HONOLULU--The University of Hawai'i softball team (10-11, 2-1 Big West) returns to host their Big West home opener against perennial conference power, Cal State Fullerton (14-9, 3-0 BW) this weekend. The two teams will battle it out in a three-game series starting with a doubleheader on Friday, March 13 starting at 4:00 p.m. HT, followed by a single game on Saturday, March 14 at 1:00 p.m. HT. All games will be played at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
| GAMES 22-24: Hawai'i (10-11, 2-1 Big West) vs. Cal State Fulleton (14-9, 3-0 Big West) |
| Dates & Times |
Friday, March 13, 2026 (DH) - 4:00 p.m. HT/6:30 p.m. HT
Saturday, March 14, 2026 - 1:00 p.m. HT |
| Location |
Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium (1,200) - Honolulu, O'ahu |
| Promotions |
Prizes will be awarded for the winners of the popular "Ballpark Bingo." |
| Game Day Roster |
CLICK HERE |
| Live Stats |
GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 |
| Game Notes |
Hawai'i | Cal State Fullerton |
| Social Media |
@HawaiiSB  | #HawaiiSB | @HawaiiSoftball  | Facebook  |
HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (10-11, 2-1 Big West)
Head Coach: Panita Thanatharn (First Season)
Record at UH/Overall: 10-11
Series Record vs. Cal State Fullerton: CSF leads, 71-23
Last Season: In 2026, late game heroics by Hawai'i provided some memorable wins on the road. In last year's three-game series, UH won 2-of-3 games at Cal State Fullerton. In UH's final at-bat of the series finale, the 'Bows rallied to score five runs in the top of the seventh to stun the Titans and clinch the series with a 6-2 victory, It marked just the third series UH won at the Anderson Family Field in Fullerton. UH has won a road series in Fulleton in 2013, '15 and '25. Hawai'i then upset the Titans in the second round of the Big West Championship, scoring nine runs in the seventh inning to topple the top-seeded and tourney host, Titans, 11-5 (May 8, 2025).
CAL STATE FULLERTON TITANS (14-9, 3-0 Big West
Head Coach: Gina Oakes Garcia (Second Season)
CSF/Career Record:
Last Week: Cal State Fullerton swept Cal Poly at home, winning both doubleheader games on Friday by mercy rule, 10-2 (6) AND 9-1 (5) before ending the series with a 2-0 win over the Mustangs
QUICK HITSLAST WEEK
Last week, first-year head coach Panita Thanatharn won her first Big West conference series, defeating UC Davis 2-1 on the road by the scores of 5-0, 1-2, and 9-1 in seven innings. Leading the way was reigning Big West Pitcher of the Week,
Hannah Pitts. The senior from Auburn, Ala. went 2-0 last week, firing a three-hit, complete game shutout in the series opener and then ended the series allowing just one run in six innings of work. For the series, Pitts recorded a 0.54 ERA in 13.0 innings giving up just one run overall while holding the Aggies to a .149 batting average. Offensively, junior first baseman
Jamie McGaughey hit .455 with a team-high 5 hits, two doubles and five RBI. In the final game of the series, junior shortstop
Milan Ah Yat caught fire, going 3-for-4 finishing the game just a double shy of hitting for the cycle while driving in a career-high five RBI.
Solid Pitching to Open the Big West
Pitts led the way for the UH pitching staff last week, but fellow starter
Taryn Irimata also had a strong outing in the middle game. Combined the two pitchers plus reliever
Macy Brandl (who threw the final inning of the series), recorded a 0.89 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched. The three pitcher held UCD to a .178 batting average. Irimata allowed just one run in the first then shut the Aggies down until they loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh and scored the walk-off run to even the series with a 2-1 win. For the game, Irimata gave up two runs on six hits with three walks a four strikeouts.
Offense Catching Fire
The Hawai'i offense broke through at UC Davis, outscoring the Aggies, 15-3 in the three-game series. Over the weekend, UH hit .294 (59-for-85) with a .424 slugging percentage. All six starters who started all three games smacked at least two hits apiece in the series.
Putting the Pressure on Via The Basepaths
Under Thanatharn, the Rainbow Wahine have showcased their team speed and baserunning abilities. Through the first 21 games of 2026, the 'Bows have swiped 33 of 36 bases, compared to all of last year's total of 21 stolen bases. And in terms of playing "small ball", UH currently has 13 sacrifice bunts while last year the team recorded a total of 14 for all of 2025.
The Line-up Shuffle
On offense, Hawai'i's batting lineup has changed every game thus far. Although UH has had the first four same batters in a row for seven of UH's 21 games, with Rha Furtado leading off,
Carys Murakami hitting second,
Maycen Gibbs batting third, and hitting cleanup has been
Jamie McGaughey. Overall only four Rainbow Wahine have started all 21 games entering this week - Ah Yat, Gibbs, McGaughey and Murakami. The first three have started all 21 games at their respective positions--shortstop, centerfield, and first base, while Murakami has started 12 games at third and nine at second.
Hawai'i Strong
Just over half of Hawai'i's roster hails from the Aloha State of Hawai'i. A total 13 of 24 players stayed or have returned home to play for Hawai'i after starting their careers at other institutions. With Irimata starting in the circle, the Rainbow Wahine have started as many as eight Hawai'i players in the starting line up. Ten players come to UH from the island of O'ahu, with two from Maui and one from Kaua'i.
