Big West Conference outlines plans for spring sports seasons

The University of Hawaii baseball team will open its season on the road against Arizona State next month, ASU announced on Friday.

The teams will play a single game on Feb. 26 and a doubleheader the following day.

The Sun Devils have been one of the most dominant teams in Pac-12 history. Through 2017, they had been nationally ranked through at least part of 58 consecutive years. Their alumni include Barry Bonds, Reggie Jackson and Dustin Pedroia.

UH officials declined to comment because the contracts have not been finalized. Rainbow Warrior head coach Mike Trapasso said the full schedule will be announced this coming week.

On Friday, the Big West Conference reaffirmed its intent to field spring-sport competition this year with the release of schedule format for baseball, men’s volleyball, softball and women’s water polo. UH, which is in its ninth year of Big West membership, fields teams in those sports.

>> Baseball: The regular season will be a round robin of four-game weekend series. Once league play begins on Friday, March 19, teams may play only one opponent each week. That would appear to eliminate the nonconference games UH usually schedules during extended Big West road trips. Teams still will be allowed to schedule nonconference games ahead of the March 19 league start.

>> Men’s volleyball: The six Big West teams will play a 10-match season with opponents meeting in back-to-back matches each week. Schools are permitted to play a third match in the series, but only two will count toward the regular-season standings. Conference play runs from Thursday, March 11, through Saturday, April 17. The Big West tournament will be held at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on April 22-24.

>> Softball: The league’s regular season will consist of three-game series. A fourth game is permitted, but it would not count toward the league standings. Teams will be allowed to play only one team each week once conference play begins on March. 19. The season runs through May 15.

>> Women’s water polo: Teams will play each Big West opponent once during the conference season. A second match would be considered a nonconference meeting. Conference play would run from Friday, March 12 through Sunday, April 25. The league’s tournament will be held April 30 through May 2.

“These schedule formats reflect the changes our Big West administrators, coaches and staff felt were necessary in the face of unprecedented challenges,” Big West commission Dan Butterly wrote in a release. “I applaud their efforts to find solutions that move the Big West forward.”