HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i softball team (23-18, 15-6 Big West) returns home to host its final home series of the season against Cal Poly (10-30, 4-17 Big West). The two teams will start with a doubleheader on Friday, April 24 with first pitch scheduled for 1:30 p.m., followed by the second game at approximately 4:00 p.m. Saturday's single game on April 25 is slated to start at 11:00 a.m with Senior Day festivities to follow the conclusion of the game. All three games will be played at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Saturday's Senior Day game is presented by
UHFCU. The 'Bows will honor their seven seniors--
Ellyanna Cinzori,
Millie Fidge,
Maycen Gibbs,
Larissa Goshi,
Carys Murakami,
Hannah Pitts, and
Cierra Yamamoto.
Entering the penultimate week of the regular season, Hawai'i is tied with Long Beach State for third place at 15-6 in Big West play. UH holds the tie-breaker against LBSU. Leading the league is Cal State Fullerton with a 19-2 record while UC Santa Barbara is in second with a 16-5 record. The Titans and Beach battle each other this week and next week CSF will take on UCSB. The top four teams--CSF, UCSB, UH, and LBSU have all punched their tickets into the 2026 Big West Championship. The top six teams qualify for the tournament. For the second-straight season, Cal State Fullerton will host the league championship tourney at Anderson Family Field.
| GAMES 41-43: Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (23-18, 15-6 Big West) vs. Cal Poly Mustangs (10-30, 4-17 Big West) |
| Dates & Times |
GAMES 1-2: Friday, April 24 (DH) - 1:30 p.m. HT / 4:00 p.m. HT
GAME 3: SENIOR DAY - Saturday, April 25 - 11:00 a.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."
• SENIOR DAY festivities will follow Saturday's game against Cal Poly. UH will honor its seven seniors---Ellyanna Cinzori, Millie Fidge, Maycen Gibbs, Larissa Goshi, Carys Murakami, Hannah Pitts, and Cierra Yamamoto |
| TELEVISION |
SATURDAY ONLY - Spectrum Sports (Ch. 12/1012) - Howard Dashefsky (Play-by-Play), Lori Santi (Color Analyst) |
| LIVE STREAM |
SATURDAY GAME ONLY: ESPN+ (BLACKED OUT IN HAWAI'I) |
| Game Day Roster |
CLICK HERE |
| Live Stats |
GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 |
| Game Notes |
Hawai'i | Cal Poly |
| Social Media |
@HawaiiSB  | #HawaiiSB | @HawaiiSoftball  | Facebook  |
HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (23-18, 15-6 Big West)
Head Coach: Panita Thanatharn (First Season)
Record at UH/Overall: 23-18
Record in Big West: 15-6
Series Record vs. Cal Poly: UH leads series 24-16
Last Season vs. CP: Last year, UH won the series, 2-1. The 'Bows won the opener 4-1 but fell in the second game, 2-6. Hawai'i then won the rubber game, 5-0 to win the series.
Streak: UH won one
CAL POLY MUSTANGS (10-30, 4-17 Big West)
Head Coach: Jenny Condon (22nd Season)
Last Week: The Mustangs were swept by Long Beach State in San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly fell to The Beach, 6-1, 7-0, and 3-2. Cal Poly has lost their last eight-straight games.
QUICK HITSLAST WEEK
Last week, the Rainbow Wahine had a productive road trip to San Diego, After falling in nine innings at San Diego, 4-3, the 'Bows bounced back for their second-consecutive conference sweep, taking down UC San Diego in a hard-fought series that showcased UH's mettle and moxie. UH enters this final home series having won their last six-straight conference games, out-scoring their opponents 46-15.
Last week began with a non-conference heartbreaker on Thursday at USD.
Maycen Gibbs put Hawai'i ahead with a two-run home run in the fourth inning. But the Toreros tied the game in the sixth and eventually secured a walk-off victory in the bottom of the ninth on a fielder's choice.
Hawaii shifted back into Big West play, taking all three games at Triton Softball Field.
