The opposing head coaches for this week’s baseball series — Loyola Marymount’s Jason Gill and Hawaii’s Mike Trapasso — find nothing leisurely about walks.

“I would say it’s a concern right now, our inability to throw enough strikes,” said Gill, whose Lions’ average of 4.92 walks per nine innings correlates to a 5.43 earned-run average. “Most of the ERA you’re looking at, it’s because we’re walking or hitting guys and giving up free bases.”

Entering tonight’s first of four games at Les Murakami Stadium, the Lions have relinquished 39 walks, including four to open an inning and 13 with two outs. The Lions extended innings with four hit-by-pitches. They also were beaten on a 10th-inning, walk-off balk.

The 1-7 Lions’ early struggles could be traced to a challenging early schedule (USC, UC Irvine and four against Oregon), injuries and inexperience. Six ailing scholarship pitchers are not available, including Tyler Cohen, a front-of-the-rotation right-hander, and Giuseppe Benedetti. Of the four pitchers who started games this season, three are freshmen. Josh Agnew, a sophomore, has been efficient in his first two starts, allowing no walks and striking out 10 in 12 innings. Agnew has had three-ball counts to five of 44 batters.

Gill, whose team won a share of the West Coast Conference title last year, is hopeful the youthful pitchers will develop and “have enough confidence to throw strikes. If a team beats us because they hit the ball around, we can take that.”

In 2017, the ’Bows led the nation in fewest walks (2.24 per game). This season, they have allowed 3.0 per game (21 in seven games) — a figure Trapasso deems too high, particularly in a spacious home stadium.

“We’re walking too many for my comfort level,” Trapasso said. “I’d prefer for it to be under 3, to be in the 2.5 range. We don’t tell our guys you cannot walk anybody. But you’ve got to know what your situation is. The no-out walks, the two-out walks in this ballpark just doesn’t make sense. That’s just asking for a crooked number (more than one run) when you’re walking guys in an inning.”

The ’Bows have received a boost from their bullpen, which has allowed three earned runs in 211⁄3 innings. The relievers have combined for a 1.26 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and four saves in four opportunities.

Both teams have standout center fielders — LMU’s Billy Wilson and UH’s Dylan Vchulek — who can cover ground. Wilson is hitting a team-high .323. He was on track to be drafted when he hit well during the first month of 2017, his junior season. But then he endured an 0-for-29 slump, sabotaging his draft chances and opening the way to returning to LMU this season.

“On our team, he’s the straw that stirs the drink, for sure,” said Gill, describing Wilson as “the best center fielder, in my opinion, on the West Coast. I guarantee he’s going to make at least two plays where you’re going to say, ‘whoa, that’s a pretty good play.’”

Gill said the Lions’ .226 batting average does not reflect the hard-contact outs. “It’s early,” Gill said. “A lot of times guys are jumping at the ball. They’re excited. They want to start off hot. It kind of works in the opposite way when you do that. I think that’s what happened to some of our guys. I think we’ll be OK offensively.”

Trapasso is confident his core four — catcher Kekai Rios (.200), second baseman Dustin Demeter (.136) and outfielders Johnny Weeks (.095) and Vchulek (.238) — will regain their stroke.

“Those guys have always hit,” Trapasso said. “I have no question at all they will. We’re excited about getting them going.”