Lee gets starting call for baseball season opener

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

First came the new coach.

Hawai'i assistant coach Josh Sorge, left, and head coach Mike Trapasso have been preparing the Rainbows for their opener Wednesday against Florida State at the newly named Les Murakami Stadium. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

Now, a new starting pitcher will open the University of Hawai'i baseball team's season opener against Florida State.

Junior right-hander Bryan Lee, last year's closer, and a reliever as a freshman and while at Mid-Pacific Institute, will make his starting debut Wednesday at Les Murakami Stadium for first-year coach Mike Trapasso.

"Everyone's goal usually is to be a starter," said Lee. "It's good for me to have that chance."

Lee was 6-2 with a 2.97 earned run average with six saves last season.

As a closer, Lee's pitching mentality was to throw hard on every pitch for a couple of innings at most. As a starter, he will have to pace himself. He did get to start while playing for the Island Movers each of the past two summers. At the outset of the seasons, he would last only four or five innings, he said. He learned.

"Towards the end of summer, I was getting, seven, eight innings in," he said.

He will get to face one of the best teams in the country in the Seminoles, ranked between second and sixth by three services.

At 5:55 p.m. Wednesday, a ceremony will be held for the name change from Rainbow Stadium to Les Murakami Stadium. School president Evan Dobelle, Board of Regents chairman Allan Ikawa and athletic director Hugh Yoshida, as well as the honoree, Les Murakami, are scheduled to speak. Dobelle will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Also, the first 1,000 entering the stadium will receive a baseball poster schedule signed by Trapasso.

Below are capsules of the Rainbows' opponents this season.

(All games at Les Murakami Stadium, unless noted.)

Florida State

Preseason rankings: No. 2 Collegiate Baseball, No. 4 Baseball Weekly/ESPN, No. 6 Baseball America
When: Wednesday-Saturday
Affiliation: Atlantic Coast Conference
2001: 47-19, eliminated in Super Regionals
Coach: Mike Martin
Key players: 1B Ryan Barthelemy, RHP Blair Varnes, LHP Matt Lynch, RHP Robby Read, LHP Daniel Hodges, SS Stephen Drew, C Tony Richie.
Notes: The defending ACC champions are picked to finish second by Baseball America. The Seminoles return seven position starters and five starting pitchers. Freshman shortstop Stephen Drew, an 11th-round pick by Pittsburgh, is the brother of St. Louis Cardinals' outfielder J.D. Drew. There are at least five potential draft picks, led by left-hander Matt Lynch.
Series: FSU leads series 6-5; split four-game series in last meeting in 1998.

Sacramento State

When: Feb. 8-10
Affiliation: Big West
2001: 24-35
Coach: John Smith
Key players: OF Mario Celillo, INF Bobby Ciani, OF/RHP Chris Kisney, RHP Jeffery Groeger, C Joe Evans.
Notes: Finished last (4-14) in the seven-team Big West. In the expanded nine-team conference with the addition of UC-Irvine and UC-Riverside, the Hornets are picked to finish ninth by Baseball America.
Series: UH leads series 32-12; UH won 3 of 4 last season.

UCLA

When: Feb. 15-17
Affiliation: Pac-10
2001: 30-27
Coach: Gary Adams
Key players: OF Ben Francisco, LHP Mike Kunes, C Josh Arhart.
Notes: The Bruins placed seventh (9-15) in the nine-team Pac-10. Conference coaches picked them to finish eighth this season.
Series: UH leads series 26-23; Bruins won 2 of 3 last season.

Brigham Young

When: Feb. 21-23
Affiliation: Mountain West Conference
2001: 38-22, MWC champions; eliminated in Regionals.
Coach: Vance Law
Key players: OF Matt Carson, 1B David Jensen, 2B Cameron Coughlan, 3B Kainoa Obrey, OF Doug Jackson.
Notes: MWC coaches picked the Cougars to finish second. Kainoa Obrey and Doug Jackson are 1999 Iolani School graduates and were all-state picks that year. Obrey is considered a pro prospect, especially after a strong showing at the New England Collegiate summer league, which uses wooden bats.
Series: UH leads series 41-28-2; BYU won 2 of 3 in last meeting in 1999.

California-Irvine

When: March 1-3
Affiliation: Big West
2001: First year back since dropping sport in 1992
Coach: John Savage
Key players: RHP Sean Tracey, C Chris Miller, RHP Paul French, 3B Steve Guthrie.
Notes: Although this is the Anteaters' first season since dropping the sport, they had a one-year head start to organize and recruit. John Savage, like Mike Trapasso, was considered one of the nation's top assistants while he was at USC. Baseball America ranked UCI's past recruiting class eighth in the nation. Savage will field a team with 23 freshmen and 12 JC transfers. Still, Baseball America predicts a third-place finish and an NCAA berth.
Series: First meeting

Hawai'i-Hilo

When: March 15-17 at Wong Stadium, Hilo.
Affiliation: Division I Independent
2001: 5-45
Coach: Joey Estrella
Key players: OF Kaliko Oligo, OF Keola Park, 3B Johnny Dudoit, 2B Chad Agustin, C Nalei Sooto, OF Darren Chu, RHP Zeb Watts, RHP Robert Shimabuku, RHP Clay Daugherty.
Notes: After two seasons as an affiliate member of the WAC, the Vulcans are back to independent status. They are playing an ambitious schedule that includes Florida State, MWC favorites San Diego State and BYU, and Mid-Continent Conference favorite Oral Roberts.
Series: UH leads series 93-15; UH won 6 of 6 last season.

