SECOND of 3 PARTS

Last year’s Oregon series gave fans a glimpse of how special of a hitter Marcus Doi is.

Despite making his collegiate debut against a top-10 team stockpiled with future draft picks on the mound, the Mid-Pacific graduate recorded a hit in every game and drove in four runs while batting leadoff.

The hype surrounding the reigning Star-Advertiser position player of the year was legit. This was going to be the start of something big in 2014.

But less than a week later, Doi stretched at first to beat out an infield single, his 10th hit in six games, when he felt a pull in his groin.

From that point on, he was never the same.

"It’s tough," Doi would say over and over as the frustration built.

UH brought him back as a pinch hitter. Then he gave starting at DH a shot at Texas, which lasted only one game. Finally, after three weeks off, he gave it one last go to begin Big West play.

It was all for naught. By April 12, Doi was shut down for good, and the wait for 2015 began.

Unfortunately, with the new season finally here, it’s more of the same. Surgery in November was expected to fix the problem for good, but as soon as spring practice started, it flared up again.

Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso understands the importance of having Doi in the lineup. It’s why the injury will be handled differently this year.

"We’re not going to play that game like last year where we rush him into the games where he’s not at full strength, we tweak it, and we’ve got to sit him out two weeks," Trapasso said. "We’re going to wait until he tells me, ‘yeah, this feels good and I can go hard first to third, I can go hard on a ball in the gap.’"

That’s not easy for a player as competitive as Doi, who will play through pain and who only knows one speed.

But if there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s he doesn’t want to have another season like last year.

He’ll eventually work his way back to the outfield, but for now, expect him to hit in a DH role, one he’s gotten used to over the last year.

"I’ve done it enough that I’ve had to learn how to keep my body loose so that when I go up to bat, it feels natural," Doi said.

Getting him in the lineup, and keeping him there, will be a top priority once the season starts.

"When you have a guy that last year hit .350 in half of a season, you’re talking about a real dude in the middle of your lineup," Trapasso said. "And who doesn’t want a real dude in the middle of your lineup?"

Just ask the Ducks.

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