For a University of Hawai‘i baseball team that likes to take things one game at a time under head coach Rich Hill, Wednesday's series opener against CSUN will be of the utmost importance.
The Rainbow Warriors will host the Matadors for three games from Wednesday to Friday, all of which begin at 6:35 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium. The set will serve as the regular season finale for both teams, as well as the final Big West series for the 'Bows before they join the Mountain West in the summer.
Hawai‘i is currently tied for fourth place in the Big West standings. In order to assure themselves a spot in next week's conference tournament, the 'Bows would need to win one of three games against the Matadors and will get their first chance on Wednesday.
"Huge. Obviously you got to go get that one," said senior standout Ben Zeigler-Namoa. "I think every game is as important as the next one, but I'm excited for us to get the opportunity. It's going to be playoff baseball for these guys, the first time for most of them, so it's gonna be interesting to see how we play, and I'm just excited for the atmosphere. The fans show up like no other during these times, and they're gonna really enjoy it."
If the Rainbow Warriors clinch a spot in next week's conference tournament, it would in all likelihood be in the 4-5 play-in game on May 20. The only scenario that exists for the 'Bows to sneak in as the 3 seed would be for them to sweep CSUN, combined with a Cal State Fullerton sweep over UC San Diego.
Entering the series, the 'Bows remain focused on themselves. For Hill and pitching coach Keith Zuniga, that includes managing the starting rotation on a short week of rest.
While it is typical for starting pitchers in college baseball to start once a week, the UH coaching staff is factoring a potential spot in the conference tournament when it comes to managing the workload of star pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno and No. 2 starter Hekili Robello. Magdaleno is coming off his second consecutive Big West Pitcher of the Week award, throwing 100 pitches and eight innings in a 4-1 win over UC Davis on May 8. Robello, meanwhile, went 6.2 innings against UC Davis on Saturday.
"That's what we're wrestling with right now," Hill said of managing his starting rotation. "We don't know who's going to start game one. We have a couple different options that are on the board. We're weighing the positives, negatives, and then going from there. The short week really impacts our decisions.
"The fact that do you set it up so everybody's real proper rest for the conference tournament, because that's what we're here to do, is to get to the NCAA Tournament. All of these factors go up on the board and will be discussed by our staff and are in heavy discussions now, but they're all ready to go. We'll just see [Wednesday]."
Following Friday's game, the Rainbow Warriors will hold a ceremony to honor their seniors, including Zeigler-Namoa, a four-year starter from Maui.
"It means everything," Zeigler-Namoa, a Baldwin graduate, said of playing for his home state. "You look at the legends throughout this whole program, guys who came in and out, the guys today, and it's truly an honor. I think of my past teammates. I think of the teammates before them, and it's truly a brotherhood here. It's an honor to represent them, and it comes with great responsibility, as well."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
