MĀNOA — After wrapping up a weekend in which it accomplished something for the first time since 2018, the look of disappointment on the faces of University of Hawai‘i baseball players and coaches alike was unmistakable.
With a 14-6 victory over UC Irvine on Friday and an additional 3-0 win on Saturday, the Rainbow Warriors entered Sunday's game against the Anteaters prepared to sweep the series. UC Irvine took Sunday's series finale 5-1 in front of a Les Murakami Stadium turnstile crowd of 1,938.
Since joining the Big West prior to the 2013 season, UC Irvine has consistently been the code Hawai‘i has struggled to solve. Even with UH's series win, UCI still leads the all-time series 46-16. Ultimately, the series win was a step in the right direction, but not good enough in the eyes of the Rainbow Warriors.
"I think it's still raw to think about," standout first baseman Ben Zeigler-Namoa said after Sunday's game when asked about the weekend as a whole. "I hold myself responsible. (Sunday) was kind of an unacceptable one. It was winnable. Our pitchers kept us in the whole nine innings, and, yeah, we didn't execute (offensively). I give a little credit to their guys, for sure, they executed pitches today, but we definitely didn't do our jobs today."
Zeigler-Namoa, the team's lone regular hitting above .300 in 2026, set the tone with a 3-for-5 performance with two doubles and five RBI in the pouring rain in Friday's series opener. After Hekili Robello's six shutout innings on Saturday, the Rainbow Warriors took their first series from the Anteaters since 2018. On Sunday, the 'Bows mustered just four total hits. On the mound, the team used seven pitchers after Liam O'Brien couldn't record an out in the third inning.
Picking up the slack on the bump was Tsubasa Tomii, who struck out four in his three innings of relief work, scattering three hits and one run with no walks. It was the longest outing of the season for the Tokyo native, who has consistently been relied on to appear multiple times each series.
"This series is a big series. They're a good team. The Big West is not an easy conference," Tomii said. "We lost today, but we still won the series, so just take it and go get the next series win."
The Rainbow Warriors exit the weekend 18-14 overall and 8-10 in Big West play. The 'Bows are currently seventh in the conference standings and will need to get within the top five to reach the conference tournament. With series victories over preseason favorites UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton, each win carries valuable weight for UH moving forward.
For the next two weeks, the 'Bows will be away on a two-week road trip, starting with a three-game series at Cal State Bakersfield from Friday to Sunday. The following Tuesday, UH will play a midweek game at No. 1 UCLA, which features presumptive 2026 MLB Draft top overall pick Roch Cholowsky at shortstop. Hawai‘i will then head to Corvallis for three games at No. 7 Oregon State from Friday to Sunday. The Beavers have their own top draft prospect in ace pitcher Dax Whitney, though the sophomore will not be eligible to get selected until 2027.
The upcoming road trip for UH will be the team's second of the two week variety in 2026. The Rainbow Warriors went a combined 3-3 against Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara from March 13-22.
Being away from the comfort of home for two weeks has its drawbacks, but members of the team also say it's an ideal time to bond. Tomii, for example, says he enjoys playing with the PS5 in hotel rooms with his teammates. It's also a business trip for the team, and Tomii says at times, he and the rest of the pitchers will meet in the hotel weight room to get in some extra work.
Added Zeigler-Namoa: "I think it's cool to hang around the guys. I think you ask any of them, and hanging around the hotel and just being around the guys 24/7, it's a great feeling, and it's awesome. You get to make memories no matter what happens on the field. But, it's also a good opportunity for us, I think, to really prove ourselves and give ourselves a good shot at making this tournament."
When the Rainbow Warriors depart O‘ahu, they'll likely do so without standout shortstop Elijah Ickes, who Hill says has suffered a wrist fracture. Ickes did not play during the series against UC Irvine, and has not taken the field since April 3 against UC San Diego.
As the 'Bows embark on their penultimate road trip of the season, Hill knows the squad getting on the plane will be determined to make up ground in the Big West standings, delivering on the promise it showed earlier in the season.
"Some of these seniors don't have much time left, so to get an airplane and get in a hotel and be around each other playing the game they love, it's just a great experience. If you're a Rainbow baseball player, we're on a mission. It's a business trip," Hill said. "The first task at hand is having a good practice Monday and Tuesday, doing a good job in the weight room, and then being ready, physically and mentally for Bakersfield on Friday."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
