Trapasso says playoffs possible, providing Rainbows 'overachieve'

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

For University of Hawai'i first-year baseball coach Mike Trapasso, it's time to get realistic.

Co-captains, Scooter Martines, left, and Brent Cook hope to carry big sticks for the Rainbows. Cook is a prototype No. 2 hitter. Martines, who battled injuries the past two seasons, batted .355 in 1999. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

"We're going to have to play tremendously fundamental defensive baseball. But my realistic expectations for this year are that it will be a year that has peaks and valleys."

One constant Trapasso expects is that his team plays with passion.

"I've been pleasantly surprised by our kids, their makeup and their work ethic," said Trapasso, who is a head coach for the first time after 13 seasons as an assistant, the past seven as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Georgia Tech.

"We worked them hard, and they didn't complain. They spend more time talking about having a passion for the game, a passion for excellence, playing the game the right way. You have to start believing and expecting success. Our guys have to be surprised if they don't succeed, have that passion, that grit for not settling for anything other than doing it the right way. It's not just from a winning standpoint, but from a performance standpoint."

His philosophies are sound defense, pitchers forcing contact and the long-sequence offense.

"We're not going to be a ball club that's going to overcome giving teams four, five outs an inning," he said. "We're just going to have to play mistake-free baseball."

As for the pitchers, he wants two strikes thrown within the first three pitches. He isn't looking for Randy Johnson's double-digit strikeouts; he wants the defense to work.

"The guys who force contact, that's the guys who'll play," he said. "The guys going 3-0, 3-1, 3-2 (ball-strike counts) to hitters, those are the guys who will be sitting next to Coach."

At Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets played in a hitter-friendly stadium.

"It's like the old-time American League, waiting for the three-run homer kind of philosophy," Trapasso said.

But the Rainbows will run and hit-and-run — always the philosophy in spacious Les Murakami Stadium, even with the fences moved in — a style that fits Trapasso.

"I like the running game," he said. "I like making things happen. We'll have three, four guys in the lineup who'll have the green light.

New University of Hawai‘i baseball coach Mike Trapasso will coach his first game with the Rainbows Wednesday against Florida State. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Whether the Rainbows (29-27 last year) have the talent to execute Trapasso's philosophies remain to be seen. Because he was hired after the season, he had little time to recruit. His fingerprint won't make an impression for another three years or so, when all of the players will be his recruits.

Still, Trapasso is realistic. Despite all the emphasis on fundamentals during fall and spring workouts, he knows mistakes will be made.

"When the season starts, it's important for the players to realize it's their showcase," Trapasso said. "It's time for them to go out and trust their abilities; trust what they've learned and go out and play. I don't like to micromanage or over-coach. We tell the guys when the time comes, when you're out there against Florida State, we don't want you pitching, or hitting, or fielding with one eye on the field and one eye in the dugout. Go out there, play the game. Have fun."

Here's a look at the team:

INFIELDERS

• First base: Preseason all-WAC selection Gregg Omori, the team's best hitter, will play first base and bat third.

An all-state second baseman at Iolani in high school, Omori's elbow problems last year cut half his time from second base to designated hitter. The right-handed hitter led the team in batting average (.367), slugging percentage (.620), doubles (25), home runs (11), RBIs (62) and total bases (142). Batting coach Josh Sorge said Omori has good eye-hand coordination.

"His swing is about as good as it gets," Sorge said. Having played a middle defense position in the past, the senior has a little better range than most first baseman ... a pair of freshmen, Derek Snell and Jeffrey Rhode, a pitcher, will have a tough time displacing Omori.

Trapasso sees Rhode, a 6-foot-6 left-handed hitter, as a two-way player next year; when he won't pitch, he'll be in the lineup as a hitter.

• Second base: Returnee Lane Nogawa (.336), a senior who has played the middle infield positions during his UH career, and freshman Danny Mocny are battling for second base. "Nogawa has stepped it up after having an average fall," Trapasso said. Mocny was a third baseman in high school, but has skills to play second, Trapasso said.

• Shortstop: Sophomore Cortland Wilson (.306) might have earned the shortstop job back after having a team-leading 24 errors that eventually saw him lose his job to the graduated Matthew Purtell last year.

"Thus far, he's making the routine plays," Trapasso said. "For him, it's all technique. It's a mental thing; he has to focus on doing the right thing."

Junior college transfer Julian Russell had been the leading candidate, but was set back by a hamstring pull ... Trapasso said freshman Jason Carlson has a bright future and will get some playing time.

• Third base: California transfer Brent Cook, a newcomer voted as one of the team captains, will anchor third base. He is a prototype two-hole batter. "He hits the ball to all fields," Trapasso said of the junior. "He's a much better hitter with someone on base. He'll use the four hole (between second and first)." ... Schafer Magana, a sophomore JC transfer, can play third and second.

CATCHERS

• Brian Bock: Returning starter Bock (.271, 9 doubles) is the only holdover receiver from last year.

• Others: Bock will be backed up by newcomers Grady Symonds, a JC transfer, and freshman walk-on Travis Mitsuda (Iolani). Mitsuda has the quickest throw to second.

"He's under 2.0 (seconds) everytime," Trapasso said. Bock is close to 2.0, but has the most experience. "Bock does a good job of working the pitcher, working the flow of the game," Trapasso said.

