her nine-game hitting streak snapped in the doubleheader at UCSB last Saturday. 
• CAMPBELL-PUA COMES THROUGH - Sophomore Key-Annah Campbell-Pua earned her second, complete-game win last week at UCSB. She allowed one run in the first but held off the Gauchos the following six innings, spacing six hits with a walk and a game-ending strikeout. Overall, she is 2-5 and has lowered her ERA to 4.36 in 45.0 innings pitched in 10 appearances. 
• MILLWOOD FLOURISHING AT FIRST - First baseman Dallas Millwood returned from a season-ending injury last season to be one of two UH players to be hitting over .300 through the first 24 games. She currently is hitting .316 (18-for-57) with two doubles and three home runs. She is one of four Raibnow Wahine to have driven in double-digit runs (12 RBI). Situationally, she is hitting .750 (3-of-4) with runners on third  less than two outs and is hitting .545 (7-for-18) in successfully advancing runners on base.
• BETHEA HITTING BOMBS - For the second-straight season, utility player Mya'LIah Bethea is the Big West home run leader. Through 24 games, Bethea has blasted a conference-high six homers.  Although she is hitting .245 (13--for-53), she leads UH with a .623 slugging percentage and is second on the team with 12 runs scored. 
• BORGES  TWO WAYS - Junior Chloe Borges has started 19 of 21 appearances for UH this season, seeing eight appearances as the pitcher while starting 17 games in centerfield. She is fourth on the team hitting .256 (11-for-43) and is second on the team with five home runs and 14 RBI. She has also drawn a team-best 11 walks and leads UH with a .429 on-base percentage. 
• SMALL BALL - UH has executed 23 sacrifice bunts thus far in 2024 as the team is working hard to generate runs. Last year, UH put down 27 sac bunts, but in the last five years, UH has average 17.8 sac bunts per season. For the second straight season, Ka'ena Keliinoi leads UH in the categorie with six. Maycen Gibbs is second on the squad with four. 
• McGAUGHEY GETTING FIRST STARTS - Rookie Jamie McGaughey  got her first two collegiate starts at third this past series as the 'Bows search for offense. Prior to getting the nod at third, McGaughey was the first batter off the bench for pinch-hitting duties. Keliinoi, who has been the starter at the hot corner the past two years shifted to rightfield.