A day after Hawaii’s final nonconference game, Bob Coolen reminded the Rainbow Wahine softball team of the reality that accompanies the start of Big West play.
“Auditions are over.”
The first 26 games of the season provided definition in roles while serving as prelude to the nine-week, 27-game conference schedule, which begins today when UH (17-9) faces UC Santa Barbara (13-8) at 6 p.m. at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
The Rainbow Wahine and Gauchos cap the series with a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday.
“Conference is always fun, it always definitely brings out more of the competition side because of the rivalries we play,” UH center fielder Cira Bartolotti said.
“You feel the difference, the energy is higher. … Preseason is to find out where everybody fits in. But conference is when we really get to have some fun.”
A former standout pitcher in high school at Maui and Kapolei, Bartolotti established a regular spot in the lineup and a leadership role in the UH outfield in her senior season.
Bartolotti saw most of her playing time as a pinch-runner early in her UH career and made four relief appearances in the circle last season. Along the way, she also worked on tracking flyballs in practice, and earned three starts in the outfield last season. She made a full-time transition leading into this season and has started all 26 games in center.
“We lost a lot of outfielders last year with (four-year starter Brittnee) Rossi and (Mikaela Gandia-Mak) leaving and I had experience over the four years practicing in the outfield,” Bartolotti said. “It was finding I was comfortable out there and I knew, just having a upperclassman mindset, what the program needs and how the outfield is run.”
She had gone 1-for-13 at the plate in her first three years in the program, her lone hit a home run off the bench against Long Beach State in 2021.
She’s hitting .267 close to midway through the season and posted a team-high .384 in last week’s Outrigger Rainbow Wahine Classic with a double and her second career home run.
“When she took over in the outfield she realized, ‘I’m the center fielder, I’m the captain out there,’ ” Coolen said.
“I just love that she has exploded in the sense of wanting to be on the field day in and day out. She goes out there believing every day, which is great, and I just have to keep reminding her of that.”
Shortstop Xiao Gin has occupied the leadoff spot in the lineup throughout the season at .338, followed by catcher Izabella Martinez and second baseman Maya Nakamura at .333.
Mya’Liah Bethea started the season in left field but moved to first base after senior Dallas Millwood suffered a season-ending injury during the UNLV Desert Classic in mid-February. Bethea is hitting .319 and leads the Big West with eight home runs.
Coolen has established a pitching rotation of sophomore left-hander Brianna Lopez (8-3, 1.73 ERA) and freshman righty Key-annah Campbell-Pua (7-3, 2.23) with freshman Millie Fidge (2-1, 2.80) and sophomore McKenna Kostyszyn (0-0, 0.00) also in the mix for time in the circle.
Big West softball
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
UC Santa Barbara (13-8, 0-0) vs. Hawaii (17-9, 0-0)
>> When: Today, 6 p.m.; Saturday (DH), 2 p.m.
>> TV/Radio: none
