Gather all the adversity, crunch it into a ball, and throw it at Hawaii baseball coach Rich Hill.
He’ll swat it away.
Tell him he will have to wait another year to resurface Les Murakami Stadium’s field and cover the batting cage, and Hill will shrug and say, Hey, at least there’s a plan.
The long bus rides for Big West road games?
“They’re in California, it’s no big deal,” Hill said. “It’s what they do in minor league baseball. All these guys want to be pro players. They’d better get used to the bus rides.”
In Hill’s first two UH seasons as head coach, the Rainbow Warriors played in the Tony Gwynn Legacy in San Diego. Last year, they participated in the Cambria College Classic in Minnesota. Deciding there was more benefit to games at Murakami Stadium, the ’Bows will play all but one of their pre-league games on the UH campus. this season
“I just love playing in that environment,” Hill said of home games. “I don’t want to go on the road in the preseason anymore.”
The exception — Feb. 28 at Hawaii Hilo — came from an NCAA exemption allowing the ’Bows to play all three of Hawaii’s Division II schools this season. “We have eight kids from the Big Island,” Hill said. “I want to go to Wong Stadium and pack that place.”
The exemption also solved another dilemma. Now the ’Bows, similar to other Big West schools, can play mid-week games against in-state schools.
Hill also has managed to refill his coaching staff. The past two years, the ’Bows led the Big West in ERA. But after last season, popular pitching coach Mathew Troupe resigned to move back to the mainland. He now is Loyola Marymount’s pitching coach.
Hill hired Keith Zuniga as Troupe’s successor. Zuniga spent the past three years at New Mexico State as the pitching coach and finished the 2023 season as the Aggies’ interim head coach.
“He really brings a new-school approach, especially with technology data and analytics,” Hill said of Zuniga. “The pitchers love him.”
Zuniga utilizes Rapsodo — a pitch-tracking device that analyzes a pitcher’s spin rate, velocity, movement, command, and technique — and the 6-4-3 Charts program.
“He’s at the top of the list in how to use it all,” Hill said.
Two weeks ago, UH assistant coach Dallas Correa was named the Milwaukee Brewers’ minor league coordinator of catchers.
“The Brewers recognized greatness and talent,” Hill said of Correa, who was the ’Bows’ director of player development the past two years. “He’s been in Arizona all week. That guy was the glue of the staff.”
Anticipating Correa’s departure, UH is trying to finalize the hiring of a coach with extensive experience leading programs. The new coach’s duties will include scouting, defensive positioning and preparation.
Former UH shortstop Maaki Yamazaki also is joining the ’Bows as a graduate manager. At the recommendation of his parents to visit UH during the offseason, the Japan-reared Yamazaki eventually was offered a spot on the ’Bows’ roster in 2018. As a senior in 2019, Yamazaki was named to the All-Big West team as a utility player. He played a couple of seasons of pro baseball in Japan. Now Yamazaki can double as a mentor to Itsuki Takemoto, a two-way player from Japan.
Takemoto will be used mostly as a pitcher this coming season, according to Hill. “He’s doing great,” Hill added. “He’s adjusted to the language.”
Last year, the ’Bows relied heavily on six pitchers. There are more than 20 pitchers on this year’s 40-player roster. Harry Gustin was drafted by the San Diego Padres, but Harrison Bodendorf and Randy Abshier return as starting pitchers. Hill also found a surprise addition to the rotation.
“In my coaching brilliance, (catcher Nainoa Cardinez) called me one day and asked, ‘Do you mind if I pitch?’” Hill recalled. “Last game of summer ball in Green Bay, he pitched. He was low 90s, elite spin rate. He was very motivated to do it. He understood this was his ticket to pro baseball and he wanted to see how far he could take it. He loves pitching. He loves competing. Nothing I did. It was all him. My brilliance didn’t discover it. It was all Nainoa.”
Halfway through UH’s preseason training, Hill has not missed an upbeat.
