After nearly three weeks on the road, there was some relief in returning home.

Even so, arriving back on the University of Hawaii campus on Monday "was kind of bittersweet," Rainbow Wahine shortstop Jessica Iwata said.

"We were gone for a while and it is nice to be back," she said, "but of course we want to still be playing."

The Rainbow Wahine closed the 2012 softball season on Saturday with their second loss in the double-elimination NCAA regional in Tucson, Ariz., and dispersed to their various destinations on Monday rather than moving on in the bracket.

Along the way to a 44-9 finish, the Wahine set a record for the program’s longest winning streak with a 21-0 start, captured a fourth Western Athletic Conference regular-season title and earned a 10th appearance in the NCAA tournament.

They peaked at No. 12 in the national polls and No. 10 in the NCAA RPI and ended the spring as the first UH team to finish with single-digit losses, while their .830 winning percentage established a new target for future teams.

"To end up 44-9 is phenomenal for any team," UH head coach Bob Coolen said.

And yet, "to end 0-4 is tough to swallow."

The Wahine didn’t lose consecutive games until May 11, when they were eliminated from the WAC tournament. After being placed in the Tucson Regional, they fell short against Notre Dame last Friday and North Dakota State on Saturday to close the careers of seven UH seniors.

"We’re going to be disappointed that we didn’t finish the way we wanted to, but we can’t forget the season we had and we wouldn’t have been where we were if we didn’t have such a great season," Iwata said. "I think the seniors should go out knowing we did have a good season."

Iwata is among five starters slated to return to the batting order after hitting a team-best .400 and driving in 57 runs. She’ll be one of next year’s senior leaders along with center fielder Kelly Majam (.318, 15 home runs) and pitcher Kaia Parnaby (16-3, 1.47 ERA).

Parnaby figures to take the lead role on the pitching staff with the departure of senior Stephanie Ricketts (28-6, 1.49).

UH signed two pitchers last fall — Mid-Pacific standout Keiki Carlos and Loie Kesterson, a left-hander from Corona (Calif.) High School — to complement Parnaby in the circle next season.

"The positive part is we have kids coming back who can produce for us … and we have to fill some voids," Coolen said. "We have the ingredients. We have kids on our team who are hungry after two years of learning the system sitting behind seniors, but we also have some impact freshman that are coming in."

Ricketts leaves the program as its leader in wins, strikeouts, shutouts, innings pitched and complete games and combined with Parnaby to post the lowest ERA in Division I entering the WAC tournament.

They had given up more than four runs just once to that point, so surrendering 31 over the final four games was a stunning facet of the abrupt conclusion.

"Their ball got flatter and flatter and more hittable than it was all year," Coolen said of the WAC tournament and regional.

"Once you get into thinner air your ball doesn’t move as much. Kaia and Steph were throwing hard, but their ball wasn’t moving, they weren’t breaking enough. It’s something to learn from."

While the returnees take this year’s lessons into next season when UH joins the Big West, the seniors move on after a season that included:

» two early-season wins over Florida State,

» Iwata’s game-winning home run against No. 1 California,

» and a sweep of rival Fresno State in its final appearance at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

"We didn’t get as far as we’d like to, we didn’t win some games that maybe we should have, but we also won a lot of games we weren’t expected to," senior second baseman Dara Pagaduan said. "It was a good season. It’s going to be kind of weird not playing softball any more, but it’ll be all right. We’ll be good."

Pagaduan feeling better

Pagaduan said she has no recollection of the nasty collision that knocked her out of Saturday’s game against NDSU, or much of the game at all. She was fielding a ground ball when she collided with a baserunner heading toward second and spent the rest of the game in the dugout.

"It was a long travel day, but (trainer Eric Okazaki has) been taking good care of me. I’m going to see a doctor to get checked out," she said Monday.

It’s been a great 4 years; thank you, everyone As the 2012 season comes to a close, there are not only tears to be shed, but memories to be cherished. This season has been a steppingstone and example of the potential of what the Rainbow Wahine softball program can be — a national powerhouse and force to be reckoned with. We have proven that even though we are a small group of girls, we have big dreams and big hearts that are willing to push the expectations set before us. Personally, I feel no regrets over the last four years. There have been too many positives out of this experience to ever feel “down” about it. I know that my fellow seniors are appreciative of the opportunity we were given to play for this program to make a name for ourselves. As we move on to other aspects and chapters in life, we will always hold UH softball near and dear to our hearts. Although the season is over, the legacy isn’t. Hawaii softball will be back next year to surprise the skeptics and reaffirm the true believers that when you have heart, you have everything. Coach Bob Coolen will be back and yes, he may get thrown out once or twice but always in defense of his players and the team. He gives his job more than any outsider could ever understand and inspires us to do the same. We will forever be indebted to the man who allowed us to be a part of something so much more meaningful than we ever imagined possible. Without the other coaches, Dee (Wisneski) and Lans (Kaulana Williams), Eric (Okasaki) the trainer, and Tats (Kyle Tateishi) our go-to guy, our experience as Rainbow Wahine softball players would be seriously hindered. The sacrifices made by staff and players are endless and do not go unnoticed. Along with the faithful Hawaii fans who will chee-hoo long into the night, keep believing and keep the bond that sets us apart from any other program. Mahalo and Aloha, Alex Aguirre & the entire Rainbow Wahine softball team.