Rainbow Wahine need to re-focus

Advertiser Staff

•	NCAA Softball Championship Region 3, At Austin, Texas Double Elimination Tomorrow (Hawai'i Time) No. 4 LSU (49-16) vs. No. 5 Hawai'i (37-18) at 4 a.m. Radio — Live on 1420 AM. Replayed at 9 a.m.

The collision of Hawai'i's isolation and softball's scholastically challenging schedule has given the Rainbows challenges none of the other 63 tournament teams face. There was a 15-hour overnight trip Monday to Austin, Texas. Tomorrow's opener is scheduled for 4 a.m. Hawai'i time. UH has flown 30,000 miles since February.

Many players had to move out of their dorms before taking off and there are still some 20 final exams to take.

Who can think of softball at a time like this?

The Rainbow Wahine.

They won 15 of their last 16 to capture their first Western Athletic Conference championship. Their focus hasn't faltered in five weeks, and it probably won't now, with the biggest games of their lives coming up.

This team can focus just fine, as long as Melissa Coogan is pitching and Stacey Porter is showing teammates how to pound softballs into the stratosphere.

"Coogan is a hot pitcher," said San Jose State coach Dee Dee Enabenter-Omidji after her team took its turn falling to Hawai'i's tireless sophomore. "They have good balance in their hitting and good defense. That's a deadly combination."

After losing its first Southeastern Conference championship in five years, LSU (49-16) is ranked 13th in this week's ESPN.com/ USA Softball Top 25 and seeded fourth — one ahead of UH. Texas (43-7) is the top seed in the eight-team region and ranked third. Arizona State (30-23) is ranked 16th and seeded third.

Hawai'i (37-18) received one vote in the Top 25. It is tired almost to the point of feeling no pressure. That all might work in its favor. The Rainbow Wahine focus now is purely on themselves.

If that's not good enough, they could be coming home from this double-elimination tournament Friday. But it has been good enough for more than a month. They aren't changing anything now.

"We really won't go over with them (LSU) as a team," UH coach Bob Coolen says. "We don't dwell on the opponents. We just go out and play."

Even the thought of facing LSU ace Kristin Schmidt (32-12) is not daunting. Hawai'i hitters have made adjustments all season. Coolen trusts they can do it again.

• Porter, a junior, broke the UH season and career home run records this season and is hitting .595 during this late surge;
• Leadoff Tracie Uchima has hit safely in 23 of the past 28 games;
• April Crowell has launched a career-high 11 homers, and;
• Marie Jackson has a .450 average in the last six games and hit a grand slam.

Even those who haven't hit have made significant contributions. Coogan has won her past 13 decisions. Second-team all-WAC catcher Denise Dahlberg — a first-team all-WAC outfielder last year — has thrown out 16 of 34 base runners this season.

In the middle of the lineup, and pivotal to all this success, are senior co-captains Kate Judd and Trisha Ramos, who are going out with a flourish. Judd has hit .467 in the last nine games and Ramos .412 in the last 18.

Their offense will be missed next season, as will their talents at shortstop and third base. But mostly, Crowell admits, the Rainbow Wahine will miss their presence — during the tough times and the less serious.

"We'll miss their laughs," Crowell said. "The funny moments, the sarcastic moments. They are great captains — funny and laid back."

SHORT HOPS: Tomorrow's game will be broadcast live on 1420 AM, beginning at 3:50 a.m. HST. The broadcast will be repeated at 9 a.m. ... This is Hawai'i's sixth NCAA appearance, all in the last 10 years. UH has reached three regional finals.