HPU may miss softball playoffs
By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
A sniffling, snuffling, banged-up and busted-down Hawai'i Pacific squad will take the softball field against Brigham Young-Hawai'i tomorrow with hopes for an NCAA playoff berth still flickering.
The Lady Sea Warriors (13-1 Pacific West Conference, 28-8 overall) are ranked No. 6 in the latest NCAA Division II Western Region Poll. The top four teams in each region advance to the playoffs. There is no automatic berth for league champions.
"Right now our chances are kind of slim," HPU coach Howard Okita said. "It's hard to move up when you're playing in Hawai'i."
HPU competes in the PacWest's Pacific Division along with Chaminade (7-7, 16-15), Hawai'i-Hilo (6-6, 19-15) and BYUH (2-14, 12-28). Western New Mexico and Montana State-Billings are also considered part of the division, but their results do not count in the conference standings.
Humboldt State, which slipped to No. 2 in this week's regional poll, leads the PacWest Western Division.
HPU had a chance to greatly improve its postseason prospects at last month's Cal State Hayward Pioneer Invitational tournament, which included most of the top teams in the western region.
With several players battling colds and flu, the Lady Sea Warriors struggled through a long opening day, losing to Humboldt State and Pacific Lutheran (ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division III), before beating Sonoma State.
Freshman pitcher Jessica Parra sat out the first game but played the second despite severe blisters on her hands caused by a virus. The loss to Pacific Lutheran was the first of her collegiate career.
"She was still recovering from the virus and she had a big blister on the thumb of her pitching hand, but she knew we needed her so she went out there and gave it her best," Okita said.
HPU was also without outfielder/pitcher Kristen Fujii, who was hit by a pitch on the elbow, for two games.
The Lady Sea Warriors lost to No. 4 Cal State Bakersfield on the second day. The remaining games were cancelled due to rain.
HPU played a pair of doubleheaders before returning home, splitting a pair of games with Sonoma State and losing two to No. 1 UC Davis.
Five of HPU's six losses on the 10-day road trip were decided by two runs or less.
"We had our opportunities," Okita said. "If we won against Humboldt or Davis or Bakersfield, we would've had a chance to move up."
Now, HPU will likely have to win the rest of its games and hope for a late-season slide by one or two of the teams ahead of it in the regional standings.
HPU's remaining schedule includes two doubleheaders each against BYUH and Hawai'i-Hilo and a doubleheader against Chaminade. The team will also play exhibition games against Golden West, Irvine Valley and Palamar.
While HPU has dominated the Pacific Division, Okita said he's taking nothing for granted, particularly against BYUH.
"They're a really good team and they've been hitting the ball like anything lately," he said.
BYUH is the only Hawai'i team to beat HPU this season.
• • •
TENNIS
• BYUH cruises: Prior to this week's road trip to Alabama and Florida, Seasider coach Dave Porter said he couldn't really tell how good his top-ranked women and No. 3 men are until they faced off against other top teams.
So far, so good. The women (27-0) extended their streak of consecutive dual-match wins to 94 with victories over Alabama State and No. 2 West Florida. Down 1-2 after doubles play, the Seasider women swept the six singles matches to beat West Florida on Tuesday.
The men beat Alabama State and No. 7 West Florida to improve to 23-1 for the season.
BYUH's Peter Madarassy, ranked No. 2 in NCAA Div. II, handed top-ranked Radovan Chrz his first loss of the season, 6-3, 6-3, on Tuesday as the Seasiders beat West Florida, 6-3.
