LONG BEACH, Calif.--The University of Hawai'i softball team (18-19, 11-5 Big West) travels to Long Beach State (19-26-14-4 BW) for a three-game Big West series . The Rainbow Wahine and The Beach will square off in a single game on Friday, April 26 at 3:00 p.m. HT followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, April 27th at 10:00 a.m. HT. All games will be played at the LBSU Softball Complex.
 

GAMES 38-40:  HAWAI'I (18-19, 11-5 Big West) vs. Long Beach State (19-26, 14-4 Big West)
Dates & Times				Friday, April 26, 2024 - 3:00 p.m. HT Saturday, April 27, 2024 - 10:00 a.m. HT
Location				LBSU Softball Complex - Long Beach, Calif.
Video Stream				ESPN+ - Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats				CLICK HERE
Game Notes				Hawai'i  | Long Beach State
Social Media				@HawaiiSB  | #HawaiiSB | @HawaiiSoftball  | Facebook

HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (18-19, 11-5 Big West)Head Coach: Bob Coolen (33rd Season)
Record at UH: 1,072-709-1
Overall Record: 1,144-782-1 (38th season)
Series Record: LBSU leads 72-33
Last season: Hawai'i won the series opener in Long Beach last year, 7-3. But The Beach won both ends of the next day's doubleheader, 6-2 and 8-0 in five innings to win the series.
Streak: Beach won last two

LONG BEACH STATE BEACH (19-26, 14-4 Big WestHead Coach: Kim Sowder (18th Season)
LBSU/Career Record: 527-351-1
LBSU Last Week: The Beach dropped their series opener at Cal Poly, 0-2 last Saturday, but bounced back to down the Mustangs 3-2 and 8-1 to win their sixth BW series.

QUICK HITSLast Week: Hawai'i was able to record its second series sweep of the season, defeating Cal State Bakersfield 10-5 in five innings in Friday night's opener. The 'Bows then held off the Roadrunners 7-2 and 8-4 in Saturday's doubleheader. It was UH's third series win of the season (two series ended in 1-1 splits against UCSD and Cal Poly due to inclement weather which canceled.a game at UC San Diego and a game in Honolulu vs. the Mustangs. 

Bethea Blasts Way to BW Player of the Week Honors - Senior utility player Mya'Liah Bethea earned Big West Field Player of the Week honors after hitting .667 with three of her six hits going for home runs. She recorded team highs of five runs scored, eight RBI and a 1.667 slugging percentage in the series. Bethea now leads the league with 12 home runs, which ties her career season high from last season and she leads UH with a .674 slugging percentage.

Martinez Catching Fire - Also hitting .667 (6-for-9) last week was junior catcher Izabella Martinez. She drove in six runs last weekend and scored one while adding a double. Overall she is one of three Rainbow Wahine to lead the team with 33 hits (Haley Johnson, Ka'ena Keliinoi). Overall for the season, Martinez has raised her batting average to .314 (33-for-105) with five doubles and 19 RBI. Behind the dish, Martinez has gunned down 13 runners trying to steal which ranks her third in the Big West and 11th in the NCAA.

Streaking Borges - Junior centerfielder/pitcher Chloe Borges is having a standout year. Currently, she leads the league averaging 0.83 RBI per game and Borges has reached base safely in 21-straight games dating back to March 7th against New Mexico. Overall she is hitting .304 with 13 runs scored and is second on the team with a career-high eight home runs. In the circle, she has become the No.1 reliever as well. In BW action, she has earned a pair of saves in five appearances with a 2.40 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched. Borges also leads UH with eight mulitiple-RBI games this season. 

Kostrencich Returns - Junior transfer Addison Kostrencich will be making her return to Long Beach State, the school she transferred from. Kostrencich leads the league with 12 complete games under her belt this year. She has recorded five-straight complete game wins entering this weekend. She has thrown a team-high 101.1 innings and has a 3.87 ERA. After a rough start to the season, she has settled down in conference and carries a 7-1 BW record into this weekend with a 2.66 ERA.

Nakamura Lost for Remainder of 2024 - Senior utility player Maya Nakamura suffered a season-ending injury in the first inning of UH's final game vs. Cal Poly two weeks ago. She concludes her stellar career as one of the best second baseman in recent history. After a slow offense start this season, she quickly ramped up her game and was on-fire in conference action, leading UH with a .450 batting average. Overall, Nakamura saw her season end while leading UH with 22 runs scored, seven home runs, a .649 slugging percentage and 13 walks. Nakamura concludes her career with a .324 batting average, 105 runs scored, 24 doubles, four triples, 22 home runs, 96 RBI with a .528 slugging percentage and a .441 on-base percentage. She was a huge source of experience on the team and her loss will surely be missed. 

Keliinoi Rising - Senior utility player Ka'ena Keliinoi has picked things up as the season has gone along. Overall, she is hitting ashade under .300 with a .295 batting average. She is tied with a team-high 33 hits and also leads the team with nine sacrifice bunts. She is hitting .581 (36-for-62) in advancing runners on base. This year, Keliinoi has started 34 games at third base, but has also started two games in rightfield, one game at third and seen time in left and centerfield. In her career, the true utiltiy player from Wai'anae has played every position except first base and pitcher.