HONOLULU — The Hawaii baseball team proved last weekend it could shake off a couple of tough outings to battle its way back into a series against a Power Five opponent.
That could prove handy over the next few days, as UH gets another stiff early-season test at Les Murakami Stadium in the form of No. 13 NC State of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
UH (2-2) won the last two games of its 2024-opening series against Ole Miss, the 2022 College World Series champion, to earn a split of the four-game set.
A 5-4 loss in 13 innings in Friday’s season opener had the potential to set a foul tone for the weekend, followed by a 5-2 setback in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. But the Rainbow Warriors outscored the Rebels 22-5 over the last two contests Saturday and Sunday.
“That’s a tough loss on a Friday, and another one where you kind of get punched in the jaw on a Game 1 Saturday. And the resiliency of this group, they just didn’t flinch,” coach Rich Hill said following Sunday’s 9-1 victory.
“We just stayed positive. We have a saying after a loss: ‘Happy new day!’ And I think as coaches, as parents, as leaders, it all starts at the top, so you have to display that positive attitude,” Hill said. “Anything negative, especially in the game of baseball, you’ve just got to flush it.”
Crowd support at the Les was strong all three days, with an average of 4,120 tickets issued each day, including a declared sellout opening night.
This weekend’s series with the Wolfpack is a three-gamer – one each Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Opening pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Friday for the only televised game of the series.
Sophomore left-hander Harrison Bodendorf figures to get the nod again Friday with Randy Abshier as a No. 2 option and Alex Giroux as the first man summoned out of the bullpen when UH has an opportunity to win a close game.
But a few newcomers injected themselves in the rotation conversation with strong outings against Ole Miss: Japanese phenom Itsuki Takemoto, who threw gas to earn a three-inning save Saturday; Isaiah Magdaleno, a Californa native who gave up just one run over four innings in his first start; junior college transfer Danny Veloz, who pitched four innings of scoreless relief in two outings; and Iolani graduate Zacary Tenn, a redshirt freshman from Kailua who came to UH’s rescue when Cory Ronan loaded the bases to begin his start Sunday.
In the lineup, a true freshman, Kamehameha graduate Elijah Ickes started all four games between shortstop and third base and went 5-for-9 with a Big West-best .714 on-base percentage with six runs scored. He scored four times from the leadoff spot Sunday.
Catcher Dallas Duarte successfully managed eight pitchers as UH closed out the series with a 13-4 runaway Sunday. He gave a shout-out to new pitching coach Keith Zuniga for trusting so many players.
“I think that’s the reason that we got the W,” Duarte said. “It’s kind of frustrating to see a different guy every inning."
Duarte was asked what he thought his team proved with a split against a program that had won a national championship about 16 months ago.
"I think we proved that it doesn’t matter if it’s SEC, Big West. We’re going to come out here and compete," Duarte said. "Our coaching staff does a great job preparing us throughout the week. We kind of understand there’s nothing out there we can’t handle. If we go out there and play the game, we’ll be just fine."
Hill said NC State is an older, physical team that “likes to bang it.” The Wolfpack (2-1) took two of three against VCU in Raleigh, N.C., to begin their season.
“I’ve had a couple people say they played them in the fall, and they’re legit,” Hill said.
Each of NC State’s starters last weekend went at least 4 1/3 innings. The Wolfpack swatted six home runs in the three games.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.