The bags and equipment were stowed on the airport-bound bus, the check list was double checked and then … a mongoose attacked a bird several yards away from a news conference at Les Murakami Stadium.
An omen? A metaphor for nature’s fight-or-flight situations? It was a startling sendoff for the Hawaii baseball team, which departed Honolulu on Monday ahead of Wednesday’s single-elimination game against UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Championship tournament in Fullerton, Calif.
“It’s playoff baseball, just like the big leagues,” UH coach Rich Hill said. “Starters become relievers, vice versa.”
UH closer Isaiah Magdaleno said: “I’m super excited … my whole team is excited. We’re ready to go out there and go back to playing the game, keeping it simple as much as we can.”
To qualify for the five-team event, it came down to a winner-take-all showdown between the Rainbow Warriors and UC San Diego, both with 15-14 records, on Sunday. UC Irvine, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara already had earned berths when the ’Bows ran onto the field for Sunday’s first pitch.
Shortstop Jordan Donahue’s grand slam sparked a six-run third inning as the ’Bows ran away to a 13-2 victory. Despite an 11-run lead, UH coach Rich Hill summoned Magdaleno to pitch the ninth to cement the tournament berth. Magdaleno, as expected, retired the side in order.
“Isaiah brings a tough mindset to that closer’s role,” Hill said.
Hill expects the ’Bows to maintain that approach against UCSB, which has a dynamic pitching staff led by Tyler Bremner and Jackson Flora. “We don’t know who they’re going to start, we don’t know who we’re going to start,” Hill said. “We’re going to compete, I know that, and so are they.”
It will be familiar territory for the ’Bows. Two weeks ago at Goodwin Field — the same venue as the Big West Tournament — the ’Bows won two of three against Cal State Fullerton.
“What is a big factor is our backs have been up against the wall,” Hill said. “When playoff teams in baseball, football and basketball go through that mentality and have that experience, as opposed to a team that’s had a layoff or knows they’re in, I think it’s an advantage. Our guys are battle tested. This past Sunday, with that showdown, winner take all, really proved that we’re ready.”
Big West Tournament capsules
No. 1 UC IRVINE ANTEATERS
> Head coach: Ben Orloff
> Records: 24-6 Big West, 39-13 overall
> First game: Thursday vs. Hawaii-UC Santa Barbara winner
> Stud: Two sure things about first baseman Anthony Martinez: he will start and produce. “He’s never come off the bench for us,” Orloff said of Martinez’s 158 starts over three seasons. He averages 1.16 RBIs per game.
> Anteater story: Jacob McCombs (.363/.448/.627) and Colin Yeaman (.352/.449/.639) are a 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup. UCI coaches wasted little time in making a recruiting pitch when McCombs, a San Diego State outfielder, entered the portal last year. Yeaman transferred from College of the Canyons, where the field is named after the late Mike Gillespie. Gillespie, who was a legendary coach at UCI, served as a mentor to Orloff. Series-opening pitcher Riley Kelly is 6-5, 230 pounds and can touch mid-90s. Trevor Hansen has pitched to a 2.22 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in eight games since moving from No. 3 starter to No. 2. Reliever Ricky Ojeda is 12-0 with two saves in a team-high 25 appearances.
No. 2 CAL POLY MUSTANGS
> Head coach: Larry Lee
> Records: 23-7 BW, 37-16
> First game: Thursday vs. Cal State Fullerton
> Stud: Third baseman Alejandro Garza is a graduate of Highland High, a small school in Bakersfield that produces very few Division I prospects. But Garza, a coach’s son, has 83 hits in 53 games, including 16 doubles and six homers. Lee likened Garza to an old-school player from the 1960s in terms of fundamentals.
> Mustang story: Last year, the Mustangs swept freshmen player of the year honors. This year, Garza and right-handed pitcher Griffin Naess have repelled sophomore slumps. Naess is 6-2 and leads starting pitchers with a 3.65 ERA. At 5-9 and 170 pounds, shortstop Nate Castellon leads the Mustangs with a .368 average while also showing range as a fielder. With Long Beach State last year, catcher Jack Collins hit .143 in 11 games. This year, he has played all 53 games while hitting .302 and smacking 12 home runs.
No. 3 CAL STATE FULLERTON TITANS
> Head coach: Jason Dietrich
> Records: 19-11 BW, 29-25
> First game: Thursday vs. Cal Poly
> Stud: Relief pitcher Andrew Wright has benefited from an experiment gone right. After being used sparingly last year, Wright, by default, was assigned a late-inning role. One strong outing led to another and now Wright has a 1.59 ERA and 10 saves. “When the game’s on the line, he’s not afraid,” Dietrich said.
> Titan story: After starting league play with five consecutive losses, the Titans went 19-6 the rest of the way. With a .341 average, third baseman Carter Johnstone is the leading candidate for Freshman of the Year. First baseman Andrew Kirchner strikes out once ever 3.4 at bats, but he also has 69 RBIs and 40.8% of his 71 hits have gone for extra bases. The Titans are more successful on the road (16-9) than at Goodwin Field (13-15).
No. 4 HAWAII RAINBOW WARRIORS
> Head coach Rich Hill
> Records: 16-14 BW, 33-19
> First game: Wednesday against UC Santa Barbara
> Stud: Isaiah Magdaleno is a closer who pitched seven scoreless innings against UC Davis and an eight-out save against UC San Diego. Relying on a low-90s fastball, changeup and an any-situation curve, has a 2.68 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. He averages 11.9 strikeouts and 1.5 walks per nine innings.
> Rainbow story: In four seasons with Hill as head coach, 39 pitchers have started. But in those 206 games, only Randy Abshier has pitched a complete game. “All hands on deck,” said Hill, who could start Cooper Walls, Sebastian Gonzalez, Itsuki Takemoto, Liam O’Brien or Cory Ronan in Wednesday’s single-elimination game. Hill also has shown a willingness to go to the bullpen often and in any count. There are 14 pitchers on the travel roster. Shortstop Jordan Donahue was the hero of Sunday’s game, hitting two home runs, including a grand slam. But his pairing with third baseman Elijah Ickes has solidified the left-side defense. Because of injuries, Donahue and Ickes have been on the field together eight times this season.
No. 5 UC SANTA BARBARA GAUCHOS
> Head coach: Andrew Checketts
> Records: 16-14 BW, 36-17
> First game: Wednesday against UH
> Stud: Right fielder LeTrey McCollum is a burner on the base paths who is tough to catch (17 of 21 on steals), throw out (four triples) and double up (grounded into only two double plays).
> Gaucho story: Despite dominant starting pitching, a No. 15 national ranking and a 4-0 start to Big West play, the Gauchos then lost six in a row, including two to UH. They won two of three against Cal Poly but then lost a series to Cal State Fullerton. They are 4-8 against the tournament field. Entering the season, right-hander Tyler Bremner was viewed as a first-round selection in this summer’ MLB draft. Bremner’s fastball can touch 98 mph. Jackson Flora, who was clocked at 100 mph against Fresno State this year, has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.6. In recruiting, Checketts, who doubles as the pitching coach, sought strike throwers ahead of flame throwers. Bremner, who also tosses a slider and changeup, has struck out 111 and walked 19. Flora has 84 strikeouts against 15 walks. The Gauchos average 10.8 strikeouts against 3.3 walks per nine innings. Isaac Kim, a power hitter who missed 18 games because of an injury early in conference play, has hit .500 in his last five games.
