Magdaleno magnificent again as Hawai‘i clinches Big West tournament berth

MĀNOA — Facing a short week of rest and needing a win to clinch a spot in the upcoming Big West Conference tournament, the University of Hawai‘i baseball team's coaches decided to give the ball to ace pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno on Wednesday night.

Magdaleno did the rest, turning in another magnificent start. The junior tossed another shutout, striking out 14 while allowing just one single and two hit batters in 101 pitches in a 4-0 victory over CSUN.

The performance was just the latest gem for Magdaleno in a month full of them. On May 1, he struck out 16 in a one-hit shutout over UC Riverside, entering the seventh inning with a perfect game and ninth with a no-hitter, earning him a bevy of national Player of the Week honors.

In a May 8 win at UC Davis, Magdaleno struck out nine while allowing just one run in eight innings, taking home Big West Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week. In order to accommodate UH-Mānoa's commencement ceremony on Saturday, its home series against CSUN was moved to begin on Wednesday and end on Friday.

As soon as his start at UC Davis ended, Magdaleno was determined to deliver for his team on short rest and got an early start on his recovery work. That Magdaleno's latest masterpiece was not hindered by a lack of rest came as no surprise to his coaches, who know full well there's something special in store every time their star steps on the mound.

"I've never seen a consistent three-week performance like Mags. Adjectives, really, there are none to describe what he's done," Hawai‘i head coach Rich Hill said on Wednesday night.

Added associate head coach/pitching coach Keith Zuniga: "[CSUN] is one of the best offenses in the country. So, again, it just speaks volumes to what Isaiah is capable of doing out here, and what he's been doing week in and week out for us. I'm just gonna go ahead and say it right now: if he's not pitcher of the week in the entire country again, I'm gonna be extremely shocked. So, let's pencil him in for that. He's earned it. He deserves it. He went out there and did it. Just great to see."

Any notion of a perfect game on Wednesday was thwarted when Magdaleno hit CSUN's 2 hitter, Kyle Panganiban, in the top of the first. But as he continued to cruise through the Matador lineup while maintaining an efficient pitch count, there he was again, singled out in another postgame curtain call similar to the ovation he received after his start against UC Riverside less than two weeks prior.

"Honestly, it's my goal all the time to just go for [a complete game]," Magdaleno told Aloha State Daily after the game. "I mean, I'm gonna go 100% and whenever they take me out is when they take me out. I wasn't expecting to go a complete game, but it just it worked out. Just trying to stay in the groove and just getting back to work."

The victory punched the team's ticket to next week's Big West tournament in Fullerton, Calif. The Rainbow Warriors could take the field as early as Wednesday.

"He'll get two days of rest back now to get ready to go for the tournament," Zuniga said of Magdaleno. "But the month he's having, I mean, it's no secret to anybody here in the clubhouse, right? He's worked for that, and even when it felt like he was having a tough time in the middle course of the year, that's resiliency right there. That's toughness, that's a competitor. That's exactly what we're looking for here at the University of Hawai‘i."

When Anthony and Mirna Magdaleno sent their son from Crespi Carmelite High School in Los Angeles to the Islands for college, they understood they wouldn't be able to catch every single one of Isaiah's games. Complicating matters was the fact that Isaiah Magdaleno was used out of the bullpen as a freshman and sophomore, emerging as one of the country's top closers in 2025. That meant he'd pitch multiple games a week.

"We were having major FOMO [fear of missing out], wishing we were here," Mirna Magdaleno told ASD.

Of Isaiah Magdaleno's eight home starts in 2026, only four were televised on Spectrum Sports and streamed on the Mainland via ESPN+. Fortunately for the Magdaleno family, Isaiah's historic start against UC Riverside was one of the televised games.

"We were by ourselves, just freaking out, super excited and watching everything that was happening, and we were screaming and jumping for joy, giving each other high fives, just amazed by the performance," Mirna Magdaleno said. "We had no idea what the night was gonna look like. We never know."

With Isaiah viewed as a serious prospect in this summer's MLB Draft, there was no chance Mirna and Anthony would miss their son's potential last home start at Les Murakami Stadium. A contingent of Magdelano supporters were seated a couple rows above the UH dugout on Wednesday night to cheer him on and witness another superb start.

"It means everything," Isaiah Magdaleno said. "They know that I love doing this, and they're always going to support me. I'm very grateful for them to come out, all the support, all the love that they send me from California whenever I'm out here. It means a lot."

"It's like a dream. It's a dream come true," Anthony Magdaleno said. "You don't know how good he's going to do on a night like this after having two good weeks. I honestly didn't know how he would be able to do this good. It amazes me that he's able to do it three weeks [in a row]. It's amazing."

Anthony and Mirna Magdaleno noticed Isaiah's athletic talents from a young age, in skills ranging from hitting a baseball to playing basketball. They've savored the experience in watching their son blossom into a pro prospect as a pitcher, but what makes them most proud as parents is seeing the person he's become.

"Not surprised, but I guess amazed every time I see how much he's changed each year. He's improved a lot in his performance and just the way he carries himself with a lot more pride and more security," Mirna Magdaleno said as her eyes watered. "We didn't know how it was gonna go for him, but the fans have been great. They've just hugged him and loved him."

Added Anthony Magdaleno: "There's no other place that I could think of that embraces him like this. That's why I love I love this place. I love coming here. We don't get back as much as I wish we could, but coming back and seeing the support he gets is amazing.

"When we sent him here, we're like, 'Oh, we hope he does great in baseball.' When you come here and we talk to the other parents and they're saying how great of a person is and he carries himself well, that's what really makes us feel great."

With each appearance Isaiah Magdaleno has made on the mound, fans at Les Murakami Stadium have continued to show their love and support for him through thick and thin.

If Wednesday's start for Magdaleno turns out to be his last home start in a UH uniform, another gem in front of the thousands of fans that have his back, it will have served as a fitting end.

"All the fans showing out today... it's everything I could ever ask for," he said.

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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.