Unlike last year, the catchers will call pitches. "We put pressure on our receivers because they call the game," Trapasso said. "We have scouting reports and we work with them constantly with how we want them to work with certain (hitters). They know they always stay with the pitcher's strength rather than go with the hitter's weakness."

OUTFIELDERS

• Center field: Returnee Arthur Guillen (.262, .342 on-base, 7 for 12 in steals), who started half the games last year, will play center field and bat leadoff.

Trapasso admits Guillen "needs to be a little more patient to be a leadoff hitter." But Guillen does "stay on top of the ball" or puts the ball on the ground and bunts well. "When he's on base, he has a chance to make things happen," Trapasso said.

• Left field: Since Trapasso's emphasis is on defense, senior Derek Honma (.345) has the edge. Offseason arm surgery has hampered his throwing to play center, Trapasso said. "He gets great jumps on balls," he said. "But he needs to be consistent on offense." ... Sophomore Chad Boudon (.223, 5 HR, 21 RBIs), who cooled off after hitting four home runs in the first 10 games last year, also is expected to see action in left.

If not the designated hitter, senior Scooter Martines (.355, 46 RBIs in 1999, the last time he was injury-free), out all last season with a shoulder injury, also can play left. He returned to spring drills in better condition from the fall, Trapasso said. "He looks great," Trapasso said. "If he keeps swinging the way he is, he'll hit behind Omori all year."

• Right field: Trapasso said he is "not a big platoon guy," but he has a natural platoon between sophomore right-handed hitting Tim Montgomery (.245, 3 HR, 20 RBIs, 5 OF assists) and junior left-handed swinging Kevin Gilbride (.205). Trapasso said Montgomery is "a legit five-tool player (above average in batting, power, speed, defense and throwing), which you don't find in many guys, which means he'd be a high draft in a couple of years. But he's inconsistent right now. He needs better pitch recognition." As for Gilbride, he is a good defensive player with a strong arm; he was originally a quarterback in football, which he has since given up ... Redshirt freshman Craig Johnson also plays the outfield. He's a left-handed hitter.

STARTING PITCHERS

• Bryan Lee: With the departure of Jeff Coleman, who signed with the Oakland Athletics after they made him a 21st-round selection last June, the Rainbows are in search of an ace. Right-hander Lee (6-2, 2.97, 6 saves) has been converted from closer to starter. He also was a closer at Mid-Pacific Institute, where he earned all-state honors at first base.

"He gives you arm strength that's as good as anyone on the club," Trapasso said. "The thing with Bryan is that he's worked and developed a changeup that I think is his best pitch. As a closer, everything (he threw) was hard. Hard fastball and hard slider. To be a starter, you need something off-speed."

• Ricky Bauer: Trapasso is high on yet another MPI product, freshman right-hander Bauer, an all-state pick last year. He was Trapasso's first local recruit. "He has poise beyond his years as a freshman," Trapasso said.

• Jason Piepmeier: Another freshman who is expected to get a chance. "Piepmeier is more emotional (than Bauer), more openly competitive," Trapasso said of the right-hander. "But that's the most important thing: that he's competitive."

"I'm real excited about our two freshmen. Both are mid-80s (mph)-plus guys. Two years from now, they'll be in the high 80s, low 90s. They both throw strikes and both throw good changeups. They will get innings. That's all they need to develop."

• Sean Yamashita: Senior right-hander Yamashita (2-9, 5.50), who tied Coleman for the team lead with 17 starts last year, is being pegged as a swing man, meaning he could spot start or be used in the various relief roles (middle or closer).

"I like the thought of Sean coming in from the bullpen in all different situations to settle games," said Trapasso, who added Yamashita would be more effective facing a lineup twice through the order.

"In a tight situation, he does everything you want: throws strikes, throws the breaking ball for strikes and holds runners." He might get one of the starts against Florida State, which will play a four-game series, instead of the usual three.

• Ryan Yamamoto: Yamamoto (0-0, 16.62 in 4 1/3 innings), a senior left-hander, has always been described as having "good stuff," or effective pitches. "He hasn't thrown a lot of innings (36 in three seasons, but 25á as a freshman in 1998 at San Francisco), but his stuff says that he should," Trapasso said. "A lot of his success is not perceiving himself as a finesse pitcher." He said Yamamoto pitches well in practice, but needs to transfer that to game conditions.

• Others: Another left-hander, Davin Morita, a Baldwin High product who transferred from Gonzaga, might get some starts, Trapasso said.

Trapasso should find out today if right-hander Chris George has passed his last course to graduate from a JC to effectively transfer to UH by Monday's last day of enrollment. He is taking a final exam today. Trapasso said he is a candidate to fill the ace roll.

RELIEF PITCHERS

With Lee starting, there is no closer. "Somebody's got to step up," Trapasso said. "Right now, we'll close by committee. We can use a variety of guys in that area." Yamashita being one of them.

Right-handers available are sophomore William Quaglieri (1-0, 3.93), senior Ian Jones (redshirt), junior Chad Giannetti (6-5, 5.47, 11 starts), senior Jean-Paul Gauthier (0-0, 8.10) and Rhode. The left-handers are College of Siskiyous transfer Daniel Vitro (St. Louis), a sophomore, senior Matt Le Ducq (2-3, 9.23) and senior Aaron Pribble (4-0, 9.71).

"We don't have a lot of overpower guys," Trapasso said. "We have a lot of guys who are similar. And that's OK, as long as they stay within themselves."