FULLERTON, Calif.—The University of Hawaii softball team (29-18, 21-6 Big West) heads into the 2026 Big West Championship as the second seed in the six-team tournament field. After a first round bye, Hawai'i will face the winner of the game between No. 3 seed UC Santa Barbara and No. 6 Seed UC San Diego on Thursday, May 7 at 1:00 p.m. HT at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, Calif.
 

2026 Big West Softball Championship
Teams				No. 1 Cal State Fullerton, No. 2 Hawai'i, No. 3 UC Santa Barbara, No. 4 UC Dsvis, No. 5 Long Beach State, No. 6 UC San Diego
Dates				Wednesday, May 6 - Saturday, May 9
Location				Anderson Family Field - Fullerton, Calif.
UH OPENING GAME				No. 2 Hawai'i (29-18, 21-6 BW) vs. Winner of #3 UCSB vs. #6 UCSD Thursday, May 7; 1:00 p.m. HT
Live Video Stream				ESPN+
Live Stats				CLICK HERE
Tournament Central				Interactive Bracket
Social Media				@HawaiiSB  | #HawaiiSB | @HawaiiSoftball  | Facebook

#2 HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (29-18, 21-6 Big West)Head Coach: Panita Thanatharn (First Season)
Record at UH/Career: 29-18
Last Week vs. UC Riverside: Hawai'i finished the 2026 regular season with a dominant three-game sweep of UC Riverside at Amy S. Harrison Field in Riverside, Calif. The Rainbow Wahine outscored the Highlanders 17-3 in the series as UH secured the No. 2 seed in the Big West Softball Championship with a final conference record of 21-6. Hawai'i extended its conference winning streak to 12 games to bring its Big West record to 21-6. It marked just the sixth time in UH history that the 'Bows notched 20-plus conference wins in a season.

• Game 1: Hawai'i 5, UC Riverside 1 – After trailing early, solo home runs by Jamie McGaughey and Milan Ah Yat gave UH the lead. Millie Fidge sealed the win with a three-run homer in the seventh.
• Game 2: Hawai'i 6, UC Riverside 1 – McGaughey dominated, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, while Fidge added another two-run blast.
• Game 3: Hawai'i 6, UC Riverside 1 – Ellyanna Cinzori (triple, home run, three RBI) and Fidge (three-run home run) led the offense as the pitching staff combined for a three-hitter until the final frame.

SERIES KEY POINTS

• Hitting: The 'Bows' batted .299 during the series, totaling 17 runs on 26 hits. Eight of those hits were home runs.
• Pitching: The staff posted a 1.00 ERA, allowing only three earned runs and two walks across 21 innings.
• Fielding: UH maintained a .989 fielding percentage, committing only one error in the series.

QUICK HITSTHANATHARN, IRIMATA EARN TOP BIG WEST AWARDS; SEVEN 'BOWS EARN ALL-BIG WEST HONORS — First-year UH head softball coach Panita Thanatharn earned Big West Co-Coach of the Year honors, sophomore Taryn Irimata was voted Big West Pitcher of the Year, and a total of seven Rainbow Wahine garnered all-conference honors on Tuesday. UH's seven All-Big West selections — as voted on by the league's 10 head coaches — are the most for UH since 2017. Milan Ah Yat (Jr., SS), Millie Fidge (Sr., 1B/P), Irimata (Soph., P), and Jamie McGaughey (Jr., 3B/1B) were voted to the All-Big West First Team, while Hannah Pitts (Sr., P) and Kayara Tuiloma (So., LF) were placed on the second team. Rookie Briana Maio-Silva rounded out the awardees, becoming just the 12^th UH player to earn a spot on the All-Freshman Team.

