The University of Hawaii softball team has ample reason for confidence these days.

The Rainbow Wahine have won 35 of their 39 games, own a place in the national rankings and are coming off a dominant series sweep.

But they’re also cognizant of not letting that self-assurance blur their focus.

“There’s a balance between being confident and being arrogant,” UH pitcher Kaia Parnaby said. “So you just have to find that happy medium.”

Amid their success this season, the Wahine have maintained their game-to-game mind-set while rising in the national polls to No. 14 and 18 this week and into first place in the Western Athletic Conference.

After posting three mercy-rule wins last weekend, UH is looking to continue its roll on the road. The Wahine are 12-1 on the mainland this season.

“We just have to stay focused and stay on task and fight for every win,” senior third baseman Sarah Robinson said.

While the Wahine keep the wins in perspective, confidence — in the proper proportion — remains a key component to performance at the plate and in the field.

Parnaby’s might have wavered just a tad in losing two of her first three WAC starts. But she fired a one-hit shutout in a five-inning win to cap last week’s sweep of Louisiana Tech and UH head coach Bob Coolen noted that she pitched with “swagger” again in that game.

“I had to believe in myself and think back to how I performed in the beginning of the season and bring it back to the last game,” said Parnaby, the WAC pitcher of the week.

The offense also exuded confidence in pounding out 29 hits, including eight home runs, and scoring 26 runs in three games last week.

“You need that swagger,” Coolen said. “You need them to believe that when they step up to the plate that they’re going to hit. You need the pitcher to go out on the mound and believe they’re going to go 1-2-3. It is a fine line … but you need them to have that so you can overcome any obstacles, any situations that are presented and make things happen.”

While the Wahine departed for Nevada on Wednesday carrying considerable momentum, Coolen won’t get caught overlooking the Wolf Pack.

UH has won the past six meetings with Nevada, but Coolen is more concerned with the Wolf Pack’s history of causing UH consternation.

“Ever since I remember them joining (the WAC) they have always brought their ‘A’ game,” Coolen said. “It seems they get up for us. They really play their best against us.

“They bring a game that’s pressure filled and they do a lot of good things with their baserunning and hitting and timeliness with everything.”

Nevada appears to be on a well-timed upswing in their season. After finishing last in the league in 2011, the Wolf Pack struggled again early this year and began the conference season at 10-23. But they’ve won two of their four WAC series to enter today’s game at 6-6 and are coming off a series win at New Mexico State.

“They hit the ball hard, they’re not afraid to swing the bat,” Parnaby said. “They’re a good-hitting team and they’re always going to be tough.”

Sophomore Karley Hopkins leads Nevada at the plate, hitting .327 overall. Sophomore pitcher Karlyn Jones is 4-0 with a 1.52 earned-run average in WAC play.