Challenges of the present become lessons for the future.

The University of Hawaii softball team indeed endured a rocky spring on its way to the fourth sub-.500 season in Bob Coolen’s quarter century as head coach. Through the vexing moments, the season provided experiences to build on, particularly for a group of newcomers who filled prominent roles.

“Division I is so much different than high school and I got a reality check going to this program,” freshman third baseman Nicole Lopez said. “Knowing that the competition is much harder, it’s definitely a learning process.”

Lopez adapted well enough to earn Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year honors and Sarah Muzik, who started games at four positions, joined her on the conference’s all-freshman team. Pitcher/outfielder Jennifer Iseri and catcher Heather Cameron also saw extensive playing time against a schedule that included 11 teams that advanced to the NCAA tournament.

They’ll be part of a group of returnees looking for a bounce back in 2017 after a 24-30 season that began with the Wahine shutting out their first four opponents. They went 30 innings before giving up their first run, but struggled to bring all three phases together over the remaining 50 games in a season that left the coaching staff reflecting on how the Wahine could have shifted their fortunes following a sixth-place finish in the Big West.

“Those were the frustrating parts: would’ve, could’ve, what might have been, only if … ,” said Coolen, who took over the program in 1992. “It could have been this, what if this happened it might have gone this way. And I’m like, ‘It didn’t.’ ”

UH returns a pitching staff that kept the Wahine competitive for much of the season. Sophomore Brittany Hitchcock finished 13-15 with a 2.18 earned-run average and posted 103 strikeouts against just 15 walks in 177 innings. Kanani Aina Cabrales heads into her senior year coming off of an 8-11 season with a 3.45 ERA.

There were shaky stretches in the field, with a Big West-high 84 errors contributing to 62 unearned runs, and UH finished last in the Big West in fielding percentage at .950.

The offense also fell below the production UH had become accustomed to over the past decade. The Wahine hit a collective .237 and didn’t have a hitter over .300 for the first time since 2004. They also went without a double-digit home run hitter for the first time since 2005.

The Wahine finished with 25 homers after launching at least 42 in each of the previous 10 years. Sophomore catcher Rachel Lack led UH with six home runs, but will return to Australia, where she’s a member of the national team.

Lopez tied Lack for the RBI lead with 23 and topped the team at .287, followed by Muzik at .284. Heather Morales, UH’s leading hitter in 2015, was limited by a hamstring injury for a chunk of the season before surging late in the schedule and will be part of next year’s senior class along with Aina Cabrales, outfielder Ulu Matagiese and shortstop Breanna Ojala.

The Wahine lose a senior class that included starters in right fielder Keiki Carlos, second baseman Tayana Mata and Dori Ann Sugai, who took over at shortstop in the final two series.

Several of the newcomers poised to join the program in the fall have shown power potential in high school and Coolen hopes the Wahine will regain the plate presence of seasons past.

“The pop will come once the swag is there,” Coolen said.