Opening night of the conference season annually offers a chance for a fresh start.

Tonight, a refreshed University of Hawaii softball team looks to carry the momentum of a promising start into Big West play.

The Wahine (21-10) closed a month-long run of tournaments with a six-game winning streak and the program’s best nonconference record in four years. After a 12-day break, they open the Big West schedule today at 6 p.m. against UC Davis in a matchup of two of the league’s hottest teams.

The Aggies (15-17) own the conference’s longest winning streak with seven straight victories entering the three-game series at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. UH won 13 of its last 15 prior to a nearly two-week hiatus to recharge.

“I think it was a way to get some people some rest, but also just get reps in what we needed to work on and kind of reset our minds a little bit,” UH pitcher Brittany Hitchcock said. “Last week was more of a recovery week in the weight room and this week we got back into practice.”

A surge after an 8-8 start sent the Wahine into spring break with the program’s best start since the 2013 team went 22-7 en route to its last appearance in the NCAA regionals. UH — just three wins shy of last year’s total — owns the second-highest RPI among Big West teams at No. 52, trailing only No. 48 Cal Poly (24-8).

“I think our confidence is way better that it was last year,” sophomore third baseman Nicole Lopez said, “and I think we’re in a good position to go into Big West right now.”

UH enters the conference schedule second in the league in team batting average (.295), earned-run average (2.21) and fielding percentage (.966), with all three phases contributing to the success of the others.

“They feel good about themselves (defensively), they feel good about where they are in the lineup,” UH coach Bob Coolen said. “No one’s coming up to me saying, ‘I should be here (or) I should be there.’ ”

Improved infield defense has supported a pitching staff that has allowed more than one run just twice in the past 11 games. Hitchcock (12-6, 1.93) won her past five starts while allowing two runs in the last 35 innings with 42 strikeouts and one walk in that span.

“I just kind of trust my pitches, and if the strikeouts keep coming, great, but ground balls and pop-ups, those are always key outs as well,” Hitchcock said. “Anything you can do to get in and out of innings.”

Junior Dana Thomsen (7-3) enters her first Big West season ranked fifth in the conference with a 1.83 ERA, while Hitchcock and senior Kanani Aina Cabrales (2-1, 1.94) have the experience of two seasons in the league.

Lopez is hitting .455 with five home runs in 19 games in March to enter the conference season at a team-high .365.

Production at the top of the lineup from center fielder Danielle Garcielita (.320) and second baseman Sarah Muzik (.361) feeds into the middle of the order of Lopez, senior Heather Morales (.329, 21 RBIs) and freshman Callee Heen (.298, 18).

“We’re not holding back,” said Coolen, adding that the Wahine have adopted a plate approach to “be aggressive and just make the most out of your at-bat rather than getting in a hole and being defensive.”

UC Davis is the Big West’s most aggressive team on the bases with 54 stolen bases in 66 attempts. Taylor Peters leads the Aggies at the plate at .394 with 12 stolen bases. Brianna Warner leads UCD with 18 steals while hitting .343.