But that's just what this weekend's three-game series with Fresno State is for the University of Hawaii baseball team.
The Rainbows finally won their first league game in last Sunday's series finale with the University of New Mexico. Hawaii is 1-8 in conference play and trails West Division leader San Jose State by a whopping seven games.
Winning the division title seems unlikely, given the current state of affairs. But it's still possible for Hawaii to seize one of the three at-large berths for the season-ending WAC tournament at San Diego State.
To do that, Hawaii has to start winning some home games in a hurry. Tonight's 7:05 series opener with West Division rival Fresno State at Rainbow Stadium is one UH head coach Les Murakami can ill-afford to let slip away.
It won't be easy. The Bulldogs, who were the preseason favorites to win the division, are a solid 6-3 in WAC action and 19-12 overall. They have knocked off Hawaii six consecutive times and are 18-6 vs. the Rainbows since joining the conference in 1993.
Veteran head coach Bob Bennett will send Jeff Weaver to the hill in tonight's game. Last year's WAC freshman of the year is 5-2 with an ERA of 3.30.
In a healthy world, Murakami would counter with Andrew McNally, but as everyone knows, good health is not a luxury Murakami's team has at this point.
If McNally pitches at all, it will probably be in tomorrow afternoon's game. Plagued with a nagging groin pull all season, McNally is only 1-2 with an ERA of 7.65. He managed just three pitches against the Lobos before leaving the field last Saturday.
"That mound at New Mexico was really steep," UH pitching coach Carl Furutani said. "If you're 6-foot-4, it's fine, but it's tough on shorter guys.
"We hope Andrew will be back. Not knowing for sure makes it tough. All you can do is hope he'll be OK on Saturday."
With McNally listed as day-to-day, Murakami will have to go with Robby Robinson in tonight's matchup. The shell-shocked senior is 1-5 with an ERA of 8.31. After giving up a staggering 52 runs last week, the Rainbows' ERA is a whopping 8.96.
If McNally can't go tomorrow, look for Jaime Aloy (1-6, 7.31) to be the starter. The Bulldogs -- whose team ERA is a respectable 3.48 -- will counter with Adam Pettyjohn (3-3, 3.61) tomorrow and Casey Rowe (5-0, 2.22) on Sunday.
Dusty Bergman (1-3, 7.12) will be the Sunday pitcher for Hawaii. The freshman secured his first win of the season last week against the Lobos.
"And that was a very big win for us," UH head coach Les Murakami said. "We needed something to give this team some confidence and Dusty came through. We have to try to build on this."
That will be tough to do with all the walking wounded players Murakami has on the bench. Lars Hansen should be able to bounce back from a knee injury and catch this weekend.
Outfielder Robert Medeiros is still slowed with a nasty ankle sprain. It's possible he'll catch a game this weekend if needed. David Perreira, who injured his thumb last weekend, could also catch or play first base.
Darren Blakely is expected to see some playing time. The outfielder has missed almost two months with a strained ligament in his thumb.
Fresno State hasn't been slowed by those types of injuries. The Bulldogs' top hitter is outfielder Derek Feramisco, who is batting .360 with six homers and 26 RBIs. Giusepp Chiaramonte comes in with a .348 average. He also has 11 homers and 27 RBIs. Infielder Larry Rupcich is batting .347. Seven Fresno State regulars are hitting .300 or better.
Despite losing two of three at New Mexico, Hawaii still raised its average to .286. Hot-hitting Greg Millichap leads the team with a .330 average. He also has four homers, 14 doubles and 22 RBIs. Medeiros is second among the regulars at .323. He leads the team in RBIs with 27.
Today: Hawaii vs. Fresno State at 7:05 p.m., tomorrow at 2:05 p.m. and Sunday at 3:05 p.m.