Over the course of the University of Hawai‘i softball team's three-game series against UC San Diego on Friday and Saturday, the tributes for head coach Bob Coolen were constant.
Coolen, who is set to retire after the 2025 season, coached his final set of home games as the Rainbow Wahine wrapped up their regular season.
Friday night was designated as "Bob Coolen Night." Prior to the game, dozens of former Rainbow Wahine were in town to tour the school's updated softball complex and say their collective goodbyes to their former coach. Coolen's kids, Bo and Demi, were visiting from the Mainland, and Bo's baby son, Colt, was scheduled to throw out the first pitch.
Messages from Coolen's former players were sprinkled in on Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium's video board throughout both nights.
The 'Bows fell to the Tritons 4-1 on Friday, with Coolen taking the blame for being a distraction to the team afterwards. Despite fears that senior day could be another distraction for the Rainbow Wahine, the 'Bows took both games over the Tritons on Saturday to win the series.
For the most part, Coolen was able to keep his composure emotionally both nights. When asked about his wife, Nanci, following Saturday's regular season finale, tears began to form.
"She's been so supportive. She's been the crutch," Coolen said. "I missed a lot when (Demi and Bo) were growing up because of it. I was dedicated to this. I was all into this, and she did a lot of stuff when I wasn't around."
During UH softball games, Nanci Coolen will stand directly to the left of the Rainbow Wahine dugout, consistently offering words of encouragement to the team. On Friday, she voiced her displeasure to the home plate umpire after a series of debatable calls that swung the tide of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.
As former players on the video board wished Bob Coolen luck, most of them also thanked "Auntie Nanci."
"We're so blessed and so grateful for everything the state has given us. This is amazing. As you can see, I'm very emotional because it's been our life for so many years," Nanci Coolen said through tears after the game. "But it's all good (tears), and we're super happy for the next chapter.
"It's just a gift being in the sports world. It's a journey people don't understand. The behind the scenes of what goes on, the practice, the hard work, no other career gets measured in wins and losses. The fans and stuff always have an opinion, and that can be really challenging, and try to keep a positive attitude and understand that this is the entertainment industry, and it is a great entertainment game. We've done our best to be of really high integrity and good people and try to just give back to the state of Hawai‘i for giving our family so much."
In the near future, Bob and Nanci Coolen plan to travel the world, with various countries in Europe such as Belgium, Norway, Scotland and the Netherlands on the list of destinations in the near future.
Throughout the weekend, 1-and-a-half-year-old Colt Coolen was seen running around Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, making new friends with UH players and umpires. It was the first time he got to watch his grandfather coach on UH's home field.
"It's definitely full circle," said Bo Coolen, a 2014 Punahou graduate. "He runs over to my dad just like how I used to run over. The girls love him, and it's just super full circle to see him have all 30 sisters around the field and to run up to my dad, and my dad kind of takes a deep breath when he sees him, just like he used to with my sister and I. It's super special with my wife and my family here, and just kind of watch him and see the impact, the fingerprint he's had on this program."
On Saturday, the Rainbow Wahine defeated the Tritons 7-4 in the first game of the doubleheader and 4-3 in the nightcap. More tears flowed after the team honored seniors Chloe Borges, Addison Kostrencich, Izabella Martinez, Alyssa Nakagawa and Liliana Thomas.
"(Saturday) morning was very, very emotional. It was filled with so much love, but so much emotions," Martinez said. "I think as soon as we stepped out onto the field, I think we just kind of knew that this was gonna be it for us here. I think we just played with so much more love and so much more compassion today than I've ever seen."
Hawai‘i concluded the regular season with an overall record of 31-18 and 17-10 in Big West Conference play. The Rainbow Wahine finished in a four-way tie for second place in the standings and enter the inaugural conference tournament in Fullerton, Calif. as the No. 5 seed, opening against No. 4 Long Beach State on Wednesday at 10 a.m. HST.
"I'm so grateful that this isn't where it ends," Martinez said after Saturday's game. "My career on this field is done, but I'm so happy that I get to play next week with my best friends again. I'm so excited that I get to get on another plane ride with my best friends and room with some of my best friends and just keep playing the sport that I love so much and that my teammates love so much."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
