Jessica Iwata will start her weekend by facing a few former University of Hawaii softball teammates returning for the program’s annual alumni game.

She’ll end it with a homecoming of her own — a giveback to the community on Kauai.

Iwata and the Rainbow Wahine cap fall practice with the alumni game tonight and an intrasquad scrimmage followed by a youth clinic Sunday on Kauai.

Sunday’s trip will take Iwata, a senior, and junior first baseman Jori Jasper — both Kauai High School graduates from Lihue — and associate coach Dee Wisneski (a Waimea graduate) back to the Garden Isle for the scrimmage and to help some of the young players into the sport.

"I think it’ll be a good thing that we go over there and give them some motivation and something to work for," Iwata said of the event set for Waimea Canyon Park.

Iwata primarily played baseball before switching to softball as she approached high school. Since then she’s seen growth in softball at the youth level on Kauai.

"A lot more girls are going into softball and starting younger," Iwata said. "We barely had enough girls to make one team on Kauai. To have teams and tournaments now, it’s something that’s good for the younger athletes they get to experience at a young age."

Iwata and Jasper were teammates on Kauai’s 2009 Division II state championship team. The title returned to Kauai last spring when Waimea claimed the D-II championship.

Before the trip, UH will take on members of past teams in the alumni game, set for 6 p.m. today at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Admission is free.

The alumni roster is expected to include Kate Robinson and Tyleen Tausaga, who earned NFCA All-America honors in 2007. Makani Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu, Dara Pagaduan and Sarah Robinson, members of last season’s WAC championship team that finished 44-9, are also slated to return.

"The alumni game is always fun because they always want to beat us," Iwata said. "This year they have a tough team coming in. … We tease each other here and there, so it should be something fun and entertaining."

Stephanie Ricketts, the program’s winningest pitcher, won’t be around for the game. She’ll be in San Francisco for the UH women’s basketball team’s season opener.

Sunday’s scrimmage on Kauai starts at noon with the clinic to follow. For more information on the clinic, contact Teddy Perreira at 808-346-5889. The clinic is open to players ages 10 and older.