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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, February 22, 2008

UH-USF series set up same as WAC

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Mike Trapasso

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RAINBOWS BASEBALL

WHAT: San Francisco (0-0) vs. Hawai'i (2-1)

WHEN: 6:35 tonight, 1:05 p.m. tomorrow (doubleheader), 1:05 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Les Murakami Stadium

TICKETS: Blue and orange sections, $8; red sections, $7 adults, $5 seniors, $3 students ages 4 to 18 and UH students.

PARKING: $3

RADIO/TV: All games on 1420 AM/KFVE

PROBABLE STARTERS

(USF pitcher first)

Tonight: RH Mitchell Bialosky (0-0) vs. RH Matt Daly (0-0). Tomorrow: Game 1, LH Evan Frederickson (0-0) vs. RH Jared Alexander (1-0). Game 2, LH Matt Baugh (0-0) vs. LH Sam Spangler (0-0). Sunday: RH Brian Anderson (0-0) vs. RH Alex Capaul (0-1)

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Get used to this.

The University of Hawai'i baseball team resumes action with a four-game series starting tonight against San Francisco at Les Murakami Stadium.

The four-game series is set up similarly to Western Athletic Conference series: Two single games and a doubleheader.

Tonight's 6:35 game will be followed by a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 1:05 p.m. Both games are scheduled for nine innings with a 45-minute break between games. Sunday's series finale is 1:05 p.m.

The 45-minute break is what the WAC has mandated for doubleheaders during league play for the four-game series this season.

"So we're basically going to go with the same format," UH coach Mike Trapasso said.

While the Rainbows already have played three games, taking 2 of 3 from UH-Hilo last weekend, this is the season opener for the Dons, as well as for the rest of the Division I nation. San Francisco was picked to finish sixth in the eight-team West Coast Conference.

The Rainbows will use the same three starting pitchers from the UH-Hilo series in Matt Daly tonight, Jared Alexander in the opener of tomorrow's doubleheader and Alex Capaul on Sunday. Redshirt freshman left-hander Sam Spangler will start the second game of tomorrow's doubleheader.

The Rainbows had just two multiple-run innings — both in Saturday's 9-2 win — in the UH-Hilo series. But Trapasso is confident the hitters will come around.

"We just have to go out and compete and the hitting part will come around because the guys that didn't hit are guys who have all hit (in the past)," Trapasso said. "Some of them for several years. So we just have to go out and keep playing everyday and go out and respect our opponent and play with passion and intensity. I think we'll see a better effort this week."

The Dons, 27-28 last season, return 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-hander Mitchell Bialosky, a senior first baseman (.345, 5 HR, 44 RBIs) and tonight's starting pitcher (1-4, 4.80 ERA). Other returning infielders are second baseman Joey Railey (.329), shortstop Tavo Hall (.239) and third baseman Derek Poppert (.297). Outfielder Zach Kim, the team's leading hitter at .359 last season, also returns.

Joining Bialosky on the mound is Virginia Tech transfer Evan Frederickson, a 6-6 left-hander who reportedly throws in the 90 mph range. He was a summer teammate of Sunday's starter Brian Anderson, a 6-5 right-hander who also throws in the 90 mph range. Left-hander Matt Baugh is scheduled to pitch tomorrow.

"If the power arms we've heard about are for real, then it should be fun to see some of their power arms against our young, good arms," Trapasso said.

Hawai'i leads the series, 10-9, but has lost the last two meetings against USF. In their last meeting in 2006 at USF, the Dons crushed the Rainbows, 15-1.

The Dons have one tie to Hawai'i. Troy Nakamura, a 1994 graduate of 'Iolani, has been an assistant coach at USF since 1998.