HONOLULU – After a victorious Senior Weekend in a win or go home scenario, Hawai'i again will play with its season on the line in a single elimination game vs. UC Santa Barbara to open the Big West Championship Wednesday.
The 'Bows and Gauchos will play for a spot in the four-team double elimination portion of the tournament that starts Thursday. UH won two out of three games in the regular season series between the teams, Mar. 14-16 in Honolulu.
| BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND - HAWAI'I (33-19, 16-14 Big West) vs. UC SANTA BARBARA (36-17, 16-14 Big West) |
| Dates & Times |
Wednesday, May 21 -- 9:00 a.m. HT |
| Location |
Fullerton, Calif. -- Goodwin Field |
| Radio |
ESPN Honolulu |
| Live Stream |
ESPN+ |
| Live Stats |
Here |
| PDF Notes |
Hawai'i | UC Santa Barbara |
| Social Media |
@HawaiiBaseball  | @Hawaiibsb  |
| Projected Starters |
Hawai'i
RHP Cooper Walls (3-3, 3.67) |
UC Santa Barbara
RHP Jackson Flora (6-2, 3.26) |
HEAD COACH RICH HILL
At Hawai'i: 127-79, 4th season
Collegiate Record: 1,206-817-4, 38th season
SERIES VS. UC SANTA BARBARA
UC Santa Barbara leads, 28-26
Last Meeting: UH won series, 2-1 (Mar. 14-16, 2025 in Honolulu)
DID YOU KNOW?
The Rainbow Warriors are hitting .328 with runners in scoring position, 45 points higher than their overall team average of .283. That mark is second in the Big West behind only UC Irvine. UH has also scored 42.3 percent of its runs with two outs in an inning.
SURVIVE & ADVANCE
The Rainbow Warriors are no stranger to games with a postseason feel, having played with their season on the line the last two weeks. After winning two out of three games at Cal State Fullerton May 9-11, the 'Bows returned home for a win-or-go-home series vs. UC San Diego. UH took two out of three games in that series, including a 13-2 win in a do-or-die game Sunday that earned Hawai'i a spot in the Big West Championship.
CHAMP WEEK HISTORY
For the first time since 2012, Hawai'i will take part in a conference postseason tournament. UH is 41-32 all-time in conference postseason play - all of which came as members of the Western Athletic Conference. The Rainbow Warriors have won a conference tournament six times in the history of the program with the last title coming in 2010 - also the last time the 'Bows made the NCAA Tournament. This year's Big West Championship is the first one since UH joined the league in 2013.
7-8-9 IS 'BOW WARRIOR TIME
Hawai'i has made a habit of winning the late innings throughout the season. The Rainbow Warriors are outscoring teams 110-76 from the seventh inning on, highlighted by a 35-13 advantage in the ninth inning. UH is 24-1 when leading after the sixth inning and has won nine games when tied or trailing heading into the final three frames.
WALK IT OUT
Hawai'i heads into the Big West postseason tournament with three of the conference's top five walk leaders while sitting in second as a team with 254.
Matthew Miura's 44 free passes lead the conference by a wide margin, followed by
Shunsuke Sakaino in third with 36 while
Jared Quandt is tied for fourth with 35.
Ben Zeigler-Namoa is also tied for 11th in the Big West with 30 walks. The 'Bows have also struck out the second-fewest times in the conference at 384.
TROPICAL SWARM
After leading the nation in ERA a season ago, the Hawai'i pitching staff is again among the nation's best in 2025. UH is second in the Big West and is 22nd nationally with a 4.31 ERA while ranking in the top 30 nationally in WHIP (28th), opponent batting average (28th) and hits allowed per nine innings (27th). The Rainbow Warriors' pitching depth has also been on display all season, as 11 different arms have made at least 12 appearances while 13 different pitchers have gotten a win.
ROLL IT
Hawai'i is 15th nationally in double plays turned with 47 heading into the Big West Championship. The Rainbow Warriors have turned at least one double play in 32 of the 52 games, with multiple double plays in 12 games. Of the 47 double plays, 33 have been inning-ending while 13 have been of the 6-4-3 variety and 10 have gone 4-6-3.
