Once Ulu Matagiese brushed away some nerves, the ball came into sharper focus.
Matagiese acknowledged a bit of shakiness in her first two plate appearances in the University of Hawaii softball team’s last tournament.
“My third at-bat I started to realize when I’m relaxed is when I see the ball the best,” Matagiese said.
Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
>> When: Today-Sunday
>> Schedule Today: Coastal Carolina vs. Stanford, 2:30 p.m.; Coastal Carolina vs. Hawaii, 5 p.m.; Stanford vs. Hawaii, 7 p.m. Saturday: Coastal Carolina vs. Stanford, noon; Stanford vs. Hawaii, 2:30 p.m. Sunday: Stanford vs. Coastal Carolina, 10 a.m.; Coastal Carolina vs. Hawaii, 12:30 p.m.
The Rainbow Wahine center fielder went on to hit .417 with three doubles over five games in the Bank of Hawaii Invitational to earn a spot on the all-tournament team and enters another weekend tournament looking to maintain a two-pronged plate approach.
“Being relaxed you’re able to stay focused,” Matagiese said, “but at the same time being aggressive and attacking the ball in front.”
Coming off a 4-1 run last weekend, the Wahine (10-7) open the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament today with a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. against Coastal Carolina (7-8) of the Big South. UH and Pac-12 foe Stanford (7-7) are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. UH faces Stanford again on Saturday and closes the tournament against Coastal Carolina on Sunday.
Matagiese’s solid weekend at the plate raised the junior’s batting average to .297, good for second on the team, heading into today’s games at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, a park that represented a goal during her high school career.
She made several trips over from Kauai to watch Jessica Iwata, her second cousin and one of the most prolific hitters in UH history. Matagiese made her debut at RWSS in leading Waimea to the Division II state tournament and led the Menehune to the 2012 championship.
One of the strongest players on the team, Matagiese had another powerful role model in her older brother, Siasau, a former defensive tackle with the UH football team.
“He makes sure I’ve got my academics first before I do anything else,” Matagiese said. “He would always make me put in extra work on the softball field, and when I’m away from the softball field to still put in work and time. Because to be successful you have to do extra, you just can’t be satisfied with going to practice and that’s all you do. You have to do extra things to be successful and get better.”
A shortstop, center fielder and catcher at Waimea, Matagiese broke into the UH lineup in left field as a freshman. She settled into center last year and has since made that patch of turf her own.
“She’s doing a great job in center field,” UH coach Bob Coolen said. “She anchors that, she’s always talking, she’s really stable with (right fielder) Keiki (Carlos) out there.”
“Whenever I’m put into center field I just get that mentality that no balls are going to drop,” Matagiese said, “that I’m going to always give my 110 percent effort if I have to run through that fence or dive for the ball.”
As a team, the Wahine have raised their batting average each of the season’s first three weeks, hitting a collective .286 last week. First baseman Heather Morales and freshman third baseman Nicole Lopez are tied for the team lead with three home runs and 12 runs batted in each.
Kanani Aina Cabrales (6-2, 2.41 earned run average) won all three of her pitching appearances last week and contributed to the offense with two home runs. Coolen said sophomore Brittany Hitchcock is dealing with a back ailment and freshman Jennifer Iseri could see more work in the circle this weekend.
