After a challenging two-week road trip, the Hawaii baseball team has re-focused on the small picture.
The Rainbow Warriors lost two of three against Cal Poly and all three against UC Irvine to drop to sixth place at 10-11 in the Big West. Five teams qualify for the Big West Tournament, whose winner earns the league’s automatic bid in the NCAA Regionals.
“You have to look at this thing through a microscope, not a telescope,” said coach Rich Hill, whose ’Bows play host to Cal State Bakersfield in a three-game series that opens tonight at Les Murakami Stadium. “The continued message is pitch-by-pitch. There is no panic. There is no panic button. We don’t flinch. We’re always looking ahead to that next pitch and winning that one.”
Hill said he learned that don’t-flinch approach from Jim Harbaugh, now the Los Angeles Chargers’ head coach. Harbaugh and Hill knew each other when they were head coaches at the University of San Diego.
“The game of baseball will punch you in the gut pitch by pitch,” Hill said. “It remains the same of stacking pitches, winning pitches. That’s how you win innings. You win innings, you win games.”
Against Cal Poly and UCI, the ’Bows hit .196. They batted .146 against UCI while being shut out in back-t0-back games. “We took a lot of lessons from that weekend (against UCI),” Hill said.
The ’Bows’ recovery started on Tuesday night when they smacked four home runs — two by Kamana Nahaku — in a 14-7 victory over Chaminade. They had an intrasquad scrimmage on Wednesday night.
“I think (Tuesday) night gave some guys confidence,” Hill said, adding, “confidence is a very fragile thing. You’re always in search of that. No matter how many games you play, how many years you’ve been in the major leagues or the NFL or the NBA or NHL, that is the No. 1 thing you need to have. I thought we took a big step forward collectively and (with) some individuals (Tuesday) night.”
Liam O’Brien, who lost his No. 2 spot in the rotation because of recent struggles, had a strong start against Chaminade. O’Brien struck out four in two scoreless innings, throwing strikes on 18 of 30 pitches.
Hill said O’Brien has an “electric” right arm — he can touch 97 mph — but went into the “desert for a little while like some guys do.”
“It was great to see him do what he did (Tuesday) night, and really fill up the zone for strikeouts,” Hill added. “Very encouraging sign.”
Hill said left-handed pitcher Sebastian Gonzalez is healthy and is “ready to go this weekend.” Last Friday, Gonzalez departed after a UCI line drive struck his left forearm.
At 7-11 in the Big West, CSU Bakersfield is in the hunt for the postseason tournament under Jordon Banfield, who was hired as head coach last July. Banfield turned Oakland (Mich.) from a perennial sub-.500 program into 30-plus winners in 2023 and 2024.
At Oakland, Banfield relied on a lineup that was fast on the base paths and on defense. With the Roadrunners largely cobbled over a month-long period last summer, Banfield has put together a lineup that creates on-base opportunities with walks and hit batsmen. First baseman Evan Cloyd has been hit by 24 pitches.
“We’re going to find ways to to get guys on base other than just banging the baseball around the stadium,” Banfield said. “There are a lot of opportunities to take first base if you don’t move (to avoid inside pitches). We don’t allow guys to get out of the way in practice. They’re training themselves to stand their ground. It’s resulted in some way better on-base numbers.”
Center fielder Nick Mascaro hit .470 in the first 18 games, then slumped. Moved down in the lineup, he went 3-for-4 in two games against Pepperdine this week.
Two newcomers and a two-way player comprise the three-starter rotation. Ryan King, who redshirted as a freshman at Division II Grand Valley State last year, is the series-opening starter. King averages 2.47 walks and 9.35 strikeouts per nine innings.
Shane McAlinden, who has made 10 Saturday starts, pitched for Banfield at Oakland last year. In his two-season career, McAlinden averages 2.31 walks per nine innings.
“He has a unique fastball that plays up,” Banfield said. “A four-seamer that guys have a hard time getting on top of. And he can land the breaking ball whenever he wants. He’s a good athlete, competitor.”
Jacob Gutierrez, who has not had an at-bat this season, is Sunday’s starting pitcher.
