It was the summer of 1998, and the University of San Diego’s 35-year-old baseball coach was trying to build a program with optimism, a tight budget and resourceful recruiting.
Rich Hill, who was USD’s newly hired head coach at the time, recalled how pitching coach Sean Kenny would find a quiet space to use his land-line phone to call recruits. “Cell phones were not totally mainstream,” Hill remembered. “Sean had to go into his closet to talk on the phone because he was right by the airport. The planes would come directly over his house.”
Hill, Kenny and Rick Hirtensteiner were the best of friends — and cohorts — as they helped end the Toreros’ streak of four non-winning seasons.
“We were basically the only coaches there,” Hill said. “Man, we had this phenomenal season. We’ve remained close ever since.”
After 23 seasons at USD, Hill was hired at Hawaii in June 2021. Kenny is Georgia’s pitching coach. Hirtensteiner is in his eighth season as Pepperdine’s head coach. With Big West road series on back-to-back weekends, the Rainbow Warriors sought a mid-week game ahead of this weekend’s games against UC Irvine. Hill called Hirtensteiner. Although Pepperdine already booked a nonconference game on Tuesday, Hirtensteiner agreed to add the ’Bows to the calendar. First pitch for today’s UH-Pepperdine game is at noon at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
“They already had a Tuesday game with Cal Poly, and they made an exception and are going to play us,” Hill said. “That’s kind of cool of them. … Rick Hirtensteiner coached for me back in 1999, first season at USD. We became good friends.”
Last weekend, the ’Bows dropped two in a three-game road series against UC Riverside. Both Big West losses were by a run, including Sunday’s walk-off walk. This year, the ’Bows are 4-8 in one-run games, including 3-6 against Big West opponents.
“This team is very resilient,” Hill said. “And it’s just college baseball, man. You get bloodied up on weekends in the Big West.”
The ’Bows had voluntary weight-training sessions and a mandatory study hall on Monday ahead of the 58-minute bus ride from Riverside to Costa Mesa, where they will stay for the remainder of this Southern California road trip. They were scheduled to conduct the road version of “Competition Tuesday” to address strategies for today and this weekend.
“There are some things we need to shore up,” Hill said. “But we’ll keep cracking rocks, and keep a positive attitude on this thing. The message has always been we need to change our relationship with results, and bring it right back to the present moment in being good at the task at hand. And when you do that, you feel liberated in anything in life.”
Aaron Ujimori, who started on Sunday after delivering a three-run, pinch-hit double the night before, has re-emerged as an option at third. “That’s how baseball is at this level,” Hill said, “and with championship teams, that’s a common trait. There’s kind of a new hero every game.”
The ’Bows are reviewing the outfield switch in which Jared Quandt moved from right to center and Matt Wong went the opposite way.
Hill remains confident shortstop Jordan Donahue will break out of a 2-for-20 slump. “He’s going to figure it out,” Hill said. “That thing he has — speed — comes to the ballpark every day. And a great attitude. He has a really good feel for the game.”
Hill said Riverside’s flatter mound might have contributed to the UH pitchers’ collective lower velocity last weekend. “It’s that point in the season, too, where you’re dealing with 18- to 21-year-olds, there’s going to be phases of a little bit of a dead arm, phases where guys feel alive,” Hill said.
NCAA Baseball
At Eddy D. Field Stadium, Malibu, Calif.
Hawaii at Pepperdine
>> When: Today at noon HT
>> TV: None
>> Radio: 1420-AM
>> Streaming: WCC Network
