DAVIS, Calif. — In terms of postseason play, there was nothing for the Hawaii softball team to play for entering Friday’s season-ending series at UC Davis.
UH was mathematically eliminated from a Big West regular-season championship and automatic NCAA tournament berth last week despite sweeping a series from Cal State Fullerton for the first time. There was simply too much ground to make up as co-leaders Fullerton and Long Beach State duel for the title this weekend.
But before taking the diamond at UCD’s La Rue Field, the Rainbow Wahine resolved they’d find something to play for, senior shortstop Nawai Kaupe told Spectrum News in a phone interview.
“Murph (backup pitcher Ashley Murphy) had a great mentality today. She said in our group meeting, right before we dispersed on the field … ‘act like we’re trying to go for first place still.’ And that’s what made me realize we’re still in it for ranking in our conference. That’s what really matters, too. I take that to heart.”
Enough of the Rainbow Wahine apparently did, too, in a 6-4 win over the Aggies for the team’s fifth straight victory and ninth in its last 11 games.
With a strong showing in Saturday’s season-ending daytime doubleheader that begins at 10 a.m. Hawaii time, UH (23-17, 17-8 BWC) can attain its highest Big West finish since 2019, when it was second with a 14-7 record.
Bob Coolen’s team is expecting a scorcher. Kaupe recalled a saying from her time at Washington, “hydration rules the nation.”
It was a hot one in Friday’s daytime contest, too. Freshman ace Brianna Lopez improved to 14-7 on the season in getting support from Kaupe, who launched her Big West-leading 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the third to break a 1-1 tie.
Kaupe, the Maui native who is playing her final career games, was looking for a deep fly ball to bring in Brittnee Rossi with a sacrifice.
“That’s good enough too, I’ll take that,” she said of her thinking as the ball exited over the left-field wall.
Senior right fielder Mikaela Gandia-Mak added a two-run double in the inning and third baseman Ka‘ena Keliinoi singled in the sixth for a 6-1 lead. The Aggies (21-29, 9-16) got back three runs in the bottom of the frame, including a two-run shot by shortstop Libbie McMahan.
Lopez went the distance, giving up six hits, striking out five and walking one.
Kaupe, Keliinoi and first baseman Dallas Millwood went 2-for-4. Second baseman Maya Nakamura and Gandia-Mak went 1-for-3 with a double apiece.
Kaupe, a graduate student, said she and the sophomore Keliinoi will pursue spots with the Filipino national softball team in early June; she expects to hear back quickly if they make the team.
But first, she’ll attempt to close out her Wahine career with some on-field success.
“I just want to leave this program knowing that I built great relationships with these great women,” Kaupe said. “I think that’s all that really matters to me.”
The outgoing seniors playing their final games are Kaupe, Rossi, Gandia-Mak, Murphy and Kaeli Bush.
The last time UH won the conference was 2013, its first year of rejoining the conference in softball. Despite a push from Coolen and a handful of other coaches in the conference, there remains no conference tournament to decide the league's automatic NCAA entrant.
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii.