By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
A bit of irony in Western Athletic Conference baseball has Hawai‘i-Hilo in sole possession of first place.
After taking two of three from Nevada this past weekend, UH-Hilo (3-8 overall, 2-1 WAC) has a jump on the conference that voted not to retain its affiliate membership after this season. Meanwhile, the conference’s newest member, Nevada (2-7, 1-2), the Big West champion this past year, is off to a slow start.
It’s only three games and the rest of the WAC teams haven’t played one another, but at least the Vulcans have a week to enjoy it because that could end on their first road trip starting this weekend in Texas.
First up is Texas Christian (4-5) Saturday through Monday, followed by nationally ranked Rice (8-0). The Owls are No. 1 in the Collegiate Baseball magazine poll and No. 6 in Baseball America’s.
"This is the tough part," Vulcans’ coach Joey Estrella said. "I’ve been watching the weather and it’s been awfully cold (in Texas). They’re having wet periods like us over here. Rice has a team that could win it all (World Series, not just the WAC). This is a formidable test for us."
Hilo’s two victories against Nevada came on ninth-inning heroics, but Estrella said there’s room for improvement.
"For us to be competitive, we have to play a lot better than we’re playing now," Estrella said. "We’re a team that cannot afford to make mistakes. On Sunday, we had three guys picked off. There were a couple times when we threw to the wrong base. We have a lot of work left. But winning those games did give us some confidence."
Starting pitchers Ben Siff (1-0, 1.89 ERA) and Anthony Bernal (0-1, 3.66) have performed well.
Outfielders Ryan Petersen (.357) and Brian Rooke (.300), and second baseman Mike Hobbs (.300) have been the most consistent hitters.
UH-MANOA
 WAC opener: Hawai‘i-Manoa starts its WAC campaign against Nevada with a three-game series starting tomorrow.
The WAC season started earlier because the addition of Nevada added six games to each team’s conference schedule.
The Rainbows (5-4) ended a three-game losing streak by taking the last two games against Louisville.
Jeff Coleman (0-1, 3.31 ERA) has been the most consistent starting pitcher. The other starters for the series are Sean Yamashita (0-1, 9.39) and Chad Giannetti (1-0, 3.75).
The most noticeable pitching difference between this season and last is the rate of walks allowed. Last year, the Rainbows walked an average of 3.85 batters per nine innings. This year, it’s down to 2.71. But the team ERA is 6.18.
Redshirt freshman left fielder Chad Boudon has given the Rainbows the punch they lacked last year. Of his 10 hits, he has three doubles and three home runs. His .417 batting average and nine RBIs lead the team.
Nevada is off to a slow start. Winners of the Big West last year, the Wolf Pack were picked to finish tied for third in a preseason poll of WAC coaches.
PROSPECTS
Moving up: Two-time all-state pitcher Brandon League of St. Louis and all-state infielder Bronson Sardinha of Kamehameha improved their standing in the latest Baseball America list of top 100 high school prospects.
In an earlier list, League was ranked 14th. He has since moved to eighth. Sardinha made a bigger jump from 79th to 38th.
In the publication’s early draft preview (combines high school and college prospects), League was ranked 20th.
Baseball America reported that League "has the best fastball movement of any pitcher and consistently throws 92 mph."
In the publication’s top 100 college prospects, Nebraska pitcher Shane Komine (Kalani High) is ranked 42nd. The 5-foot-10 junior right-hander has increased his weight to 175 pounds, Cornhuskers coach Dave Van Horn told the Advertiser earlier this season.
Komine was scratched from the season opener against Rice last Friday because of a sore back. But he started Sunday against top-ranked Georgia Tech (by Baseball America) in a 15-8 loss. He was tagged for five runs in four-plus innings. The five runs came in a 10-run fifth inning. Komine struck out eight.
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