- Friday, April 17 (UH 3, UCSD 2): Taryn Irimata pitched a complete game to earn the win. Teiah Keliiholokai delivered a crucial shot to the right-center gap in the fifth inning to drive in Jamie McGaughey for the winning run in the narrow victory.
- Saturday, April 18, DH Game 1 (UH 10, UCSD 5): Despite falling behind 4–0 early, the Rainbow Wahine exploded for nine runs across the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Kayara Tuiloma and McGaughey both homered in the late-inning surge.
- Saturday, April 18, DH Game 2 (UH 1, UCSD 0): The series concluded with a classic pitcher's duel. Milan Ah Yat provided the game's only run with a solo home run in the second inning. Irimata dominated in the circle again, throwing a five-hit shutout with nine strikeouts while escaping some jams throughout the game.
IRIMATA EARNS SECOND-STRAIGHT, FOURTH OVERALL BIG WEST PITCHER OF THE WEEK AWARD
Sophomore pitcher Taryn Irimata was dominant in her two appearances at UC San Diego. She fired a pair of complete-game wins--ending with a seven inning shutout in the series finale. She recorded a 1.00 ERA over 14.0 innings of work.In Game 1, UH won, 3-2 with the 'Ewa Beach-native spacing six hit with two walks and four strikeouts. In the series finale, she held off the Tritons, 1-0 allowing five hits on two walks and a career-high nine strikeouts. This season she has earned four BW Pitcher of the weeks, which is the most since Kaia Parnaby earned the accolade five times in 2013.
POWER SURGE -The Rainbow Wahine have out-homered their opponents 34-30 over 41 games. Their extra-base production is significant, totaling 42 doubles, seven triples, and a team collective .432 slugging percentage. In all, seven different Rainbow Wahine have hit at least two home runs apiece. UH is led by McGaughey who has cranked nine,
Milan Ah Yat has seven;
Maycen Gibbs has blasted six and Millie Fidge has crushed five. Kayara Tuiloma has recorded three round-trippers and
Briana Maio-Silva and
Kolbi Kochi have two each. UH has generated three grand slams this year by McGaughey vs. Duke (2/15), Fidge against Cal State Fullerton (3/15) and Ah Yat at Long Beach State (3/20).
PITCHING & DEFENSE – Overall as a team, Hawai'i ranks fifth in the Big West with a .284 team batting average. But its pitching and defense is what has held its own. The pitching staff is ranked second in the league with an overall ERA of 3.51, while UH is ranked second in the BW with a .972 fielding percentage, right behind Cal State Fullerton's league-leading .975 fielding percentage. In conference games, Uh ranks first in defense with a .958 fielding percentage and has risen to No. 3 in batting average, hitting at .319 clip.
DEFENSIVE LINEUP – Except for the catching position, Hawai'i has found a consistent defensive alignment over the past few weeks. Millie Fidge, who had primarily been used as a pitcher and designated player over her first three years at UH, has found a starting role at first base over the last few weeks. Although Fidge was injured during the USD game, she should be returning to action this week.
McGaughey had started the first 26 games at first base before she shifted across the diamond to start the several games at the hot corner.
Carys Murakami, who was splitting time between second and third base, has returned to play at second base.
Milan Ah Yat and
Maycen Gibbs have started all 41 games at shortstop and centerfield, respectively. With Kayara Tuiloma's offesive outburst, she has been the primary starter in left field, while
Rhea Furtado has started most of UH's last games in right.
CATCHING CAROUSEL – The departure of last year's Big West Defensive Player of the Year,
Izabella Martinez, has left a void for the 'Bows to fill. Martinez, who graduated last year, was a four-year starter behind the plate. This year, four different Rainbow Wahine have started at catcher. Junior
Keely Kai has 14 starts to lead the cavalcade of catchers. Sophomore
Kolbi Kochi has started 12 games behind the plate and nine games as the designated player. Freshman
Bailey Nagasako has nine starts at catcher and 11 as the DP, while senior
Cierra Yamamoto has started six games at catcher and three in left field.
