Few pitchers can relate to the workload Kaia Parnaby has handled this season.

Minnesota’s Sara Moulton is part of that group.

The fortunes of their respective teams in the NCAA softball tournament rest largely in the hands of two of the nation’s most productive pitchers as the Rainbow Wahine and Golden Gophers enter today’s opening game of the Seattle regional.

"Everyone will start going to their aces," UH coach Bob Coolen said. "Your ace is going to carry you."

Pitching often dictates postseason success, and Parnaby and Moulton carried UH (43-11) and Minnesota (35-17) to the postseason as two of the five Division I pitchers to post at least 30 wins this season.

Both are expected to take the circle again in today’s 12:30 p.m. meeting to open the double-elimination regional at Husky Softball Stadium. Host Washington faces Portland State in the second game.

Coolen has handed the ball to Parnaby, UH’s senior left-hander, 46 times this season, including 44 starts. She delivered a record-setting 37-5 season, highlighted by 325 strikeouts in 290 innings.

Moulton, a junior right hander, made 42 starts in her 45 appearances and enters the regional at 31-10 with 279 strikeouts.

Parnaby has had a chance to recharge after closing the regular season last Saturday while working to keep sharp in bullpen sessions, including Thursday’s practice.

"She wanted to get in a few more sessions (this week)," Coolen said. "She’s rolled a little bit more to stay on top of her game and that’s good. She knows what is being asked of her and she wanted to do a little bit more pitching."

UH played Washington, the tournament’s 11th seed, and Portland State twice each in early-season tournaments at home. Minnesota is more of a mystery, but the Wahine will take the field with some insight from afar.

Senior Kelly Majam spoke to her sister Mari, an All-Big Ten outfielder at Northwestern, after the matchups were revealed on Sunday to get an idea of the challenges the Golden Gophers present in the circle and at the plate.

"She gave me little tips," Kelly Majam said. "She said they have good hitters. I looked at their stats and they have some good home run numbers, so it’ll be a good matchup."

In addition to the power numbers, the stats suggest Minnesota will try to put pressure on the defense on the bases, swiping 93 this season.

But for the most part, UH’s focus remains inward in its preparation for its third regional in the past four years and its first trip to Seattle since the 1999 tournament.

The Wahine got acclimated to the environs and dimensions at Husky Softball Stadium on Thursday — taking note of how the ball carries to the outfield, among other aspects — in a practice that left Coolen pleased with the team’s focus.

"We got some good cuts in, we got our infield-outfield in and we did that very efficiently, and I think the young girls caught on to that," senior shortstop Jessica Iwata said. "I thought our intensity was really good today."

Iwata is part of a senior class that has experienced both postseason elation in 2010, when UH advanced to the Women’s College World Series, and last year’s 0-2 showing in the Tucson regional.

This time around, the Wahine carry with them the momentum of a five-game winning streak, which they hope will sustain them during their stay in Seattle.

"We always focus on ourselves, that never changes," Iwata said. "We have to keep doing what we’re doing and control what we can control."

UH places three on all-region team

Parnaby, Majam and junior Jazmine Zamora were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-West Region team on Thursday.

Parnaby was one of two pitchers named to the all-region first team. Majam also made the first team as an outfielder while Zamora, UH’s second baseman, was named to the second team.

The teams are voted upon by coaches from each region and the players selected are eligible for the NFCA Division I All-America teams.

Longwood outfielder Kori Nishitomi, a Maryknoll graduate, made Southeast Region first team. ‘Iolani graduate and Washington third baseman Kimberlee Souza was a Pacific Region second-team selection.