Hawai’i returns home to Les Murakami Stadium to close out the regular season with a three-game series against UC Santa Barbara Thursday through Saturday. All three games will begin at 6:35 p.m.
Following Saturday’s series finale, the ‘Bows will honor their seniors with a postgame ceremony. The Rainbow Warriors are 21-24 all-time against the Gauchos and will look for their first series win against them since 2017.
| HAWAI’I (26-20, 15-12 Big West) vs. UC SANTA BARBARA (35-17, 18-9 Big West) | ||
| Dates & Times | Thursday, May 25 – 6:35 p.m. Friday, May 26 – 6:35 p.m. Saturday, May 27 – 6:35 p.m. | |
| Location | Honolulu, O’ahu — Les Murakami Stadium | |
| Radio | ESPN 1420 AM | |
| TV/Live Stream | Spectrum Sports / ESPN+ | |
| Live Stats | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |
| PDF Notes | Hawai’i | UC Santa Barbara | |
| Social Media | @HawaiiBaseball  | @Hawaiibsb  | |
| Promotions | UHFCU is the series sponsor and will distribute 500 Twist Fans and award great prizes throughout the series. Fans can register at the sports marketing table located near the main entrance to participate. Throwback Thursday (May 25): Discounted ticket prices in the upper level (Adults – $6; Senior Citizen – $5; Youth (ages 4 to HS) – $4). Friday (May 26): The Honolulu Little League World Series Champions team will be honored for their historic run in the 2022 Little League World Series and will receive their championship rings during a pre-game ring ceremony. Saturday (May 27): Saturday is the SENIOR CELEBRATION and fans are encouraged to bring ti leaves and wear aloha attire to “Show em your Aloha.” UHFCU will host the baseball Senior Ceremony to honor the senior class following the game. Little League teams or groups that have purchased a group rate package are invited onto the field for the National Anthem & Hawai’i Pono’i (Check-in 30 minutes prior to first pitch near the Big West Conference logo on the ground level). Group-rates and ticket discounts available for select games. | |
| Projected Rotations | Hawai’i Thursday — LHP Harry Gustin (4-3, 3.24) Friday — LHP Randy Abshier (5-3, 4.34) Saturday — TBD | UC Santa Barbara Thursday — RHP Matt Ager (5-3, 2.57) Friday — TBD Saturday — LHP Mike Gutierrez (4-2, 1.67) |
HEAD COACH RICH HILL
At Hawai’i: 54-44, 2nd season
Collegiate Record: 1,133-782-4, 36th season
SERIES VS. UC SANTA BARBARA
Record: 21-24
Streak: UH won 1
Last Meeting: Apr. 3, 2022 (UH won, 13-9)
LEADING OFF
DID YOU KNOW?
Jacob Igawa has hit safely in 18 of the last 19 games and has multiple hits in each of the last five. The senior leads the team with a .323 batting average, including a .348 average in conference play.
SENIOR NIGHT
Following Saturday’s game, Hawai’i will honor four seniors with a postgame Senior Night ceremony. Cameron Hagan, Jacob Igawa and Dalton Renne have all been in the program for the last three seasons after beginning their collegiate careers at other schools, while Zach Losey joined the program prior to the start of this season. Additionally, Matt Wong will be playing his final game in a Hawai’i uniform and was honored at last year’s Senior Night before deciding to return for his final season of eligibility.
HOME SWEET HOME
Hawai’i has had major success at home over the last month and a half of the season, currently on a six-game winning streak at Les Murakami Stadium while winning nine of the last 10 in Honolulu. The Rainbow Warriors have swept Long Beach State and UC Davis in each of the last two home weekends while also taking two of three from conference leader UC San Diego during that span. UH pitching has been stellar at home recently, holding a 2.16 ERA over the last two series while owning a 3.00 ERA over the last 10 at home. The ‘Bows have held opponents to three or fewer runs seven times in the last 10 games while the offense has come through in clutch situations to six wins by either one or two runs in the last 10 at The Les.
THE ULTIMATE GOAL
With the 2022-23 academic year in the books, the Rainbow Warriors had seven student-athletes receive their degrees at this past Saturday’s commencement ceremony. Six of the seven earned their undergraduate degrees while one will be finishing up a master’s.
Kyson Donahue – Interdisciplinary Studies
Dallas Duarte – Human Development & Family Studies
Tyler Dyball – Interdisciplinary Studies
Jacob Igawa – Civil Engineering
Zach Losey – Finance*
Dalton Renne – Sociology
Tai Walton – Economics
*Master’s degree; will graduate following summer of 2023
LATE INNING MAGIC
The Hawai’i bats have come through in the clutch late in games to lead the ‘Bows to wins this year. In wins this year, the Rainbow Warriors have scored the go-ahead runs in the sixth inning or later 10 times, including seven times in the last 12 wins. UH is also 6-0 in games that have been tied after the sixth inning and 7-0 in games that are tied after five. Additionally, the 10 go-ahead run-scoring plays have come off the bat of seven different players.
Jared Quandt – Wright State (2/18), RBI 2B, 8th inning
Jacob Igawa – at Cal Poly (3/17), E9, 10th inning
Kyson Donahue – Tulane (3/24), 2B, 2 RBI, 6th inning
Matthew Miura – CSU Bakersfield (4/8), FC, RBI, 8th inning
Dallas Duarte – UC San Diego (4/14), 2B, RBI, 8th inning
Jacob Igawa – Long Beach State (4/21), 1B, 2 RBI, 7th inning
Zach Storbakken – Long Beach State (4/22), 2B, RBI, 8th inning
Matt Wong – at UC Riverside (4/29), HR, 2 RBI, 9th inning
Jared Quandt – at UC Irvine (5/5), 3B, RBI, 7th inning
Dallas Duarte – UC Davis (5/11), 2B, 2 RBI, 6th inning
LEANING ON THE LOCAL BOYS
The Rainbow Warrior position player group once again is made up of a core group of local players. In all but four games this year, at least seven of the nine players in the lineup have been from Hawai’i while eight of the nine starters have been local products 20 times, including two games in which all nine in the batting order have been in-state products.
» Jacob Igawa has hit safely in 18 of the last 19 and now leads the team hitting .323 on the season, including .348 in Big West play. He’s hitting .403 with 21 RBIs in the last 19 games since Apr. 15.
» Matt Wong is second on the team hitting .310 and leads the team with eight homers, while sitting in a tie for the team lead with 40 RBIs while slugging .522.
» Kyson Donahue is second on the team with seven homers, with a team-high 15 doubles while driving in 40 runs and hitting .307 with a .508 slugging pct.
» Stone Miyao is bating .333 in conference play and .279 on the season and comes into the final weekend on a seven-game hitting streak, batting .444 (12-for-27) with eight RBIs during that span.
FRIDAY NIGHT HARRY
Sophomore Harry Gustin has locked down the role of Friday night starter over the course of the season. The lefty leads the team with 70 strikeouts over 72.1 innings pitched, and holds a 3.24 ERA and a 4-3 record over 13 starts and 14 total appearances. His 2.70 ERA in conference play is tied for seventh in The Big West while his 15 runs allowed are the second fewest by any pitcher that has thrown at least 50.0 innings in league play. After not making it into the fifth inning in two of his first three starts, Gustin has worked into the fifth in each of his last 10, with seven of those outings going 5.2 innings or longer.
» Has thrown at least five innings and given up three or fewer runs in each of his last seven starts.
» Owns a 2.32 ERA with 31 strikeouts over 31.0 innings and 19 hits allowed in his last five home starts.
» Named Big West Pitcher of the Week after working seven innings with eight strikeouts and giving up just one run on one hit, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning vs. Tulane on March 24.
» The starting pitcher in three of UH’s four shutout victories, working at least five scoreless innings in each.
FILTHY FRESHMAN
Harrison Bodendorf has been a key piece of the Rainbow Warrior pitching staff throughout his freshman year. On the season, the lefty is 5-2 with a 3.54 ERA and 58 strikeouts over 53.1 innings pitched with a .246 batting average against. Bodendorf ranks second among Big West freshmen in strikeouts and has transitioned more to an end of game role in recent outings, with four saves in his last six appearances after having none in his first 14.
» One of three pitchers in the conference with at least four saves and five wins.
» All four of his saves have been multi-inning outings, striking out five over three innings at UC Irvine on May 5 while fanning seven over 5.1 scoreless in two outings vs. UC Davis and striking out two in three innings Friday at CSUN.
» Has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 40-8 in his 14 relief appearances compared to a 18-17 ratio in six starts.
