UH softball team starts practice

Performances this fall will play a major part in determining how the University of Hawaii softball team takes shape in the spring.

With starting positions open at four spots in the field, UH coach Bob Coolen will have several decisions to make in crafting the Rainbow Wahine lineup. That process began in full on Monday with the start of practice at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

"You have to have everyone set and have everyone know who’s pushing who," Coolen said of the coaching staff’s objective coming out of the fall.

UH returns four starters in the field and a starting pitcher off of last year’s 44-9 team. Filling the vacancies while integrating the newcomers into the system will top the priority list through early November.

"We had a great season and one of the main things we want is to move on from last season," senior Jessica Iwata said. "We have to understand we’re a new team every year and we have to set some new goals."

The competition for playing time will be influenced heavily by weekly intrasquad scrimmages as well as the team’s exhibition games.

The Wahine host the Preseason Paradise Classic, featuring Kumamoto International College of Japan and Chaminade on Nov. 2-3 and the alumnae game on Nov. 9 and will hold a scrimmage on Kauai on Nov. 11.

"We keep track of everything, so at the end of the fall they know exactly what they hit in a competitive mode," Coolen said.

Of the 24 players on the fall roster, 14 are freshmen or sophomores, with several expected to contend for starting jobs. So leadership will come from a five-member senior class headed by returning starters in shortstop Iwata, center fielder Kelly Majam and pitcher Kaia Parnaby.

"The girls on the team call me ‘Grandma,’ " said Majam, the only fifth-year player on the team. "I’m not that much older than them, but I feel very seasoned, like I’ve been here a really long time. I definitely feel confident and excited for this year to see what we’ve got."

While Majam and junior Sharla Kliebenstein return in the outfield, the infield will have at least three new starters. Sophomore Leisha Li‘ili‘i and freshman Alyssa Villalpando are among the top contenders at first base, and Coolen will give five players a chance to audition at third base and has six at second.

Freshman Kristina Akiona and senior Tara Anguiano figure to get a lot of reps at shortstop while Iwata continues to work through a shoulder injury that will limit her throwing this fall.

"I’m just going to be working hard on rehab and hopefully be ready by spring," Iwata said. "It’s getting better slowly."

Among the newcomers, Star-Advertiser All-State pitcher of the year Keiki Carlos will get a look at several positions. Along with being a contender for the second spot in the pitching rotation behind Parnaby, the Mid-Pacific graduate will also work at second base and in right field.

Another decision yet to be made concerns charging for admission to games. UH softball games have been free for most of the program’s history and the possibility of selling tickets this season remains under discussion.