Happiness is a chain presented to a player completing a home-run trot, a samba-line dance inspired from watching a samba class in San Diego, and a group sing-along to “Dixieland Delight” on the bus ride to the hotel following road victories.

For the University of Hawaii baseball team, happiness is winning five consecutive series with a different ensemble member taking a curtain call each game.

“We’re just having so much fun out there, just competing and playing to win,” said center fielder Cole Cabrera, a Punahou School graduate who transferred from Cal Poly last summer. “I think that’s something we’re going to try and ride the next 10 games. Just having so much fun and letting it hang all out there.”

Beginning tonight, the Rainbow Warriors play host to Cal State Northridge in a three-game series at Les Murakami Stadium. At 22-20 overall and 13-8 in the Big West, the ’Bows are in third place, a half game ahead of 14-10 CSUN. The ’Bows have 10 games remaining, including nine against Big West teams. Rich Hill, who was hired as UH’s head coach 11 months ago, has targeted 30 overall victories.

“We’re trying to get that for him,” Cabrera said. “We have to continue to do what we’re doing — pitch, play defense. The bats have been doing what they’re supposed to do.”

Because of injuries, the ’Bows are down to 12 available pitchers. Because of cross-training, all but tonight’s starter — Cade Halemanu – are capable of roles as starters to one-batter relievers. The ’Bows used nine pitchers in Sunday’s 18-13 victory over UNLV. Buddie Pindel, who pitched 4 1/3 innings in the first game against UNLV, came back two days later to pitch the final inning of the series’ finale.

Catcher DallasJ Duarte, who missed the previous game because of a mid-body injury, is expected to play tonight. Left fielder Scotty Scott is wearing a brace to protect an ailing left (throwing) elbow. Kyson Donahue, who sat for three games, returned to the lineup to go 3-for-7 with two home runs and five RBIs against UNLV.

“That shows what we have and what kind of players we have on this team,” Cabrera said. “Scotty Scott is really playing with one arm, competing every single day. Kyson Donahue coming in and hitting two bombs in Vegas, that’s amazing.”

For CSUN, this is the latest stop on the aloha tour for Dave Serrano, who is retiring as the Matadors’ head coach at the end of this season. Serrano has coached 26 years on the Division I level, 16 of them as head coach at UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, Tennessee and CSUN. He is one of 13 head coaches to lead two teams to the NCAA Tournament.

The Matadors, who were predicted to finish seventh in the 11-team league, have won six of eight Big West series this season.

“The secret is we’ve pitched a lot better than we did earlier in the season,” Serrano said. “From the programs I’ve been around, it’s come down to pitching and defense. We’re playing really good defense and we’re pitching really, really well.”

Blaine Traxel, who will start tonight, was named to the All-Big West second team last year. This season, Traxel is 5-4 with a 3.62 ERA. He has issued 12 walks in 77 innings.

“He’s that guy,” Serrano said. “His stuff isn’t overpowering, but he gives you an All-American effort every time. Even when he’s not on, he’s on, because he competes his tail off. He gives our team a chance every time he goes out there.”

Lucas Braun, who was 0-3 as a reliever, has emerged as a dominant starter. In seven starts, Braun is 5-0 with a 0.91 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. “Shame on me,” Serran said of not starting Braun earlier. “I saw his numbers the other day. He’s 5-0 as a starter, and he left a game when we were up 2-1. He would be 6-0 as a starter. … He’s given us a real shot in the arm, no pun intended, in the rotation. He throw three or four different pitches over the plate. In college baseball, anytime you can do that, you’re going to be successful.”

Braun pitched the previous two seasons under Hill at the University of San Diego.