• Thanatharn led the 'Bows to a 29-18 overall record and a 21-6 mark in conference to claim the second seed in this week's Big West Championship. After a slow start, the Rainbow Wahine caught fire during the conference season, winning seven of nine series — including five series sweeps. It is only the sixth time in program history, and the second since rejoining the Big West in 2013, that UH has reached the 20-win plateau in conference play. The 21 conference wins ties for the fourth most in UH history. It is just the third time that UH's head coach has been named Big West Coach of the Year as former head coach Bob Coolen earned the award in 1994 and 2013. Coolen also earned four Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year awards in 2003, '07, '10, and '12. Thanatharn shares this year's award with Cal State Fullerton's Gina Oaks Garcia, who guided the Titans to the Big West regular-season title.
• Irimata, a Campbell High School graduate from 'Ewa Beach, O'ahu, returned to Hawai'i after starting her collegiate career at Nevada. She leads the league with a 2.21 overall earned-run average and a minuscule 1.60 ERA in conference games. Irimata leads the team in strikeouts (83), complete games (13), shutouts (5), and innings pitched (117.0) while holding opponents to a .216 batting average. She has won her last six straight games, including four shutouts, to close the regular season with a 12-7 overall record and a 10-2 mark in the Big West. She is just the third Rainbow Wahine to be voted Big West Pitcher of the Year, joining Brooke Wilkins (1994) and Kaia Parnaby (2013). Overall, she is the seventh UH pitcher to earn all-conference Pitcher of the Year honors. Desiree Duran (2001), Melissa Coogan (2003), Kate Robinson (2007), and Stephanie Ricketts (2010, '11, '12) won the award in the WAC.
• McGaughey was voted to the All-Big West First Team after being selected to the second team last year. She leads the Rainbow Wahine in nearly every major offensive category, including batting average (.403), doubles (12), home runs (12), and RBI (42). She proved elite in clutch situations, hitting .452 with runners in scoring position and .900 (9-for-10) with runners at third and less than two out. She has recorded team-highs with 18 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI games. She started all 47 games, splitting time between first and third base.
• After earning All-Big West honorable mention accolades last season, Ah Yat was named to the first team as a junior this year. The Honolulu native has started all 47 games at shortstop. Ah Yat finished the regular season with a .293 average, nine home runs, and 29 RBI. Ah Yat totaled nine multi-hit games and reached base in 12 consecutive contests during her longest streak of the season.
• A versatile two-way player and first-team selection, Fidge has started games both as a power hitter and a pitcher. On offense, she hit .400 with eight home runs and 30 RBI in just 24 starts, leading the team with a .788 slugging percentage. In the circle, she maintained a 4.52 ERA over 21.2 innings.
• Pitts was named to the All-Big West Second Team as a pitcher who provided a formidable one-two punch alongside Irimata, posting an 11-4 record and a 2.65 ERA. Pitts was highly efficient in conference play, going 8-1 with a 2.21 ERA. She allowed the fewest walks among UH's primary starters (22) and held opponents to a .274 batting average. Pitts, a senior transfer who previously played at Mercer, has been unflappable as a steadying force in the circle in her lone season with the 'Bows.
• Tuiloma was a consistent spark in the outfield, batting .342 with 15 RBI. She stepped up her production in Big West play, hitting .429 over 25 games. Tuiloma, a native of Nānākuli, O'ahu, recorded eight multi-hit games and finished the regular season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 55 total chances.
• Maio-Silva was the lone Rainbow Wahine to make the All-Freshman Team. The Maui product hit .314 with three home runs and 10 RBI in her debut season. Primarily used as a second baseman, Maio-Silva excelled in pinch-hitting roles, going 6-for-16 (.375). She also showcased speed on the basepaths, leading the team's freshmen with four stolen bases.

McGAUGHEY EARNS SECOND BW FIELD PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD — Jamie McGaughey powered UH to a series sweep at UC Riverside to earn the Big West Field Player of the Week award. McGaughey hit .600 (6-for-10) with three home runs, one double, two walks, six runs scored, and four RBI across the three-game series. The third baseman highlighted the weekend with a 4-for-4 showing in game two, tying a career-high with two home runs while adding a double and three RBI. McGaughey also sparked the offense in the opener with a solo home run and reached base multiple times in the finale with two walks and a run scored.

FIFTH-INNING FIREWORKS — Hawai'i has scored 52 runs in the fifth inning alone this season. This late-game surge is a primary reason why the 'Bows are 25-2 when leading after the fourth inning. On the flipside, UH is just 3-16 when trailing after four frames. Overall, Hawai'i has outscored its opponents 239-168 and the 'Bows are 25-1 when outhitting their opponents. Conversely, when UH is outhit, the 'Bows are just 2-16.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE — Hawai'i has made Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium an unfriendly venue for visitors with UH amassing a 17-4 home record. It is UH's best home record since 2019 when the 'Bows recorded a 25-1 home record. That year the Rainbow Wahine posted a 33-16 overall record.

STATISTICAL SNAPSHOTS 

• Home Run Power: Hawai'i has out-slugged opponents 44-32 in home runs. Ten different Rainbow Wahine players have launched at least one home run. McGaughey leads the team with 12, while Ah Yat is second with nine. 
• Defensive Reliability: Overall, UH holds a fielding percentage of .972 which ranks second in the Big West. In conference games alone, UH ranks first in the league with a .984 fielding percentage. On defense, UH is led by several players with perfect 1.000 marks, including outfielders Maycen Gibbs and Larissa Goshi.
• Speed on the Basepaths: As a team, UH has stolen 50 bases in 61 attempts. In all of last season, the 'Bows stole 21 total bases. In all, 10 Rainbow Wahine have stolen at least one base. UH is led by Rhea Furtado, who has swiped 14 bases this season.