On paper, the University of Hawai‘i softball team's 4-1 record indicated a strong start for new head coach Panita Thanatharn, but neither she or the Rainbow Wahine exited the weekend fully satisfied.
The 'Bows opened its 2026 campaign with five games over the span of three days, defeating Seattle 2-1 on opening night. UH then defeated North Dakota 4-2 to begin Friday, then topped Pacific 6-2 in the nightcap.
Hawai‘i began Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Pacific. Its final game of the weekend against Seattle was pushed back an hour and had multiple delays due to heavy winds and rain seen Island wide. UH lost 9-3 after the Redhawks broke out for five runs in the third inning.
"Overall, not a bad weekend," Thanatharn told Aloha State Daily after the game. "Obviously, that [last] one's a little disappointing. Long day, long weekend. I thought we lost focus a little bit. We didn't do a good job of [continuing to] keep scoring, putting pressure on, but we got lucky those other games just to hold those up."
Thanatharn indicated earlier in the week that the team's pitching depth would be put to the test during opening weekend. Emerging from the pack was sophomore Taryn Irimata, a sophomore who transferred in from Nevada. The Campbell alumna and ‘Ewa Beach native tossed complete game victories on opening night against Seattle and on Saturday afternoon against Pacific. Hannah Pitts delivered a complete game against North Dakota but also took the loss against Seattle.
Offensively, shortstop Milan Ah Yat had a team-high five hits for the Rainbow Wahine, hitting .385 and moving to the leadoff spot by the end of the weekend after hitting fifth in the batting order on opening day. Maycen Gibbs, Jamie McGaughey and Briana Maio-Silva hit a home run each for the Rainbow Wahine.
The Rainbow Wahine will next enter perhaps the most challenging portion of their 2026 season, playing 10 games in Southern California over the next two weekends. The 'Bows will play four games at the CBU Classic in Riverside from Feb. 14-16 before playing six games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City from Feb. 19-21.
"We're just always trying to learn," Thanatharn said of her squad. "I mean, we've seen them a lot. We're just trying to see who the gamer ones are. We've seen a lot of practice, and we have an idea sometimes, when it comes to games it's a little bit different, but I think they are learning a little bit more about themselves, which is good, and that's the goal."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
