Brighter nights ahead for UH softball

A summer construction project brightened the outlook on fall practice for the University of Hawaii softball team.

The lights at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium were replaced for the first time since the program’s inception in 1985 and the current team’s first chance to perform under them in game conditions comes tonight with the start of the two-day Kama’aina Classic.

"It’s nice, the pitchers can see my hands now," said UH catcher Kayla Wartner, who would spray paint the back of her throwing hand before night games to help the UH pitchers pick up her signals.

"When they told us we got new lights I was like, ‘Thank goodness.’ It was one of the biggest things we needed out here."

UH plays host to Chaminade and BYU-Hawaii in the exhibition tournament, with games starting at 4:30 p.m. today and noon on Saturday.

The stadium lights date back to when the UH softball field was first built, and head coach Bob Coolen said they "just got dimmer and dimmer and everything got yellower on the inside" in recent years.

He said when measurements of the intensity of the old lights were taken, the readings hit a maximum of 23 foot-candles. The $1.1 million replacement project was completed in September and the new lights topped out at 173 foot-candles with an average of 150 around the field.

"It was stunning," said Coolen, who credited Sen. Brian Taniguchi for helping secure the funding for the project.

While its generally easier to track pitches under daylight, the new lights could help UH shrink the gap in its batting averages in day vs. night games. UH hit .297 in its home day games last season and .243 in games starting at 6 p.m. or later.

"You didn’t really notice the difference until we had new lights," Wartner said. "But I wonder if my batting average is going to go up now."

Coolen said Wartner, who hit .314 last season, has indeed stepped up her offense in the team’s five intrasquad scrimmages this fall.

Wartner is among four returning starters who hit better than .300 last season along with Jazmine Zamora (.337), Keiki Carlos (.320) and Leisha Li’ili’i (.301). Li’ili’i is UH’s top returning home-run threat. She hit 13 last season. Sharla Kliebenstein was next with 12.

Several newcomers figure to be in the spotlight early in their careers, most notably pitchers Brittany Hitchcock and Heather Morales. Coolen said the freshmen, both products of successful club programs in California, will handle the bulk of the pitching load.

"Heather and Brittany have shown they can do the work," Coolen said of their fall performances to date.

Sophomore left-hander Loie Kesterson will also see relief duty as a complement to the freshmen.

In today’s first game, UH will face Chaminade, which went 25-21 last spring, posting its first winning season since 2002. The Silverswords return pitchers Brett Aspel and Kaitlyn Watanabe. Aspel went 14-11 with a 2.98 ERA last season, while Watanabe (11-7, 4.93) was named to the All-Pacific West Conference third team.

BYUH is preparing for its first season under head coach Dave George, who was hired to lead the Seasiders in August.

Robinson to host pitching clinic

Former UH standout Kate Robinson will partner with Stacey Nelson, a former U.S. national team member and Florida All-American, to host a pitching clinic on Dec. 14 and 15 at RWSS.

The clinic is open to players of all ages and will include a session for coaches. Additional information is available at RobinsonSoftballTraining.com.