Imagine being graded on a curve for a speech class that Jimmy Fallon and Augie T also attend.

The University of Hawaii’s 3.31 earned-run-average is in the top 9 percent nationally — 24th among 295 Division I baseball teams — but third in the Big West behind Long Beach State (3.09) and Cal State Fullerton (3.29).

“That’s how good the pitching is in our league,” said coach Mike Trapasso, whose Rainbow Warriors play UC Davis in their Big West home opener tonight at Les Murakami Stadium.

Robert Garcia, a lefty who is limiting right-handed hitters to a .238 average, starts for the Aggies in the opener of the three-game series. “We saw him last year, and he’s good,” Trapasso said.

Except for a few glitches, the ’Bows have had solid starting pitching. By Trapasso’s definition of a quality start — seven innings, two or fewer runs — the ’Bows have hit the mark in 19 of 33 games. Their starting pitchers have a collective 2.66 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, with per-nine-inning averages of 6.28 strikeouts and 1.49 walks.

Brendan Hornung, tonight’s UH starter, has pitched four complete games and has issued six walks in 712⁄3 innings. Hornung has relied on a four-pitch repertoire, including an off-the- ledge splitter, and a three-light mental approach.

If Hornung is in a groove — green light — he will continue his pitching rhythm. In a yellow-light situation, he will step off the mound and take a deep breath before resuming. Red-light situations require a longer pause to refocus.

“Everyone on the team has their own personal green, yellow and red,” Hornung said. As a reminder, under the bill of his cap is the Sharpie-written words: “Control me.”

Dominic DeMiero, who will start Saturday’s game, has had control — one walk in his past four outings — but not the command. For most of the season, the left-handed DeMiero was able to hit the glove — catcher Kekai Rios’ target — with low-plane fastballs. But in the past two games, in which he did not reach the fourth inning either time, DeMiero has thrown to the high section of the strike zone.

“He’s got to be able to throw the ball across to the glove side or else he’ll have another bad outing,” Trapasso said. “We have to get him back to where he was when he was throwing well. When he was throwing well, he was able to throw that across fastball and down in the zone. Everything he’s thrown in the past two weeks has been elevated.”

Trapasso said DeMiero has worked to correct a mechanical hitch in his delivery. In the past two games, DeMiero has not had the proper stacking — hip drive — in his pitching motion. “It’s all about fastball command, and the reason he hasn’t had the fastball command is because of his stacking,” Trapasso said. “It’s two outings in a row where he didn’t have the fastball command. As good as the change-up is, the change-up is ineffective without the fastball.”

DeMiero said he is healthy and “I feel how you should feel halfway through the season. I’m excited to pitch here on Saturday.”