Li’ili’i’s success continues despite team’s struggles

When Bob Coolen first watched Leisha Li‘ili‘i’s swing, he knew exactly what he needed to do.

Leave it alone.

The University of Hawaii softball coach knows better than to mess with a sweet swing. So after watching her punish pitches at the youth level, he hasn’t tinkered much with Li‘ili‘i’s powerful stroke since she reached college.

"We saw the power she had. She had a swing where she utilized her presence at the plate," Coolen said. "She’s a formidable force up there. When she puts everything into it, it’s screaming."

Li‘ili‘i has paired power with consistency in her junior season, leading the Rainbow Wahine (19-19, 4-5 BWC) in seven offensive categories entering this weekend’s Big West series against Cal Poly (22-16, 4-5).

A .309 hitter after her first two seasons, the UH first baseman is hitting .381 this spring and .400 in Big West play, and ranks second in the conference with 11 home runs and 32 runs batted in from the clean-up spot in the UH order.

She’s hit safely in all but nine games this season and had a 13-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-2 day on Sunday against Long Beach State.

Li‘ili‘i hit fifth most of last season and moved up to fourth this spring, a spot previously occupied by Jessica Iwata. To prepare for the role, Li‘ili‘i "went back to basics" in the offseason.

"I feel I’m more consistent than I was last year," Li‘ili‘i said. "For this year it’s pitch selection that’s really important."

Opponents have often pitched around the 5-foot-10 Li‘ili‘i rather than risk leaving one over the plate, and her patience has contributed to a team-high 22 walks and a .496 on-base percentage.

When she does let her hands fly, she executes a swing crafted by her father, Jeff, in her childhood. Li‘ili‘i started out playing baseball in Kaneohe and switched to softball at age nine.

"My hitting has never changed," Li‘ili‘i said. "My dad is the one who helped me form my swing. … He kept me in baseball and coached for me softball, so basically everything I know now is from him."

Jeff played high school football and baseball at Castle and made the football team at UH. Her mother, Jeannie, was involved in volleyball and track and field. So sports were a constant companion for Li‘ili‘i growing up.

"It was natural. That’s all I wanted to do was play outside," she said. "I always wanted to go to the park. My childhood was pretty awesome being in an athletic family."

Li‘ili‘i was playing for the Hawaii Pearl softball club when coach Dickie Titcomb, now a volunteer assistant at UH, mentioned her hitting prowess to Coolen, who recalled seeing Li‘ili‘i in an under-16 tournament in Colorado.

"She was young and she was crushing everyone," Coolen said. "They had no idea how to pitch her."

This weekend, Li‘ili‘i will try to help UH rebound from a sweep at Long Beach State as the Wahine look to make up ground in the Big West race. Cal Poly enters the series led by freshman Sierra Hyland (19-7), who leads the conference in wins, earned-run average (1.53) and strikeouts (208). She’s also hitting .364 and leads the Mustangs with 26 RBIs.

"All we can do is put (the Long Beach State series) behind us, just keep moving forward and realize anything can happen in the Big West," Li’ili’i said.

At the ballpark

The first 100 fans on Friday will receive a team photo, and the Rainbow Wahine will hold a postgame autograph session. The team will wear pink jerseys on Saturday for "Power in Pink" day in recognition of breast cancer awareness. The Na Wahine Softball Booster Club will sell softball memorabilia and Power in Pink shirts.