MĀNOA — College baseball coaches like to stick to a routine and stay organized, which is why most tend to announce their starting pitching rotations prior to a series. Heading into its most recent series against Ball State, Hawai‘i had penciled in ace Isaiah Magdaleno on Thursday, Hekili Robello on Friday and Brody Martin-Grudzielanek on Saturday while listing Sunday's starter as TBD.
For Hawai‘i, TBD turned out to be Liam O'Brien, whose superb start lifted the Rainbow Warriors to a 6-0 victory on Sunday. A week after giving up seven runs (four earned) in 2.1 innings in a loss to Wichita State, O'Brien redeemed himself with eight shutout innings against the Cardinals. He struck out seven, giving up just two hits and no walks in his 89 pitches.
Hawai‘i took Thursday's opener behind a dazzling performance from Magdaleno in which he struck out 12 in 8.1 innings of work. Robello carried the torch on Friday with seven shutout innings and eight strikeouts. On Saturday, the 'Bows were blanked 1-0 behind a shutout from Ball State starter Brendan Garza, who limited the 'Bows to two hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
The Rainbow Warriors entered Sunday's game needing to win the game to take the series and were able to do so behind O'Brien's performance. O'Brien says keeping a simple approach is what led to his success.
"Heading into today, really, it was just breathing, just breath work and stuff like that," O'Brien said. "Making sure I was calm throughout the innings. When I would spike, I would just calm myself down. Whenever I felt like I was losing focus, I would try and breathe a little fast to get my heart rate down so I could stay locked in the game. ... Trying to stay focused, and just from the first inning to the (eighth), I was just kind of the same person."
UH outscored Ball State 24-2 in the series, but the Cardinals were able to exit O‘ahu with a win to their name after Saturday's shutout. With four games each against Gonzaga, Wichita State and Ball State to begin the year, the Rainbow Warriors enter Big West play 8-4. The Rainbow Warriors open conference play against Cal Poly, beginning on Friday.
"Three really good opponents," Hawai‘i head baseball coach Rich Hill said following Sunday's game. "Ball State's going to be at the top of their conference. They'll probably be playing for the (Mid-American Conference) championship. Wichita State is going to be at the top of their conference, and Gonzaga will be at the top of their conference. It's been a good test for us.
"If you would have said, 'Hey, this is going to be your record at the end of this,' we all would have taken it. We're not concerned with our record, though. The only time that you really are concerned with your record is at the end of the year. So it's all about the play. There's been some real bright spots and real glaring things that we need to work on. So, I'm glad we got four days to get ready for Cal Poly."
Following a series split with Wichita State, Hill stated that the team's hitting consistency was one of its issues. After the Rainbow Warrior bats were flummoxed on Saturday night, the 'Bows had 10 hits as a team on Sunday afternoon. Ben Zeigler-Namoa belted two home runs for the 'Bows during the series, while Tate Shimao went 2-for-3 with two RBI on Sunday.
"Our whole team did a good job this whole weekend, and finally being able to come through for my team was so good," Shimao said.
Shimao, a former ‘Iolani standout, began his collegiate career at Cal Poly before redshirting with the Rainbow Warriors in 2025 due to injury.
"It's a blessing. Being out, you just get a different perspective," Shimao said. "Just grateful every day to be out here, whether good or bad, it's a blessing to be on the field again."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
