Growing up as a University of Hawaii baseball fan, catcher Kekai Rios never imagined he had a squatter’s right to play in Murakami Stadium.

“I can’t believe I’m here,” said Rios, gazing around the stadium before Thursday’s Rainbow Warrior practice. “My dad was a season-ticket holder before. He brought me (to games). A few years ago, I was dreaming of being on this side of the field. I didn’t know it was possible to be at this college ready to play with these kinds of people.”

Rios, a 2015 Kamehameha Schools graduate, begins his second season as the Warriors’ starting catcher with Saturday’s exhibition against the alumni. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. There is no admission charge.

Rios hit .331 last season, second among UH batters and ninth in the Big West. But it is his trifecta of catching skills — receiving, blocking and throwing — that helped him earn coach Mike Trapasso’s respect and the pitching staff’s trust.

There are 17 pitchers — 12 newcomers, including two first-year starters — offering different motions and pitch trajectories. Brendan Hornung, who will start in the alumni game and the Feb. 17 regular-season opener, throws a dirt-scattering splitter. Jackson Rees has an over-the-top motion in which he can launch a cutter that can break up to 8 inches to either perimeter of the plate. Isaac Friesen has a “dancing” knuckleball that, according to Trapasso, can be “hard to hit and catch.”

Rios said he spent bullpen sessions in fall training and this training period to bond with the pitchers.

“At first, it’s rough,” Rios said. “It takes the first few bullpens to get your eyes used to their motions. Some have funky motions. I try to get comfortable with them and get on the same page. After a while, you bond with each of them. You kind of click. You know that if he has to throw a fastball, you have to set up certain spot for his visual.”

In certain counts, Trapasso will call for a pitch out of the zone. Rios recalled the first few times he caught Hornung’s splitter. “It would drop out of nowhere,” Rios said. “I wanted to get to a position to where I know I can drop to my knees and block the ball. Whenever that pitch is coming, I have to get into a ready position.”

Trapasso said Rios does a good job of knowing when to receive and when to block. “He knows the percentages of when the pitches are going to hit the dirt,” Trapasso said.

Trapasso also praised Rios for not tipping off pitches with his stance.

“It’s moving late,” Trapasso said. “It’s not giving up the inside or the outside part of the plate early.”

Rios said he embraces the physical aspect of the position — the dings from foul tips, the contact from sliding base runners. “I grew up playing football and baseball,” Rios said. “I’m used to being nicked up. I love it. It feels like I’m in the game every pitch.”