Eight different Hawaii freshmen saw action in the opening series against Oregon last week.

Based on performance alone, it was tough to figure out who was who.

Reliever David Longville, one of a handful of pitchers vying for a spot in the starting rotation, tossed 42⁄3 shutout innings against Oregon on Saturday.

He did it in front of more than 3,000 fans, a far cry from the 100 to 500 people who attended his high school games at Capistrano Valley High School in California.

"You can’t be nervous," the 6-foot-3 right-hander said. "If you’re going to fail, you’re going to fail. If you’re going to do well, you’re going to do well, so have fun.

"That’s what the game is all about."

Second baseman Stephen Ventimilia wasn’t quite as nonchalant, admitting the butterflies got to him on opening night.

Although he only hit .182 (2-for-11), he showed the patience of a skilled veteran at the plate, drawing 10 walks to lead the team with a .571 on-base percentage.

"It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but once we got going it kind of turned into an epiphany and I realized how lucky I was to be where I am," Ventimilia said. "After that the game slowed down and it was just playing the game I’ve played my whole life."

Hawaii also got freshman contributions from catcher Cody Clark, who like Ventimilia, hit below .200 for the series, but drew four walks to push his on-base percentage to .500.

Trevor Podratz started at designated hitter twice and collected two hits, scoring twice and driving in two runs. Left fielder Kaeo Aliviado also wasted little time making his presence felt, scoring three runs and making a diving catch to preserve UH’s only win of the series.

"My only surprise was how comfortable (the freshmen) seemed to be and how much fun they were having," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said.

The Rainbows (1-3) have a chance to improve on their numbers with a five-game series against Wagner College beginning tonight at Les Murakami Stadium.

The teams will play five games in four days, giving UH’s pitching staff ample opportunities to sort itself out.

"It couldn’t come at a better time to play a five-game series just to get guys out there," Trapasso said. "We’ll have some questions answered after this series on certain situations with certain guys and we need guys that did well this past season to go out there and show they can do well again."

The opposite also holds true for those who struggled, including lefty Scott Squier, who lasted just 22⁄3 innings in his first start.

The 6-foot-6 left-hander is expected to start Game 3 for UH, behind tonight’s starter Matt Sisto and sophomore Jarrett Arakawa, who will pitch Friday.

"I’d like to have some better results," Squier said. "I went in and pounded the zone — missed a couple spots, but did everything I prepared myself to do.

"It’s not like high school where I can just throw it down the middle. I actually have to pitch."

The last two starting spots could go to any number of pitchers, including Kyle Dowdy, another freshman who tossed 22⁄3 innings of one-run ball against Oregon.