ANCHORS OF THE TEAM - Only four Rainbow Wahine have started all 41 games for Hawai'i this season. Ah Yat (shortstop) and Gibbs (centerfield) are the only two to start all 41 at the same position. Murakami has made 22 starts at third base and 19 at second, while McGaughey has made 31 starts at first base and 10 at third base.
HAWAI'I STRONG - Just over half of Hawai'i's roster hails from the Aloha State. A total of 13 of UH's 24 players stayed or have returned home to don the Green & White. With Irimata starting in the circle, the Rainbow Wahine have had as many as eight local players in the starting lineup. Ten players come to UH from the island of O'ahu, with two from Maui and one from Kaua'i.
LAST GO AROUND IN BIG WEST - After 14 years in their second stint in the Big West, the Rainbow Wahine softball team along with UH's baseball, men's and women's basketball, cross country, men's and women's golf, soccer, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's tennis, women's track & field, and women's volleyball will all be moving to the Mountain West Conference starting in the Fall of 2026. Teams remaining in the Big West for Hawai'i are beach volleyball, men's volleyball and women's water polo. The Hawai'i football team has been a member of the MWC since the Fall of 2012
Starting with the 2026-2027 academic year, the Mountain West will feature Air Force, Grand Canyon, Hawaiʻi, Nevada, New Mexico, San José State, UC Davis, UNLV, UTEP, and Wyoming. The travel will be greater distances than that of the Big West, but with two less teams, UH will be able to host two more weeks of home games during the pre-season.
The Offensive Engines
- McGaughey (Jr., 1B/3B): Hawaii's primary offensive engine leads the team with a .376 average, 11 doubles, nine home runs, and 35 RBIs. She has a team-high 14 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games. McGaughey is clutch, hitting .422 with runners on base. Defensively, she anchors the corners with a .989 fielding percentage.
- Kayara Tuiloma (So., LF): A conference catalyst, Tuiloma is hitting a "blistering" .458 in Big West play. Overall, she maintains a .353 average and .574 slugging percentage. She went 6-for-10 in the recent UC San Diego series. In 25 starts in left field, she has zero errors.
- Millie Fidge (Sr., UT): A two-way weapon, Fidge is hitting .361 with five home runs in just 61 at-bats. She is particularly dangerous with the bases empty (.400 average). In the circle, she has 17 strikeouts across nine appearances.
The Rotation
- Taryn Irimata (So., RHP): Sophomore pitcher Taryn Irimata is one of UH's two main starting pitchers. She enters this week with a 10-7 record and a team-leading 104.0 innings pitched. She boasts a 2.42 ERA and has struck out 72 batters. She leads the staff with 11 complete games and has issued four shutouts. Dominant in the UCSD series, going 2-0 with a 1.00 dual ERA across 14.0 innings. Irimata and Pitts both rank No. 27 in the NCAA DI with four shutouts this season.
Her four shutouts rank 27th nationally in NCAA Division I.
- Hannah Pitts (Sr., RHP): An efficient starter, Pitts matches Irimata with 10 wins and four shutouts. She holds a 2.71 ERA over 93.0 innings and is difficult to hit for extra bases, surrendering only nine home runs all season. Opponents hit just .222 against her with two outs.
Lineup Pillars
- Cary Murakami (Sr., INF): The primary leadoff hitter leads the Rainbow Wahine with 27 runs scored. She has a .275 average and a keen eye, drawing 17 walks. Murakami has anchored the infield with 41 starts between second and third base.
- Maycen Gibbs (Sr., CF): A consistent presence, Gibbs has started all 41 games in center field. She bats .282 and is second on the team with 26 runs. She has been flawless in the outfield, recording a 1.000 fielding percentage on 85 chances.
- Rhea Furtado (So., OF): The roster's top base-stealer has swiped 14 bases on 18 attempts. Despite a .288 average, she has scored 21 runs and reaches base at a .366 clip. She successfully advances runners 60% of the time
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