Going into their final series together, a few firsts are magnified in the memories of the Hawaii softball team’s seniors.

For Leisha Li‘ili‘i, one of the most imposing hitters to wear a Rainbow Wahine softball uniform, hitting her first career grand slam in Las Vegas as a freshman stood out as her "welcome to college" moment.

Jordan Burton, primarily a runner and reserve outfielder, recalled high-fiving coach Bob Coolen coming around third last season after hitting her first and only career homer.

Kayla Wartner flashed back to her first senior day, when an 11th inning walk-off shot against rival Fresno State added to the 2012 celebration.

"That was probably my favorite moment in my four years I’ve been here," Wartner said. "I was probably the last person they thought would end the game and it was just really exciting that I could do it for the seniors … and I can’t believe that was four years ago."

The trio’s turn to play through the emotion of senior week arrives Friday when the Rainbow Wahine (29-22, 10-8 Big West) open their conference series against UC Davis (18-28, 6-12) with a doubleheader starting at 6 p.m.

Burton, Li‘ili‘i, Wartner and team manager Justine Tjaden, whose playing career was cut short in high school by a harrowing medical emergency, will be honored after Saturday’s 1 p.m. senior day game for their four-year contributions to the program.

"It’s such an accomplishment to say I was a Rainbow Wahine and say I represented the state of Hawaii and graduated in four years," Burton said. "I’m really looking forward to celebrating that with my teammates and my family. It’s going to be bittersweet but it’s going to be a great time."

After closing their softball careers on Saturday, Wartner (sociology and psychology), Burton (family and human resources) and Tjaden (interdisciplinary studies) will walk in UH’s spring commencement ceremony next weekend while Li‘ili‘i (family resources) is on track to graduate in December.

Li‘ili‘i hit her first homer at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium in the third-place game of the 2010 Division I state tournament to close her junior year at Castle. A two-homer game against Campbell in the semifinals helped the Knights reach the title game her senior season before falling Mid-Pacific in the final.

She’s started all 212 games since joining the program and has gone deep 47 times. She enters the UC Davis series third all-time in home runs, trailing Kelly Majam (72) and Jessica Iwata (55). But it’s her third, the slam against Memphis in Las Vegas, that resonates in her memory.

"I actually felt that was my initiation to being part of the team," Li‘ili‘i said. "Just seeing all the upperclassmen cheering for me, congratulating me, I felt like I was actually part of the team."

She met Wartner and Burton when she enrolled at UH and the duo from Escondido, Calif., already had a history stretching back to their start in the sport.

They formed a bond on an under-8 team when Burton, then the team’s top pitcher, bowled over her batterymate with her first toss.

"I throw the ball and Kayla falls on her butt and I’m just giggling," Burton said. "I run over and help her up and that’s when we knew there was a connection like ‘You’re a goofball, I’m a goofball, we’re going to have some fun together.’ "

They played against each other in high school and when Burton committed to UH, Coolen told her he was also scouting a left-handed catcher from the area.

"She knew I was coming here before I knew I was coming here," Wartner said.

Wartner established herself as a mainstay behind the plate over her four years, impacting the game with her bat — she’s tied for eighth with 33 career homers — and her left arm.

Big West leader Cal State Northridge had stolen a league-high 82 bases going into last week’s series against UH but didn’t test Wartner in the three-game set. She’s thrown out eight of 12 this season and is 1-for-1 in Big West play.

"Kayla has grown into that position, look at the respect she has," Coolen said. "Kayla said ‘(CSUN) didn’t even try.’ I said, ‘that’s a testament to you.’ "

Burton filled a role off the bench as a pinch runner for most of her career and delivered her lone home run against Saint Mary’s in 2014. She started four games this season and squeezed the final out in last week’s series clincher at CSUN. Coolen said he will start all three seniors against UC Davis Friday and Saturday.

"I’ve been involved with so many things, being Big West champions and going 21-0 (to start their freshman year) … I don’t regret anything," Burton said. "I’ve always been a part of the team and always done my role."

As has Tjaden, who played club softball with Wartner with the San Diego Legacy until she was diagnosed with Lemierre’s Syndrome, a rare blood disease, at 16. She was put into a medically induced coma for 17 days and was hospitalized for a month. Her playing career over, she sought a way to stay connected with the game. Her club coach heard UH was one of the few programs to offer a scholarship for a manager.

"There was no question about whether I still wanted to be around the sport. I wanted to find a way to participate in softball," Tjaden said.

"I was given this opportunity possibly to be stronger in a way. Every opportunity that I get I want to do it with 100 percent."