After a season in which the University of Hawai‘i baseball team failed hit a home run out of Rainbow Stadium, the program will move the outfield walls 15 feet closer to home plate.
The stadium’s present dimensions are 340 feet down the lines, 380 feet to the alleys and 400 feet to center. The new outfield wall will drop from 12 to 10 feet.
Athletic director Hugh Yoshida said the request to bring in the fences was made before UH coach Les Murakami suffered his stroke on Nov. 2. After last season, Murakami told The Advertiser that moving in the wall was something he wanted to do.
"The smaller park will add opportunities for offense," Yoshida said in the press release.
The Rainbows hit eight home runs last season, six of them away from Rainbow Stadium. The only two hit at home were inside-the-park hits. A Rainbow has not hit a home run out of the stadium since April 16, 1999, a span of 40 home games.
RMY Construction was awarded the bid for building the new wall. Costs were not disclosed. The wall should be completed by the annual alumni game on Jan. 20. UH spokesman Markus Owens said the original outfield fence will remain in case the new coach UH baseball coach prefers the larger playing field.
Also, interim coach Carl Furutani named third baseman Patrick Scalabrini, designated hitter Danny Kimura, pitcher Wakon Childers and left fielder Scooter Martines as team captains.
