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Baseball 'Bows anxious to get started

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

After individual workouts the past month, the University of Hawai'i baseball team came together yesterday for the start of fall practice at Rainbow Stadium under new coach Mike Trapasso.

"I could not be happier with the way the kids have worked," Trapasso said. "They're great kids. I'm very proud of them. Their work ethic has been off the charts. We needed that. We have a lot of work to do."

The Rainbows were sixth out of seventh in team batting, pitching and fielding in 2001, when they finished 29-27. Trapasso promises the Rainbows will field better.

"They won't make mistakes, particularly defensively," he said. "They won't beat themselves."

But pitching might still be a concern. Losing Jeff Coleman, the team's most consistent pitcher last season, to the draft compounds the Rainbows' mound problems. Trapasso is looking for what he calls "pitchability."

"The ability to be pitchers, not throwers," said Trapasso, considered one of the top pitching coaches in the country while at Georgia Tech. "More than anything else, that's what we need to see from our pitchers. Playing in a big park, you don't have to have great stuff.

"From what I've seen so far, a lot of our pitchers have average stuff, which is OK, if they're pitchers, rather than throwers. We have to see that our kids understand that you don't have to throw 90 miles an hour to get guys out, but you better be able to pitch, throw to each side of the plate and change speeds."

Chad Giannetti and Sean Yamashita are the primary returning starting pitchers. But Trapasso said he likes what he has seen from freshman Ricky Bauer, a 39th-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox. Trapasso added that another junior college transfer with promise might enroll by the spring semester.

Trapasso said he will have a better idea about starters as the team begins intrasquad scrimmages.

"A lot of guys rise to the occasion when they're in a competitive situation and a lot of guys take a step or two back," he said. "We need to see who those guys are."

The players were just as anxious as Trapasso.

"The hitters were excited about finally seeing some live pitching," outfielder Scooter Martines said. "I know the pitchers were excited to throw against us. All in all, it was good. It was just like spring training. We worked hard today and we'll continue to work hard 'til Florida State comes."

The most noticeable difference from last year has been basics.

"There's a lot more running, conditioning and lifting," senior infielder Gregg Omori said. "That's pretty much the biggest difference I've seen."

There are 120 days until opening day against Florida State.