Thursday, June 4, 1998

UH Hilo
to make pitch for
WAC affiliation

Vulcans would seek
membership in baseball

By Cindy Luis
Star-Bulletin

Of the 16 major athletic conferences, the Western Athletic Conference was among the least likely to be the lead domino. Yet the breakup of the WAC has started a chain reaction of rumors from the Big 12 to the Big West to the Pac-10.

Will the WAC add a ninth -- or 10th -- team? Could the University of Hawaii-Hilo be part of the mix as an affiliate member in baseball?

If the WAC decides not to expand beyond eight teams beginning next season, only five of the remaining schools will offer baseball: Hawaii, Fresno State, San Jose State, Texas Christian and Rice. A conference requires six teams to be considered for an automatic berth in postseason play, so adding the Vulcans seems to be a logical choice.

"My athletic director (Bill Trumbo) wants me to start getting information about the possibility," said Hawaii-Hilo coach Joey Estrella, whose Vulcans have been a Division I independent since 1993. "It would be fantastic for us to get into the WAC.

"I've talked with Coach (Les) Murakami in the past, and he concurs that we've got to get type of conference affiliation. I had never thought about the WAC seriously, but we're definitely going to pursue it."

Estrella said his biggest problem has been scheduling after February, when teams are deep in conference play. The Vulcans have picked up games off the Rainbows' schedule, but Hawaii-Hilo's season basically ends after the Rainbow Easter Tournament.

Estrella said he would be in contact with the WAC office today to discuss the viability of becoming an affiliate member.

Hawaii-Hilo's chances would be hurt if another school, which competes in football as well as baseball, shows interest.

Among the schools being mentioned are Big West members New Mexico State, Utah State and Nevada and Boise State. There are rumblings that Baylor might withdraw from the Big 12, which could possibly free Colorado to join the Pac-10 -- as a solo entry or maybe coupled with Texas or Utah.

Baylor officials say their best option is to join the WAC, which would renew their rivalries with former Southwest Conference members Rice, Texas El-Paso, Southern Methodist and Texas Christian.

Several weeks ago, Utah was aggressively pursuing the Pac-10. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that nine of 10 athletic directors agreed to consider the Utes for possible membership.

---

Commissioner:
WAC here to stay

Associated Press

DENVER -- Recently cast aside by eight rebel schools, the remaining members of the soon-to-be-divided Western Athletic Conference affirmed their solidarity this week at the league's annual presidents' meeting.

WAC commissioner Karl Benson said yesterday that Fresno State, Hawaii, Rice, San Jose State, Southern Methodist, Texas Christian, Texas-El Paso and Tulsa are determined to make their geographically challenged relationship work beyond the league's split in 1999.

"They quickly realized that they couldn't jeopardize their future by not taking a positive stand," Benson said. "They weighed their options, they looked to see if there were other possibilities out there, and they came to a quick conclusion that they could be a viable conference."

Presidents of all 16 schools participated in the three-day California meetings as they worked to coordinate schedules for next year. The separate eight-member groups also discussed their futures beyond June 1999.

The fate of the abandoned eight has been characterized as tenuous because Hawaii and UTEP are separated by 3,900 miles. Also gone are basketball heavyweights Utah and New Mexico and football power Brigham Young.

Benson lauded the strength of big-market cities such as Dallas-Fort Worth (SMU and TCU) and Houston (Rice) and the attraction of Hawaii.

"I'm confident that this league is going to continue for years to come," Benson said. "I don't see any reason that this is a one-year operation or a two- or three-year operation. It will be a long-term relationship, not just a stopgap."

The remaining WAC members avoided a potentially fatal blow Tuesday when Fresno State and Hawaii were rebuffed in their attempt to join the rebel schools.

"Even though Fresno State and Hawaii were actively campaigning to join the other conference, they did it in a very professional manner," Benson said. "They informed their colleagues of their intent and their reasons. When they weren't selected, the six other presidents opened the door and brought them back in."

Benson did not rule out the possibility of a ninth school joining the WAC. The addition would allow each school to play four home football games and four road games within the conference.

Benson said a decision on No. 9 would not be made until determining how hard it is for each of the eight schools to schedule a non-conference opponent to fill out their football schedules.