Hawaii baseball coach Mike Trapasso has signed a three-year contract extension through the 2015 season, the Star-Advertiser has learned.
Trapasso is set to begin the second season of a guaranteed two-year deal he signed after the team won the Western Athletic Conference tournament in 2010 and advanced to an NCAA Regional final.
The deal was referred to as a "two plus one plus one" deal in which an NCAA tournament berth in either 2011 or 2012 would guarantee a third year, and a second postseason berth would mean a fourth year.
Hawaii won a share of the regular-season WAC title in 2011 and advanced to the championship game of the conference tournament before losing to Fresno State.
The new deal comes at a critical time, with the Rainbows set to begin their final year of WAC play. Hawaii will join the Big West in 2013, giving Trapasso stability heading into a much tougher baseball conference.
"I’m thankful to (athletic director) Jim Donovan and our administration and I’m a very fortunate guy," Trapasso said by phone on Saturday. "I’m coaching a great game at a great place."
Trapasso made $175,008 under his most recent contract and is expected to receive a $2,000 raise under the new deal.
He became just the second full-time Division I head baseball coach at Hawaii in 2001, replacing longtime coach Les Murakami after seven seasons as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech.
He’s been named WAC coach of the year in 2004, 2006 and 2011 and taken UH to the NCAA tournament twice.
Hawaii won the WAC tournament in 2010 for the first time in 18 years and has had 11 players selected in the past two drafts, including Kolten Wong, a first-round selection, and Lenny Linsky, a second-round pick, in 2011.
Trapasso is 314-269 overall at UH, posting a winning record in eight of his 10 years, including a personal-best 45 wins in 2006.
The Rainbows finished the 2011 season ranked 17th in the nation in home attendance and tops in the West region. UH averaged 3,320 fans per game, the highest at UH since 2006.
Hawaii opens its regular season Feb. 17 against Pac-12 Conference member Oregon. UH has won five of eight against the Ducks over the past two seasons.
