It wasn’t the round that bothered Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso as much as the team.

Of all the organizations to select two of Trapasso’s prized 2012 recruits in last summer’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, it just had to be the Detroit Tigers.

"Detroit is a very aggressive team when it comes to the draft, particularly over the last few years," Trapasso said. "They pull money together at the end of the cycle and offer it to guys and overpay for what that slot is."

It was enough to sign away one recruit, but not pitcher Scott Squier.

The 6-foot-6 freshman from Greenway High School in Arizona turned down numerous offers to sign with teams wanting to draft him before the Tigers made him their 21st-round selection.

Once Detroit failed to come close to Squier’s financial terms, the pitcher of the year in Arizona informed Trapasso of his intention to play baseball at Hawaii for at least the next three years.

After his performance against Wichita State last Saturday, which earned him the Western Athletic Conference pitcher of the week award, don’t expect anything more than three years.

Squier (2-1, 2.70 ERA) is a dominant left-handed addition to a pitching rotation that ranks as one of the nation’s best over the first three weeks of the season.

Hawaii (9-4) leads the country, allowing only 1.83 walks per nine innings heading into this week’s four-game series against Central Michigan.

Squier’s ability to minimize his free passes is the biggest surprise, considering his struggles at the beginning of fall ball in September.

"I don’t know if he finished an inning in his first 10 or 12 scrimmages because he would throw too many pitches and walk too many guys," Trapasso said. "What I’ve been really pleased with in Scott’s case is that he is the one that has come in and made the adjustments and has been receptive to making those adjustments.

"You don’t find that very often with a high-profile guy."

Squier didn’t start pitching until his sophomore year of high school and admitted most of his abilities he realized on his own.

"My high school coach focused on a lot of mental stuff because he thought my mechanics were fine," Squier said. "I actually never had anyone teach me how to pitch, so I came in here with open arms and take any suggestions they give me."

His improvement each start has been noticeable, beginning with a tough outing against Oregon.

He allowed seven runs in 22⁄3 innings, but bounced back, throwing six scoreless against Wagner, allowing only two hits.

His ball was still up in the zone and he walked five batters. He still needed to work on his location.

His third start proved to be the best yet, baffling a potent Wichita State lineup over eight scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out seven with only two walks.

"He’s shown the mental approach to handle that," Trapasso said. "There’s the talent from him to leave here in three years as a pretty high pick."

Squier will start on Friday against the Chippewas, who are finishing a season-opening 15-game road trip.

Head coach Steve Jaksa is two wins shy of 300 for his career. Now in his 10th season, Jaksa has averaged more than 32 wins a year with only two losing seasons.

Senior first baseman Nate Theunissen is tied for fourth in school history in doubles and leads the team in hitting at .348 with four doubles and 10 RBIs.

Central Michigan has won the Mid-American Conference Western Division each of the past two years. This is the first meeting ever between the two schools.