In announcing Wednesday’s medical report, Hawaii baseball coach Mike Trapasso reported that outfielder Tyler Best received some stitches but avoided serious injury after he “face-planted” during a moped mishap.
“It looks like he’s OK, thank goodness,” Trapasso said.
These days, Best’s condition amounts to hopeful news for the hard-luck Rainbow Warriors. Trapasso said freshman Aaron Davenport, who left Sunday’s game with a sore shoulder, will not pitch in the four-game series against Oregon, which opens tonight at Les Murakami Stadium.
Trapasso said he remains concerned about center fielder Adam Fogel’s sore right shoulder. “He doesn’t feel much better,” Trapasso said of Fogel, who suffered the ailment on a slide the past Saturday. Fogel, who underwent an MRI on Wednesday, has missed the past two games.
Catcher Dallas Duarte’s sprained ankle has kept his availability as day-to-day.
“He’ll be fine when he gets a full range of motion and can put some weight on it again,” Trapasso said. “He’s moving around a lot better. With that progression, we can hopefully see him by this weekend.”
But Logan Pouelsen, a multiple-position junior, is expected to play tonight. The left-swinging Pouelsen departed Tuesday’s game after a fastball struck his right leg. Pouelsen said the ball just missed his kneecap. “I’m very lucky,” he said.
Tuesday’s game marked a return to form for Pouelsen as a pitcher and hitter. This season’s initial plan was to use Pouelsen as a designated hitter, a strategy that would allow him to pitch in relief while remaining in the lineup. But Pouelsen entered Tuesday struggling on the mound (11.56 ERA) and at the plate (.182). That night, he pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, working out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam, and going 3-for-3 with two RBIs.
“That was the old Logan right there,” Trapasso said. “That was the Logan we’ve come to know and love. That was the Logan we saw in scrimmages this spring. He didn’t show up as that guy the first couple of weekends. But that was the Logan who showed up (Tuesday), the Logan with the good tight slider and a real good fastball that was up to 91 (mph).”
Pouelsen said he regained his hitting stroke after “I finally found my comfort zone. I stopped pressing.”
Shortstop Maaki Yamazaki also is back in the groove after adjusting his approach. Yamazaki, who led the ’Bows in hitting last season, batted .188 in the first seven games this year. The slump prompted left-swinging Yamazaki to lift his right leg earlier.
“It gives me more time to think about (the pitch),” Yamazaki said. “I think I’m a little bit lower (in the stance) so I can see the ball better.”
In the past five games, Yamazaki is hitting .600 (12-for-20).
Duarte’s injury coincided with catcher Tyler Murray’s return. Murray suffered an injury to a bone in his left (receiving) hand in September. He did not participate in fall training. When he returned from UH’s winter break, he experienced more problems with the hand, leading to a bone-shaving surgery. Murray was expected to miss between six and eight weeks. Instead, he returned in three weeks. Tuesday’s game marked his first start since May 12, 2018.
“Just to get a few at bats, and a good barrel on a couple at bats, was a plus for me,” Murray said.
Trapasso said of Murray: “We just think the more he gets out there, with each weekend, with each passing series, he’ll get stronger. … The focus for him is not to worry about his offense. The offense will come. The receiving and helping our pitchers is where his value comes into play.”
NCAA BASEBALL
>> Who: Oregon (7-3) vs. Hawaii (7-5)
>> When: 6:35 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday; 1:05 p.m. Sunday
>> Where: Les Murakami Stadium
>> TV: Spectrum Sports (Friday only)
>> Radio: KHKA, 1500-AM today and Saturday; KKEA, 1420-AM Friday and Sunday
