Sweeping UC Davis kept Hawaii from falling out of the Big West race completely.
Winning on the road will prove the Rainbow Warriors are capable of contending.
Hawaii (12-20, 3-3 Big West) is a confident bunch heading into a three-game series at Cal Poly (11-18, 1-2) starting Friday at Baggett Stadium in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a three-game sweep of UC Davis after playing three good games at UC Irvine, albeit all losses.
UH is 7-20 against current members of the Big West in league play since joining the conference, but with six home games the following two weeks, can position itself to make a run with a good showing against the Mustangs.
"You have to be able to win on the road if you’re going to have a chance in league," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. "We played well on the road at Irvine and I continue to remind our guys of that because we played well and honestly, we didn’t win any games, but it gave us confidence coming into last weekend."
UH has looked like a different team with senior Stephen Ventimilia and sophomore Marcus Doi back in the everyday lineup.
Both are still trying to find their form prior to getting hurt, combining to hit .150 (3-for-20) against UC Davis with five runs scored.
The mere presence of having them back in the lineup, especially Ventimilia manning second base, has allowed the rest of the guys to pick it up both offensively and defensively.
"You can see that everyone feels way more comfortable now back in their normal roles having the normal guys out there," catcher Chayce Ka‘aua said. "They might not be doing their best right now, but it definitely helps."
Ka‘aua’s batting average shot up 37 points to .237 after going 6-for-12 with three doubles, six runs and five RBIs against the Aggies.
Shortstop Jacob Sheldon-Collins went 7-for-15 with four runs and four RBIs against UC Davis to see his average climb 33 points to .263.
"Knowing the kind of players they are — incredibly athletic, get on base a lot — they are a spark plug for us," said junior Alan Baldwin, who is hitting .280 with three doubles, two triples and a home run. "It’s big for us."
The Mustangs started the year ranked in the top 20, but were swept by Baylor and Grand Canyon in the first two weeks.
Cal Poly ranks sixth in the league with a .263 batting average and is eighth in ERA at 4.32.
RAINBOW WARRIOR BASEBALL
» Who: Hawaii (12-20, 3-3 Big West) vs. Cal Poly (11-18, 1-2)
» Where: Baggett Stadium, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
» When: Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.
» TV: Online stream at BigWest.tv
» Radio: KKEA 1420-AM
PROBABLE STARTERS
» UH: RH L.J. Brewster (4-3, 2.21 ERA); RH Tyler Brashears (4-3, 2.49); LH Jarrett Arakawa (2-0, 2.01).
» CP: RH Casey Bloomquist (3-2, 2.56); LH Kyle Smith (2-5, 3.76); TBA
