HONOLULU — For the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hawaii softball team loaded up its home schedule with a full complement of pre-conference tournaments.

UH will host four of them as part of a 36-game home schedule at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium and total slate of 53 games in 2023, starting with the season-opening Paradise Classic Feb 10, the school announced on Friday.

What You Need To Know

  • The Hawaii softball team released its 2023 schedule on Friday, featuring 36 games at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium among a 53-game slate

  • It is the most total games and features the most home tournaments, four, of a UH softball schedule in the pandemic era

  • The Rainbow Wahine also play in UNLV's Desert Classic Feb. 17-19

  • UH enjoys an 18-game homestand between February and March

Fifty-three is the most games to appear on the UH schedule since it played 54 in 2016. By comparison, UH played only 42 games in 2022, including two home tournaments. In 2021, it played 31 games and no home tournaments as scheduling was made extremely difficult amid pandemic restrictions.

"We have filled our schedule with 53 games of regionalized opponents,” UH’s 33rd-year head coach, Bob Coolen, said in a statement. “It's the first year since 2019 that we will once again be hosting four pre-season tournaments while returning to compete in UNLV's Desert Classic on the Ninth Island.”

The UNLV Desert Classic includes UH, Pittsburgh, Cal State Bakersfield and host UNLV on Feb. 17-19. UH will play five games at Eller Media Stadium, including Pitt twice and CSUB in a nonconference contest.

The home tournaments are:

>> the Paradise Classic, with Saint Mary’s and Utah Tech, Feb. 10-12 (six UH games)

>> the Hawaii Invitational, with Seattle U, Marist and St. Bonaventure, Feb. 24-26 (four UH games)

>> the Spring Fling Tournament, with Pacific, St. Bonaventure, Utah, Niagara and Santa Clara, March 2-6 (five UH games)

>> the Rainbow Wahine Classic, with Fordham, Niagara and Iowa State, March 9-12 (five UH games, plus a stand-alone game with Niagara)

While the Big West Conference recently announced a conference tournament to determine its automatic NCAA tournament representative, that will not begin until 2025. The 27-game regular season will once again determine the auto bid.

UH hosts five three-game Big West series in 2023: UC Santa Barbara on March 17-18; UC San Diego, March 31-April 1; UC Riverside, April 14-15; Long Beach State, April 28-29; and UC Davis, May 11-12.

The four road series are: Cal State Northridge, March 24-25; Cal Poly, April 7-8; Cal State Bakersfield, April 21-22; and Cal State Fullerton, May 5-6.

The last three home tournaments, plus the Big West-opening series against UCSB comprise an 18-game home stand.

Coolen returns 15 letter winners from last year’s 23-19 (17-10 BWC) team, led by sophomore pitcher Brianna Lopez, junior second baseman Maya Nakamura and junior utility player Ka‘ena Keliinoi.

UH last made the NCAA tournament in 2013.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.