The University of Hawaii baseball team is planning an ensemble production for today’s road game against CSU Bakersfield at Hardt Field.

“We’re going to staff the game,” UH coach Mike Trapasso said of the plan to use five or six pitchers for the nonconference meeting in Bakersfield, Calif.

Freshman right-hander Cade Smith’s fourth start will be akin to a cameo appearance. Trapasso said Smith probably will be limited to two innings to save him for the upcoming Big West series against Cal State Fullerton. With a capped pitch count, Smith will be available for middle relief in Friday’s series opener, if necessary.

“In midweek games on the mainland, many times you’ll staff a game so you get guys work, but you don’t burn them out for the weekend,” Trapasso said. “That’s the whole idea. It’s actually kind of fun because you keep guys sharp and engage those who maybe didn’t pitch over the (past) weekend.”

Smith said he will prepare as if it were a usual start.

“I don’t think it’s going to be any different than any other outing,” said Smith, who is 1-1 with a 3.60 earned-run average. “It’s still an important game, even though it’s in the midweek. I still have to be ready to go out there and compete.”

Smith said his intent is to target the lower part of the strike zone while having greater command of his breaking pitches. “I need to focus on what Trap’s teaching, and pounding the zone low. Because when we get hit around, it’s because we’re moving the ball up in the zone.”

Trapasso said freshman left-hander Jeremy Yelland is scheduled to pitch second. Brody Hagel-Pitt, Matt Richardson, Scott Bellina and Kash Koltermann are considerations after that.

The pitching order is a preview of next season, when Smith and Yelland will be candidates as weekend starters.

“It’ll keep guys off balance going from Cade to me,” Yelland said of today’s plans. “It’s indicative of what you want to see in the future — two young guys kind of doing the thing back to back.”

Yelland has made nine appearances, all in relief. “It’s good for me this year, coming in and facing guys I haven’t seen before,” Yelland said of his relief role.

Yelland said he hopes to be refreshed after hitting what is termed the “freshman wall.”

“The wall is definitely real,” Yelland said. “A lot of our young guys are getting to that time of the season when bodies are getting pretty tired and we really have to stay on top of things. It’s a grind.”

The ’Bows were scheduled to depart Tuesday afternoon for California. They will be based in Fullerton the entire time, making the 120-mile drive to Bakersfield for today’s game. By leaving Honolulu on Tuesday, the ’Bows were able to attend classes Monday and Tuesday morning. By next Monday, the ’Bows will have been on the road 20 days in a 26-day period.