Hard-hitter Muzik ignites offense

Bob Coolen hasn’t had a leadoff hitter quite like Sarah Muzik in more than a decade.

Over that span, the University of Hawaii softball coach built the Rainbow Wahine lineup on power from the top down. But when he spotted the slap-hitting Muzik during a recruiting trip, her proficiency in reaching base was too enticing to pass up.

“When I was recruiting her and saw how she got on all the time on her travel ball teams, I was thinking back to the Tracie Uchima days and other times where we had the proverbial slapper at the top of the lineup,” Coolen said.

Like Uchima, a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference pick in 2003 and ’04, the left-handed hitting Muzik relies on contact and speed to ignite the Rainbow Wahine offense and has filled the role efficiently early in her freshman season.

Through her first 12 collegiate games, Muzik is hitting a team-best .389 with eight runs scored. She’s also drawn five walks for a .463 on-base percentage and is 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts heading into this weekend’s Bank of Hawaii Invitational at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

The three-day tournament opens today with UH (6-6) playing doubleheaders against Utah Valley (4-6) and Portland State (0-10) the next two days and a single game against UVU on Sunday.

Muzik’s hitting style is a contrast to the power swings UH regularly featured at the top of the order over the past 10 years. Kelly (Majam) Elms set the program’s home run record in the leadoff spot from 2010 to 2014. Senior Keiki Carlos hit leadoff for a chunk of last season and moved into the third spot with Muzik’s arrival.

Muzik said she started off taking full swings from the right side until “I was about 12 or 13 and one of my coaches noticed my speed and wanted me to switch over.”

She hit leadoff through her club softball years and at Notre Dame High School in Salinas, Calif., where she earned all-star honors in softball and basketball.

While she’s retained a familiar spot in the batting order at UH, Muzik is adjusting to a new perspective in the field. She practiced at shortstop throughout fall and spring practices, but moved back a few steps into left field for the season opener.

“It was different, but I played the outfield a couple years ago, so it was just making sure the ball didn’t get past me and keep it in front,” Muzik said.