RAINBOW EASTER TOURNAMENT

Birmingham Southern

When: March 26
Affiliation: Big South Conference
2001: 55-11, 2001 NAIA national champions
Coach: Brian Shoop
Key players: INF/RHP Connor Robertson, OF Adam Pease, INF/RHP David Driskill, LHP Neil Sullivan.
Notes: Ended its final season in NAIA by beating Lewis-Clark State for the national title. This is the program's debut in NCAA Division I.
Series: First meeting

California-Riverside

When: March 27
Affiliation: Big West
2001: 19-35
Coach: Jack Smitheran
Key players: CF Brian Wahlbrink, 2B Randy Blood, OF Adam Seuss, C Jimmy Anderson, RHP Julio Fernandez.
Notes: The Highlanders are making their debut in Division I. They had won Division II national titles in 1977 and 1982.
Series: First meeting

San Jose State

When: March 28 (See below; will not count in WAC standings)

Hawai'i Pacific

When: March 29
Affiliation: Division II Independent
2001: 18-24
Coach: Allan Sato
Key players: 2B Wade Taguchi
Notes: Of HPU's only two wins against UH, both were won by Allan Sato in 1985 and 1986.
Series: UH leads series 20-2.

Hawai'i-Hilo

When: March 30 (See above)

Lewis-Clark State

When: March 31
Affiliation: NAIA
2001: 54-13
Coach: Ed Cheff
Key players: 1B Mike Madrid, LHP Tim Petke, 1B Zeph Zinsman.
Notes: This will be the Warriors' 12th appearance in the tournament; they shared the title last year with UC-Santa Barbara.
Series: UH leads series 10-9; UH won 1 of 1 (Easter Tournament) last season.

WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Rice

National rankings: No. 11 by Baseball America and Baseball Weekly/ESPN, No. 12 by Collegiate Baseball.
When: March 8-10 and April 18-20 at Reckling Park in Houston
2001: 47-20 (WAC champions, eliminated in Super Regionals)
Coach: Wayne Graham
Key players: SS Jose Enrique Cruz, 3B Hunter Brown, RHP Steve Herce, 2B Eric Arnold, RHP Phillip Tribe, OF Austin Davis, OF A. J. Porfirio.
Notes: The defending champions are picked to win the WAC by the conference coaches and Baseball America. Hunter Brown is the WAC's preseason pick as conference Player of the Year; Eric Arnold is considered to be the WAC's best pure hitter and best raw power hitter by Baseball America.
Series: Rice leads series 13-5; split six meetings last season.

San Jose State

When: March 22-24 and May 3-5 at Municipal Stadium in San Jose, Calif.
2001: 37-22-1
Coach: Sam Piraro
Key players: RHP Andy Cook, RHP Jeremy Rogelstad, 2B Gabe Lopez, C Adam Shorsher.
Notes: Picked to finish fourth. Adam Shorsher and Gabe Lopez were tabbed as the best defensive players in the WAC at their positions by Baseball America.
Series: UH leads series 24-19; split six meetings last season.

Nevada

When: April 4-6 and May 18-20 at Peccole Park in Reno, Nev.
2001: 30-26
Coach: Gary Powers
Key players: RHP Darrell Rasner, 1B JaRell McIntyre, OF Chris Dickerson
Notes: Picked to finish third. JaRell McIntyre is considered to be the best defensive first baseman and Darrell Rasner is considered to have the best breaking pitch in the WAC, according to Baseball America.
Series: UH leads series 6-4; Nevada won 4 of 6 last season.

Louisiana Tech

When: April 13-15 at J.C. Love Field in Ruston, La., and May 9-11
2001: 32-26
Coach: Jeff Richardson
Key players: RHP Lee Gwaltney, C/OF Cullen Simmons
Notes: The Bulldogs join the WAC from the Sun Belt Conference, where they finished sixth out of 10 teams. They are picked to finish last in the six-team WAC.
Series: UH leads series 1-0; only meeting was at the 1980 Central Regional.

Fresno State

National rankings: No. 11 Collegiate Baseball, No. 22 Baseball Weekly/ESPN
When: April 26-28 and May 23-25 at Pete Beiden Field in Fresno, Calif.
2001: 41-25 (eliminated in regionals)
Coach: Bob Bennett
Key players: C/RHP Ben Fritz, LHP Mike Hernandez, RHP Zach Minor, RHP Bob Runyon, OF Tobey Ridey-White.
Notes: Picked to finish second. Veteran coach Bob Bennett retires after this season after 34 years, all at FSU. Like UH's Les Murakami, Bennett is an American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer and recipient of the Lefty Gomez Award (2000). His career record entering this season is 1,270-732-4. His teams have made 21 tournament appearances.
Series: FSU leads series 42-29; FSU won 5 of 6 last season.