It is perhaps fitting that the Hawaii baseball team’s season will end in the twilight zone.

The Rainbow Warriors will close with three early evening road games against Long Beach State beginning today at Blair Field.

This season, 11 players have missed games because of injuries or ailments, forcing the ’Bows to start two infielders as corner outfielders and realign the infield. But the focus for this series, coach Mike Trapasso said, is “we want to play better than we did last weekend, let our seniors finish on a strong note, have fun playing the game well.”

The Dirtbags counter with a lineup whose batting average (.230) is higher than the team’s winning percentage (.212). The Beach lost its first 10 games and in April, with a 5-26 record, fired head coach Troy Buckley. It was two years ago when Buckley was named the Big West’s coach of the year after leading the Dirtbags to the league title. The Beachenters its final home series 11-41 overall and 5-16 in the Big West.

“Their overall numbers aren’t very good,” Trapasso said, “but their conference numbers are better. Their overall numbers are misleading because it’s probably the single-toughest nonconference schedule in the country.”

The Dirtbags have played top-25 teams UCLA, Florida, Mississippi, Michigan and TCU, as well as USC, Minnesota and San Diego.

Trapasso insisted “Long Beach is Long Beach. You don’t take anything for granted. … Whenever they play at Blair Field, and particularly with some of the seniors who have had success, I think they’re going to be at the top of their game. We need to be ready.”

There will be some stability if Maaki Yamazaki can play shortstop in the series. Yamazaki has not played his natural position the past 10 games after experiencing soreness when making deep throws. An MRI showed no structural damage, but the discomfort has persisted. If Yamazaki is forced to be used at designated hitter, then Ethan Lopez will again move from third to short, with Dallas Duarte starting at third. Duarte, a freshman recruited as a catcher, had never played third until this season.

Trapasso has set the pitching rotating with Cade Smith today, Aaron Davenport on Friday, and Logan Pouelsen on Saturday.

After altering his pitching motion, Smith had a 4.29 ERA in four starts. But he relinquished eight earned runs in nine innings in the next two starts, including an outing in which he was coming off flu-like symptoms.

“He needs to have a slider,” Trapasso said of Smith. “When Cade has a slider working, he’s really tough.”

Davenport’s freshman season has ranged from starts of six shutout innings to two second-inning exits.

“He’s a freshman,” Trapasso said. “You have highs and lows. He has to learn to keep his emotions on an even keel. He has to focus on what gets hitters out, and that’s throwing down in the zone.”

Davenport agreed that he is at his best when he can consistently hit the bottom of the strike zone.

“I have to focus on pounding the zone and living low,” Davenport said.

Davenport will get to hone his skills when he pitches in the prestigious Cape Cod League this summer.

“I’ve never sent anyone to the Cape who didn’t come back better, whether it be as a hitter or pitcher,” Trapasso said.