When he transferred to UH in 2002, he had a strong fall outing and appeared to be the starting second baseman. But Lane Nogawa got hot when it counted and won the starting job.

The next season, in came freshman Isaac Omura. All he did was bat .301 with 28 RBIs and got Freshman All-America honors.

This season, with the starting infield intact, it looked like Magana was locked out again.

But not now.

Magana's key to opening his door of opportunity was his glove. The true shortstop's ability to learn all of the infield positions got him into games. But now, his bat is keeping him in them.

"Schafer's really come up big for us this year so that he's no longer just a utility guy," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "The versatility has helped him, but his bat and his hitting in clutch situations has made him a factor and a guy we want to play because he's second on the team to (Matt) Inouye in two-out hits. So that's pretty big."

He is 10 for 26 (.385), which is second-best in average to Omura's 7 for 18 (.389), when hitting with two outs; the team average in that situation is .309. Magana's nine RBIs in that situation is third behind Nate Thurber's 11 and Inouye's 10. But Inouye and Thurber have at least 41 more plate appearances than Magana.

Magana had the go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 5-4 win against Sacramento State on April 7. He had a two-out, two-run double and a two-out RBI single in the series-clinching, 6-1, win against San Jose State on April 4.

Magana, a junior from Utah, has started in 17 of 32 games. His opportunities came when second baseman Omura and third baseman Rocky Russo were in batting or fielding slumps, or if Trapasso was just looking for a platoon advantage. Like everyone else, Magana wants to be a regular. But he has accepted his role.

"I just want to help the team in any way I can," Magana said. "Wherever they put me, I'm just glad they put me out there."

Magana came to UH via Dixie College in Utah. He was looking for a Division I program and he had ties with the Rainbows. His cousin is former UH shortstop Cortland Wilson, who has since transferred to the University of Utah. Also, pitching coach Chad Konishi had recruited him for the University of San Francisco, where Konishi was an assistant before joining Trapasso's staff in 2002.

Because he is a true shortstop, adjusting to the other infield positions hasn't been a problem for Magana.

"It came kind of easy to me," he said. "If you can play shortstop, you can play other positions out there. There's a different angle from third base, where it's more reaction (to grounders). At shortstop, you have more time to read the ball. At second (base), it's a shorter throw and when you turn the double play, you (throw) across your body."

So would he rather be a regular at one position or be available to start at other positions?

"It's tough to say," Magana said. "I've adjusted to this role for awhile. It's kind of nice. I like playing different positions. It keeps you sharp at every position. I'm glad I learned the different positions because it got me into the lineup more."

Trapasso isn't sure how he will use Magana for the upcoming Louisiana Tech series. Magana started at second in the April 6 Sacramento State game, but moved to third midway because Russo struggled defensively, Trapasso said. Except for that game, Russo had been fielding well in recent games, Trapasso said.

But Russo hit well at Louisiana Tech. He was 5 for 11 with four runs, three RBIs, a home run and three intentional walks.

"Rocky really swung the bat well at Louisiana Tech, so he'll be a factor on the weekend," Trapasso said. "He didn't play the Wednesday game (Sacramento State) because he had been struggling at the plate. He struggled in the San Jose State series. But Rocky is a streak guy. He has his good streaks and bad streaks. Hopefully, we can get him started on another good streak."

Notes: Magana played in four games in 2002, but was granted a medical red-shirt, which is why he is still a junior in eligibility ... The HPU game that was postponed on March 13 has been moved to May 4. Game time is 6:35 p.m. Ticket stubs and vouchers from March 13 will be honored on May 4.