Bob Coolen wants the Hawaii softball team’s transformation to take place one season ahead of schedule.
Right after the Rainbow Wahine were swept by UC Davis in a perfunctory weekend to finish fourth in the Big West, the longtime UH coach resolved that the 2025 season – still contracted to be his last – would not be a mere lame duck campaign.
The 2025 season will be the first for the BWC with a conference postseason tournament to determine its NCAA Tournament representative, something which Coolen advocated for much of three-plus decades in Manoa. In 2023, he signed a two-year extension under then-athletic director David Matlin that would bring his tenure to an end at 34 years to coincide with the inaugural six-team tournament at Cal State Fullerton.
With the three losses at UCD in a weekend, it knew it was already out of the conference picture; UH finished with a record of 20-26 and 13-12 in the Big West. Its postseason drought remained since its last NCAA appearance in 2013.
In an interview with Spectrum News, Coolen rued that there was nothing to play for in the final few games of 2024 – something he said was clearly reflected in the quality of play on the field.
“We're gonna start a new culture, and hopefully it brings us to the tournament,” said Coolen, who sits on 1,100 wins at UH. “I've experienced the tournaments in the WAC and they are (a true) postseason. It's something to look forward to. It's something to fight for.”
UH said farewell to one of Coolen’s largest senior classes – nine players – including a mainstay at second base in Maya Nakamura. An additional four unnamed players that did not see much action were dismissed from the program in end-of-season debriefings.
Coolen, 66, is leaving his future beyond next year ambiguous.
“It might be time for me to go into grandpahood. Start enjoying life while I can. So we shall see,” he said. But, he added, “I'm just keeping everything open. And my players know it – they're all coming back. We have no portal people, other than the ones that we let go.”
However, UH Athletic Director Craig Angelos told Spectrum News that he intends to follow the language in the contract.
“(Coolen) has made it known to me that next year will be his last year of coaching. So we will stick with that plan,” Angelos said in a message on Sunday.
One thing is certain: The team will have a decidedly different look in 2025. Just two players who received 100 or more at-bats, catcher Izzy Martinez and center fielder/pitcher Chloe Borges, are slated to return.
Among regular starters, only designated player Haley Johnson (.307) and third baseman Ka‘ena Keliinoi (.302) batted over .300 for the full season. Nakamura batted .312 before going down with a career-ending knee injury against Cal Poly in early April. Outfielder Mya'Liah Bethea led the BWC with 12 home runs.
The UH pitching staff faced uncertainty from the outset after its ace of the last two years, Brianna Lopez, transferred to Ole Miss last fall. Sophomore Key-annah Campbell-Pua struggled to assume the ace role and that was assumed by Long Beach State transfer Addison Kostrencich by the Big West season. Kostrencich went 12-11 with a 3.67 ERA and Campbell-Pua was 6-9 with a 4.18 ERA.
“Basically, half our team next year is going to be new, and we’re going to be fighting for a berth in the tournament. So we’ll see how that plays itself out,” Coolen said.
Despite his UH career having a May 31, 2025 sundown in writing, Coolen said recruiting for next year has not been difficult.
“No one fell off the bus at all,” he said. “They're all coming, every single recruit.”
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.