Freshmen provide spark for Rainbows

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

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What: Western Athletic Conference baseball Who: San Jose State (20-21, 6-11) vs. Hawai'i (23-19, 5-13) When: 6:35 tonight and tomorrow; 1:05 p.m. Sunday Where: Les Murakami Stadium Parking: $3 Tickets: $6 Blue and Orange levels; $5 Red level (adults); $4 Red level (65-years-and-old, students K-12 and UH students with IDs) Radio: KKEA AM 1420 will broadcast all games live. TV: K-5 will broadcast all games live. Series history: The series is tied 25-25. Probable starters: Tonight—SJSU RH Matt Durkin (6-4, 2.42) vs. UH RH Ricky Bauer (3-3, 3.25) Tomorrow—SJSU LH Frank Esposito (1-2, 4.98) vs. UH RH Chris George (6-5, 4.58) Sunday—SJSU TBA vs. UH RHP Keahi Rawlins (4-2, 2.74)

Hawai'i's freshmen have been carrying a good share of the load for second-year coach Mike Trapasso.

"I wouldn't say it's a surprise (how well they're doing)," Trapasso said.

"They've always had the ability. I'd say it's been fun to watch how our freshmen have developed and have taken the lion's share of duties, both offensively and defensively (pitching)."

Highly touted right-handed pitcher Keahi Rawlins (4-2), who was drafted in the 36th round by the Philadelphia Phillies out of Moloka'i High, is in the starting rotation. His 2.74 earned run average is tied for fourth-best in the Western Athletic Conference.

Second baseman Isaac Omura, catcher/outfielder Matt Inouye and designated hitter Rocky Russo have played regularly.

Inouye leads all regulars with a .325 batting average. Omura's 23 RBIs is only three off team-leader Brian Finegan's 26. Russo had three home runs and 24 RBIs, and is second on the team with 27 walks.

Right-handers Rich Olsen and Guy McDowell each have recorded two saves, meaning they were summoned into games with the score close or pitched at least three innings effectively.

The emergence of Olsen and McDowell has solidified UH's bullpen. They have given Trapasso a chance at using a fresh arm in relief without loss of quality.

Junior college transfer Clary Carlsen leads the team with five saves. Trapasso said there is no designated closer because he tries to find the best matchup at the moment.

Meanwhile, focus this weekend is on San Jose State (20-21 overall, 6-11 WAC), which plays UH for the first time this season.

The Rainbows (23-19, 5-13) have a chance to escape the conference's cellar with a sweep of the Spartans, who took 2 of 3 from Louisiana Tech last weekend.

The Rainbows will use the same rotation that swept Fresno State last weekend.

Sophomore right-hander Ricky Bauer will pitch tonight and senior Chris George tomorrow night with Rawlins slated for Sunday. They combined to allow one run against the Bulldogs.

One of the Spartans' starters is sophomore right-hander Matt Durkin (6-4, 2.42), who has the third-best ERA in the WAC. Durkin, who earned his third WAC Pitcher of the Week honors this past week, will pitch tonight's opener.

This is the second to the last homestand for the Rainbows. They will leave for another road trip Tuesday night. They will play at Sacramento State on Wednesday before opening a three-game WAC series at Nevada.