Baseball axed at Cal

The University of California will eliminate baseball, along with three other varsity sports, after the 2010-11 athletic season.

Men’s and women’s gymnastics, and lacrosse also were cut to trim the budget.

The Bears and Rainbows have been frequent opponents through the years, playing each other 49 times. The Rainbows won 26.

UH’s Britos places third at tourney

Hawaii sophomore Ka’ili Britos carded a 2-over-par 74 yesterday to finish third in the Rose City Collegiate golf tournament in Aurora, Ore.

Britos posted a career-best total of 2-over 218 in the three-day event. UH senior Brittany Bomar tied for 14th at 225 and the Rainbow Wahine placed fifth in the team standings at 908, their best three-round score since 2007.

Boise State sophomore Hayley Young, a Mid-Pacific graduate, tied for seventh at 222. Maui’s Elyse Okada tied for 10th at 223 to help Oregon State finish second. Waiakea graduate Britney Yada shot 234 for Portland State, which placed third. MPI product Lisa Okazaki shot 238 for Portland.

Vulcans’ Cabico finishes fourth

Hawaii-Hilo’s Neil Cabico finished fourth at the Western Washington University Invitational with a final round of 4-under 68 yesterday.

Cabico closed the three-day tournament in Bellingham, Wash., at 6-under 210, three shots out of the lead. The Vulcans placed fifth as a team at 5-over 869.

MPI hires new coaches

Ryan Gillia and Casey Nishimura have been hired as the track and field coaches at Mid-Pacific Institute.

Gillia, currently MPI’s cross country coach, will head the MPI girls program. Nishimura will coach the boys team.

Gillia graduated from Punahou in 2000 and previously coached at Punahou and ‘Iolani. Nishimura is a 2006 MPI graduate and is the school’s record-holder in the 1,500-meter run.

HPU soccer seventh in region

The Hawaii Pacific men’s soccer team is ranked seventh in this week’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America West Region rankings.

The regional ranking is the highest in the program’s history. The Sea Warriors (4-1, 3-0 PacWest) open a six-game road trip tomorrow at Dixie State.