The odd man out is all in.

Scott Kuzminsky’s move from starting pitcher to the bullpen for Big West play is hardly a demotion.

His value to the Rainbow Warrior baseball team has actually increased to the point that coach Mike Trapasso has to keep himself from relying too much on the 6-foot-2 right-hander from Puyallup, Wash.

"The key now is not wearing him out, because we had him up throwing in all three games at Santa Barbara," Trapasso said Wednesday. "We’re going to use him extensively in that role and it wouldn’t surprise me some weekends to throw him an inning in all three games."

The confidence Trapasso has shown is something Kuzminsky had to earn in his second year with the program.

After arriving in the fall of 2012 as one of three transfers from Bellevue Community College, Kuzminsky threw only 201/3 innings his junior year.

He spent last summer with the Victoria HarbourCats in the West Coast League, and while his numbers weren’t great (5.11 ERA, 58 hits in 44 innings), he threw twice as many innings as during the year and got a better idea of what to expect in his second season of Division I ball.

"I think mentally I’m a lot stronger this year than I was last year," said Kuzminsky, who is 3-2 with a 3.43 ERA. "You go out and do the same thing, but having that year under you, you know what to expect and it really does help you out."

Kuzminsky also needed a chance to throw and he earned it in the fall, winning a spot in the rotation as the team’s No. 4 starter.

With so much uncertainty on a staff riddled with injuries, Kuzminsky began the season as one of only three active UH pitchers who threw at least one inning in 2013.

Since giving up seven earned runs in seven innings against Oregon, Kuzminsky has allowed nine in 35 innings. He won the Big West Conference’s pitcher of the week award two weeks ago after falling one out short of consecutive complete games.

"He’s really been consistent for us for the most part," Trapasso said. "I’d like to see him throw the changeup he had in the fall, which was a dominant pitch for him and he hasn’t had all spring. If we can get that thing back I’ll be really happy, but his fastball command has been good."

The plan all along was for Kuzminsky to move to the bullpen once Big West play started and teams play three-game series.

His performance has made the decision a bit tougher for Trapasso, but it provides an easy solution if any of the current three starters struggle.

"I’m not saying he’s going to stay in the bullpen the whole year," Trapasso said. "He gives us that competition now and gives that flexibility if someone goes into a rut, we can use him."

Kuzminsky pitched out of the bullpen for the first time last weekend at UC Santa Barbara and earned a three-inning save in the series finale, giving up no earned runs and no walks.

His experience starting six games has helped him return to his role as reliever.

"I got the adrenaline going again, because as a starter you warm up forever and it’s not quite as much of an adrenaline rush, but I went out and, like I (learned), just threw one pitch at a time, one out at a time, one inning at a time without worrying about the situation," Kuzminsky said. "It helped."

Friday night against UC Irvine, he could find himself coming in to replace staff ace Matt Cooper like he did in junior college.

The two were teammates at Bellevue C.C. and committed to Hawaii before their sophomore seasons. They spent a lot of time together, taking the same classes to get the right credits to qualify for UH.

"We had to take the same schedule, and it was actually kind of a joke because we needed an art credit, so we took ceramics, and we had a night anthropology class, so we screwed around a lot and yeah, I got to know him that year," Cooper said. "I’m really proud of him, especially not getting a lot of innings last year, to step up the way he has.

"It’s huge to have him back there (in the bullpen), especially the way he’s chucking."