Rainbows continue tuneup for WAC season
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
For now, Hawai'i is at the top of the Western Athletic Conference softball heap. It will mean much more when the conference season actually starts.
The 9-7 Rainbow Wahine have the best record among WAC teams. Tulsa, picked to share second with UH, is 8-7. No other conference team is above .500.
PORTER
That includes perennial champion and preseason No. 1 Fresno State, floundering at 3-8 with half its losses to Top 20 teams. The Bulldogs just dropped out of the rankings for the first time in 179 weeks, a streak dating to the first poll in 1983.
"Everyone keeps looking at me and saying you should win the WAC," UH coach Bob Coolen says. "It's not that easy. Playing in and out of conference is two different deals. This serves notice that they are beatable, but we've got to do it in conference."
That starts April 4-5, at Fresno. Hawai'i plays in its Malihini Tournament today through Sunday. The round-robin features No. 25 Baylor, plus Boston College, Kent State, Buffalo, Loyola Marymount and UC-Riverside.
• WHAT: Malihini Tournament • WHERE: Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium • WHEN: Today-Sunday • ADMISSION: Free • PARKING: $3 • FORMAT: Round robin • SCHEDULE: Today: 11 a.m.— Kent State vs. LMU; 1 p.m.— Baylor vs. UC-Riverside; 3— Boston College vs. Kent State; 5— Buffalo vs. Baylor; 7— Hawai'i vs. Boston College. Tomorrow: 10 a.m.— UC-Riverside vs. Buffalo; nooniKent State vs. Buffalo; 2 p.m.— Baylor vs. LMU; 4 Boston College vs. UC-Riverside; 6— UC-Riverside vs. Hawai'i; 8— Baylor vs. Hawai'i. Saturday: 10 a.m.—Boston College vs. Buffalo; noon— Boston College vs. Baylor; 2— LMU vs. UC-Riverside; 4— LMU vs. Buffalo; 6— UC-Riverside vs. Hawai'i; 8— Kent State vs. Hawai'i. Sunday: 10 a.m.— Boston College vs. LMU; noon— UC-Riverside vs. Kent State; 2 p.m.— Baylor vs. Kent State; 4— Buffalo vs. Hawai'i.
UH swept a doubleheader at Loyola Marymount two weeks ago, with sophomore Melissa Coogan giving up one run in 14 innings. A day later, UH split with Riverside, Coogan winning the first and Shannon Tabion taking the second-game loss.
Malihini Tournament
Coogan's rise has been the surprise of the season. She was 12-8 as the No. 2 pitcher behind Sheri Oronoz last season. Oronoz's decision to pass on her senior year put Coogan No. 1 and she is 7-2, with seven complete games, three shutouts and a 1.16 ERA.
Coolen plans to have Coogan pitch at least four games in this tournament. It could be more if Tabion still struggles with her confidence. Paula Blanning, the No. 3 pitcher, is working her way back from a shoulder injury that ended her freshman season.
Coolen also is looking for more offense.
Cleanup hitter Stacey Porter is off to a remarkable start, batting .512 and with team-highs in runs (14), hits (21), doubles (8), walks (11) and steals (4-for-4). Noelle Izumi and April Crowell are batting above .300.
No one else is as high as .230.
Coolen believes a turnaround could start with shortstop Kate Judd, who is hitting .209. Her career average is 100 points higher and the two-time WAC Player of the Year batted .354 last season. Denise Dahlberg, an all-WAC first-team selection last season with Porter and Judd, also is slumping at .174.
"We just all need to start getting together on what we need to do execution-wise," says Coolen, who is three wins from his 500th career victory. "The players need to see the ball and hit the ball. The process is all in the practice. We need to come out of our little funk and have five or six produce instead of two or three."
SHORT HOPS: April Crowell has hit safely in the last nine games. ... Bob Coolen is 497-358-1 in his 17th coaching season. Coolen spent his first five years at Bentley (Mass.) College. He is 425-265-1 at Hawai'i, with five NCAA appearances. ... The Rainbow Wahine upset No. 23 Oregon State and No. 3 California earlier this season. The Golden Bears are defending NCAA champions. ... UH plays at the Kia Klassic next week (March 12-16) at Cal State-Fullerton. The 'Bows' pool includes fourth-ranked Washington, fifth-ranked Texas and ninth-ranked Fullerton.
