Right-hander Brashears is eager to show his stuff

Hawaii pitcher Tyler Brashears made quite a first impression on sophomore outfielder Marcus Doi.

"The barrel of my wood bat went into the stands," Doi said before Wednesday’s practice, pointing toward the third-base side of the field, "and I was still holding the handle."

Of the 18 newcomers to join the Rainbow Warriors this season, Brashears could be the most important.

The 6-foot-1 right-hander from Saddleback Community College will likely serve as the team’s opening night starter next Friday against Oregon at Les Murakami Stadium.

Fans can get an early glimpse of Brashears at the annual alumni game Saturday at 1 p.m.

It will be the final tuneup before the season opener for Brashears, who will be held to around 90 pitches.

It will also be his first chance to pitch in front of the home crowd.

"I’ve never really pitched in front of a huge crowd before so having the fans with the full team behind me playing defense for the first time is going to be key," said Brashears, who said his biggest crowd for an outing is approximately 1,000 people. "Whether it’s a scrimmage or an alumni game or any time you go out there, you try to make it as game-like as possible and prepare yourself mentally to get focused in."

Brashears committed to UC Irvine out of high school but didn’t qualify academically.

He committed to UH in the fall of 2013 and pitched 34 1/3 innings as a sophomore at Saddleback with a 2-2 record and a 4.19 ERA. He struck out 29 but spent most of the season troubled by his right throwing shoulder.

"I wouldn’t say hurt but my shoulder froze up and I didn’t really have any velocity," Brashears. "I got put in the (bullpen) for a lot of the season and then toward the end of the season got to start."

During UH’s fall and spring practices, Brashears has baffled some of UH’s top hitters with a fastball that sits 89 to 92 miles per hour.

All four players polled before Wednesday’s practice said Brashears has been the toughest to hit.

"He’s been our most consistent guy as far as his stuff and his command and he’s capable of being real good when he’s on," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. "He’s a skinny, athletic kid with breaking stuff that when it’s in the zone is very good and this for him is just about getting his work in and getting his 90 pitches to get ready for next weekend."

Confirmed alumni to play include Matt Cooper, Scott Kuzminsky, Conner George, Harrison Kuroda, Breland Almadova, Austin Wobrock, Tyler Young, Chris Walz and Sam Spangler.