Hawai'i faces tough WAC opener against No. 4 Rice

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

After starting the season against No. 2 Florida State, why not open the Western Athletic Conference baseball season against another nationally ranked team?

Gone from the Owls are pitchers Kenny Baugh and Jon Skaggs. Both were drafted and signed after last season. Last year, UH split six games with Rice. Baugh and Skaggs had the three Rice victories. One of Baugh's victories was a one-hit shutout.

But there is no apparent drop-off in the Owls' pitching. Rice leads the league with a team earned run average of 3.35, well below the league average of 4.44.

"They lost two very good seniors, but their freshmen pitchers are very good," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "In a program like Rice's, Coach (Wayne) Graham doesn't rebuild. He reloads."

The Owls were preseason favorites to defend their WAC crown. But despite being ranked fourth by Baseball America and Baseball Weekly/ESPN, and fifth by Collegiate Baseball, Rice has dropped three of its last five games, including two to Sam Houston State (4-9). At one stretch, the Owls had a nine-game win streak.

"They're a team you can expect to see on ESPN in June in the College World Series," Trapasso said.

The Owls are scheduled to start freshman right-hander Philip Humber (2-1, 4.03) and junior right-hander Steven Herce (3-1, 3.86) tomorrow and Saturday, respectively. Sunday's starter has yet to be determined, but David Aardsma (3-0, 3.46) and Justin Crowder (1-0, 2.53), transfers from Penn State and Texas Christian, respectively, as well as 6-foot-9, 260-pound freshman right-hander Jeff Niemann (2-0, 2.53), are possibilities. Crowder is a nemesis; he beat UH twice last year (14á innings, 3.68) while at TCU.

Like the Rainbows, the Owls pitchers have good control, allowing 2.82 walks per game; UH averages 2.81, while San Jose State leads the WAC at 2.80.

"The Rice pitchers will be around the plate," Trapasso said. "We'll definitely try to be aggressive. We don't always want to be behind" in the pitch count.

The Rainbows are likely to counter with the same rotation of the past several weeks. Right-hander Bryan Lee (2-1, 4.18) is scheduled to pitch the series opener. He will try to rebound from his last two starts, which were sub par to his first three.

Left-hander Aaron Pribble (2-1, 3.60) and right-hander Chris George (0-0, 6.75) are slated for Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Offensively, the Rainbows are looking for increased run production. They are last among WAC teams in runs per game (4.75) and slugging percentage (.355), and second-to-last in on-base percentage (.356).

Catcher Grady Symonds, whose ninth-inning grand slam pulled the Rainbows from a 5-1 deficit in a 6-5 victory against UC Irvine in 12 innings, might share more playing time with Brian Bock. They have three of the team's four home runs.

"We'll try to spread the wealth a little bit," Trapasso said.

Derek Honma, who missed all but two innings of defense and one at-bat because of a fractured left hamate (wrist), might be healthy enough for more playing time this series, Trapasso said. Although he is batting .154 in nine games, he did bat 2-for-4 with a double, walk and two runs in his last start as the leadoff hitter against Brigham Young on Feb. 22. He hurt his wrist in the first at-bat of that game.

Tim Montgomery, who was supposed to share time with Kevin Gilbride in right field, will start in center field, as he did the last game against UCI.

First baseman Gregg Omori, 1-for-10 against UCI, is trying to find the stroke that hit .367 with 25 doubles and 11 home runs last year. He has moved from the No. 3 spot of the order to seventh the last two games.