New pitchers give Wahine a fresh look

Kayla Wartner’s classroom studies and on-field duties tend to complement each other.

As a psychology major, Wartner applies some of what she’s learning on the University of Hawaii’s upper campus to her role as a catcher down at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Those skills could be especially handy this spring in helping develop a young pitching staff.

When Wartner joined the Rainbow Wahine program in 2012, Stephanie Ricketts and Kaia Parnaby were upperclassmen well established as successful Division I pitchers. Now entering her junior year, Wartner is on the other end of the experience spectrum with a staff of freshmen and sophomores staring back at her from the circle.

"You have to have more communication," said Wartner, who started 105 games behind the plate over the last two years. "You kind of have to calm them down and talk them through it versus with the older ones it was more like ‘OK you know what you’re doing wrong, here you go.’ It’s more just communication."

Freshman Heather Morales is scheduled to make her college debut Thursday when the Rainbow Wahine open the season against Hampton in the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic. Sophomore Loie Kesterson, the most seasoned member of the pitching staff, is expected to get a start in Friday’s doubleheader, either against Delaware or No. 16 UCLA.

Keiki Carlos, another sophomore, had planned to focus on playing right field this season. But the Mid-Pacific graduate is back in the mix to give the Wahine depth while freshman Brittany Hitchcock recovers from a back injury.

"They’re all really different pitchers," Wartner said. "So if someone were to be getting hit … you can bring another pitcher in and they’re completely different and have different things in their arsenal you can use. I think they complement each other really well."

Along with starting in the circle, Morales, a 5-foot-7 right-hander from Indio, Calif., is slated to hit fifth in the UH batting order. She pitched for one of the nation’s top travel-ball programs.

"She has been mentored by a lot of good ballplayers with her pitching and with her hitting," UH coach Bob Coolen said.

Morales’ preparation for Division I softball included facing her own lineup, which includes five returning starters who contributed 56 of UH’s Big West-leading 81 home runs last year.

"Sometimes you hate pitching to them, but then you love it," Morales said. "I like facing them because it tests me and it pushes me. … They’re all aggressive, which is even better because when you have UCLA and (future opponents) BYU and Oregon, they’re all going to be aggressive at the plate."

Kesterson went 4-4 with a 5.39 earned-run average, appearing in 16 games last season. Her eight starts included complete-game wins over UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara.

"Knowing now how competitive it is, I think I’m more mentally ready and know what I needed to fix from last year," Kesterson said. "I’m more consistent with it and I have more confidence in it."

Kesterson will work primarily with senior Sharla Kliebenstein behind the plate. Sophomore Alyssa Villalpando gives Coolen another option at catcher as well.

Carlos went 2-2 as a freshman and finished the year as UH’s second-leading hitter. She’d found a home in the outfield, but Hitchcock’s injury brought her back to the pitching circle.

"They pulled me out of retirement," Carlos said. "It came out of nowhere, but I feel more relaxed this year just knowing what I have from past experience."

Even though Carlos didn’t pitch at all in the fall, "She’s thowing well," Coolen said. "She’s throwing in the low 60s right now, her ball is moving."

Hitchcock was expected to share the bulk of the innings with Morales, but is undergoing physical therapy on her back after suffering the injury in fall conditioning. She is targeting a return in March.

"I thought it was going to heal over Christmas break, but it got worse," Hitchcock said. "I’ve been getting some treatment, so I’m starting to feel a little better and trying to strengthen my back and core.

"It’s really difficult because I want to get back out there any time I’m feeling any better. But it’s a time game and I have to make sure it’s fully strengthened and healed before I go back out there."