UH shortstop Finegan WAC Player of the Week

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

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Game facts What: Collegiate baseball Who: Wichita State (4-0) vs. Hawai'i (6-1) When: 6:35 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1:05 p.m. Sunday Where: Les Murakami Stadium Parking: $3 Tickets: $6 Blue and Orange levels; $5 Red level (adults); $4 Red level (ages 65 older, students K-12 and UH students with IDs). Radio: KKEA-AM 1420 will broadcast all games live. TV: K5 will broadcast all games live. Series history: Tied at 14. Hawai'i won the last meeting, 4-2, in the 2001 Easter Tournament.

The Rainbows can toast their teammate for being named Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week yesterday. He is the first UH player to get the honor this season.

"It's good because the team is doing well," he said of the honor.

The transfer from Cuesta (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) College batted .615 (8-for-13) in four games, one against UH-Hilo and three in the Rainbows' weekend series sweep of Sacramento State. He was 6-for-9 against the Hornets with three doubles, three walks and three RBIs. He was 3-for-3 with two doubles, three walks and two RBIs in Sunday's come-from-behind 8-7 win, when he was switched to the top of the order for the first time this season. He has hit safely in all seven games.

Finegan's hitting barrage lifted his batting average to .458 to lead all starters. He leads the team in doubles with four and is tied for the team lead with Josh Green in hits with 11 and RBIs with seven. Finegan has made one error in 37 chances.

Finegan followed first baseman/pitcher Nick Ponomarenko from Cuesta to UH.

"He's the one that got coach (Chad) Konishi looking at me," Finegan said of Ponomarenko.

Finegan became familiar with Hawai'i while at Cuesta because there are a number of players from here at the JC. One of them was second baseman Dane Marcoullier, a Mid-Pacific Institute graduate, who was a teammate of UH freshman second baseman Isaac Omura in high school.

"I talked to Dane a lot," he said. "Dane was my second baseman last year. He told me that Isaac was coming here (to UH). He told me I'd love it out here. So far, so good."

After graduating from Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.) in 2000, Finegan attended Saint Mary's with the intent of playing football, but ended up playing baseball. He said he was in a platoon role at second base. He then transferred to Cuesta, turning down opportunities from Washington State, North Carolina State, Loyola Marymount and UC Santa Barbara.

Finegan said he played wide receiver in high school. Asked if he would be interested in playing in UH's run-and-shoot offense, he said: "I'm not fast enough. I wish I could. If I could run a 4.3 (seconds) 40 (yard dash) I would try."

Finegan deferred credit for his hot start to assistant coaches Brian Green and Keith Komeiji.

"They spend numerous hours with us," he said.

As for where he hits in the order, Finegan said his approach doesn't change.

"I'm just trying to get on base so we can score runs," he said. "It doesn't matter to me really. The one hitter might get one more extra at-bat and I like getting the extra opportunity. To me, it doesn't matter where I hit. My role is to get on base."

With a team-leading .552 on-base percentage, he is living up to his role.