Former University of Hawai'i baseball player Greg Kish might not be playing the game anymore, but he's making a living in it.

Kish, who played for the Rainbows from 2004 to 2005 after transferring from Oklahoma, has maintained his ties to baseball as a corporate marketing manager for the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders, who are located north of Dallas. He sells group ticket packages to companies in the area.

"It's a start," Kish said in a telephone interview. "You make good contacts. You meet with so many different people, presidents and CEOs of companies."

After his last season of eligibility at UH, Kish spent his final two semesters finishing his degree in business management while serving as an undergraduate assistant with the team. It was the first time UH coach Mike Trapasso used the non-paying job for a student coach. The first four years, Keith Komeiji was the volunteer coach until he was promoted to full-time assistant last season.

Kish won't make it for Saturday's Alumni Game because of work commitments, but he said he plans to visit here in March.

After the Rainbows were eliminated from the Corvallis (Ore.) Regional in June, Kish went to Texas to visit his girlfriend. He e-mailed the president of the Frisco club hoping to land an internship. Instead, he got a day-long interview and at the end of the day, "I was hired on the spot," he said.

Trapasso likes using the student coach position for a player who might be interested in getting into coaching. Former infielder Adam Roberts fills the role vacated by Kish. Roberts, who will graduate with a degree in psychology in May, said he will return to Edmonds Community College, from where he transferred three years ago, to take a coaching job.

While Kish is not coaching, he said being able to list that he had a coaching job enhanced his resume, which otherwise would have just showed he graduated and played some ball.

"I think the coaching background was a benefit," he said. "It showed that I had some responsibilities. I think it impressed the people. It was cool to have it."

The Alumni game is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Les Murakami Stadium. Unlike previous years, admission is free.

NOTES

Hawai'i freshman infielder Jeffrey Van Doornum will be out about two weeks recovering from appendicitis he had Friday. Trapasso said Van Doornum, who is from Huntington Beach, Calif., had a laparoscopic procedure that uses a smaller incision thus enabling him to heal faster.

Individual game tickets go on sale Monday. Tickets in the blue and orange sections are $7, with tickets in the red for $6 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and $3 for students. Season tickets continue to be on sale.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.