Posted on: Friday, April 8, 2005

Rainbows will play at unfriendly confines

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i returns to Western Athletic Conference play today with a three-game series at Nevada.

The game starts at 11 a.m., Hawai'i time. It will be broadcast on KKEA (1420 AM).

The Rainbows (15-18 overall, 3-6 WAC) are coming off a 7-4 loss at San Francisco in a midweek non-conference game. They are 2 1/2 back of the second-place Wolf Pack and three behind first-place San Jose State.

Historically, Peccole Park in Reno has not been UH-friendly. The Rainbows are 1-11 there, winning for the first time only last season since the Wolf Pack joined the WAC in 2001.

Hawai'i will use the same starting rotation it did to win the San Jose State series last weekend at home. Stephen Bryant (4-2, 3.05) will start today with Colby Summer (1-2, 4.29) tomorrow and Justin Costi (1-3, 3.47) Sunday.

The Rainbows' bullpen should be well-rested, except for Rich Olsen, who pitched four scoreless innings at USF. Coach Mike Trapasso was pleased with Olsen's "look."

"Rich's problem has never been his stuff," Trapasso said. "It's always been his intensity."

Olsen should be available by tomorrow, Trapasso said.

But it is the offense that has been inconsistent. Complicating matters for the weekend is Nate Thurber's sore shoulder. He sat out the USF game because he could not swing the bat.

"We have to wait and see," Trapasso said. "He had a cortisone shot in the shoulder. Hopefully, he'll be able to swing by (today)."

Thurber, who had not started until the last two games of the San Jose State series, has hit three doubles in his last nine plate appearances.

Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack (15-11, 4-2) are coming off an 11-8 loss to California on Tuesday. But before that, they had swept a three-game series at Louisiana Tech and took 1 of 3 at Rice.

Like UH, Nevada will use three right-handed pitchers: Tim Schoeninger (3-4, 4.13), Ryan Rodriguez (6-2, 4.89) and Travis Sutton (1-2, 4.19).

Offensively, the Wolf Pack are led by first baseman Ben Mummy (6 HRs, 21 RBIs), catcher Brett Hayes (.337, 3 HRs, 26 RBIs) and center fielder Jacob Butler (.313, 3 HRs, 20 RBIs).

Meanwhile, the WAC announced yesterday it is reinstating the postseason baseball tournament starting next season. The dates have been set at May 25 to 27. The site will be announced in the fall, the press release said.

Next year, the WAC will lose perennial champion Rice, but gain New Mexico State and Sacramento State, which is coming in as an affiliate member.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.

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