Wednesday was the first day of spring, but the Columbus, Ohio, forecast still called for brrrr.
For the baseball series between Hawaii and Ohio State, temperatures will be in the 40s for games tonight and Friday night before warming to the 50s for day games on Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s going to be cold, but at least we’re not looking at snow or rain,” said UH coach Mike Trapasso, sporting a sunny-side-up disposition. “It’ll be cold, but it won’t be frigid.”
Trapasso is more concerned about thawing the Rainbow Warriors’ bats. The ’Bows average dipped to .256 after batting .183 the past weekend against Cal State Bakersfield.
“We just didn’t hit,” Trapasso said of the CSUB series.
“Obviously, their pitching was good. Give them credit. But we struggled offensively.”
Injuries have limited the ’Bows’ options. In the preseason, second baseman Dustin Demeter (hip) and catcher Tyler Murray (left hand) underwent surgery. Demeter is sitting out this season to rehabilitate. Murray missed the first 10 games, and while his receiving has been steady, he has struggled to regain his swing (.130). Dallas Duarte, who can catch and play second, has recovered from a sprained ankle. But he was 0-for-14 against Bakersfield. On Wednesday, center fielder Adam Fogel was scheduled to undergo surgery for a season-ending shoulder injury.
For now, Trapasso said, “we’d like to find someone to step up in the (designated hitter’s) role, and be that guy in the middle of the lineup, in that DH spot.”
This season, the UH designated hitters have hit .224 with 12 RBIs in 67 at-bats.
Logan Pouelsen, who moonlights as a reliever and first baseman, is 9-for-36 with six RBIs as a DH. Pouelsen has more steals (two) than extra-base hits (one). He entered with a .272 average and 15 extra-base hits in his first two UH seasons.
“Logan’s struggled at the plate, he’s struggled on the mound (6.75 ERA),” Trapasso said. “For us to have a successful year in conference, I think Logan needs to be the guy he was in our scrimmages in both areas on the mound and at the plate.”
Max Crabbe had three hits in his first three at-bats as a designated hitter. But after that, he went 0-for-4 against right-handed pitching.
Trapasso said Jeremy Wu-Yelland (1-1, 4.13 ERA), Li‘i Pontes (1-1, 3.18) and Aaron Davenport (0-1, 3.93) will be the starting pitchers for the first three games of the series.
“JY is our best arm right now if he’s throwing strikes,” Trapasso said of Wu-Yelland, who averages 7.6 strikeouts and 4.8 walks per nine innings.
“I think it’s just a focus thing for me,” Wu-Yelland said. “Consistency is just a thing I’ve struggled with. It’s a process. I’m trying to stick to my approach and my plan.”
Trapasso said Pontes has “been our best strike thrower. … Throwing strikes the way he does is all we’re looking for right now.”
Pontes has issued three walks in 22 innings.
“We focus so much on the strike zone, but let’s keep in mind, our walks-per-nine-innings average (3.6) is third in the Big West,” Trapasso said. “It’s not what we’re accustomed to or what we demand of ourselves — to be top 20 in the country is our goal — but I know we’re in the top 70 (67th). There are a lot of schools out there that would take our walks-per-game average in a heartbeat. For us, it’s too many. That’s not what we’re about.”