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A long time Will Quaglieri makes his first start for the Rainbows and his first since high school tomorrow night if all goes as planned.
between starts
Will Quaglieri has earned
a starting nod for Hawaii
after 22 games in reliefBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comThe 6-foot-2 right-hander has enjoyed considerable success as a long reliever this season, earning Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week honors earlier this month.
He has made 22 relief appearances for the 'Bows since transferring to UH from Purdue for the 2001 season, but his goal always has been to be a starter. Hawaii baseball coach Mike Trapasso is about to give him his wish.
"The pitcher is the one who is in control. Every play starts on the mound, but there are a lot of things that go along with it," said Quaglieri. "I don't know why starting is such a big thing. I know I don't like sitting on the bench waiting for someone to mess up. That's the only way a reliever gets into the game and I want to see my teammates have success."
Ups and downs in his baseball career are nothing new for Quaglieri. He was cut from the team his freshman and sophomore years at Reno High School.
"For the first time in my life I realized this was a game I had always played and I was taken away from it," he said. "So, I transferred to a small private school."
At Bishop Manogue Catholic High School, Quaglieri found success. He was an all-league first team member in 1998 and the Nevada State 3A Player of the Year in 1999. He pitched, played third base and right field, was 20-2 over his final two years, hit .485 with seven home runs as a senior and graduated with honors. His 1999 team won the 3A state title.
"I had a good coach, Charlie Oppio at Bishop Manogue. He is someone I'll never forget the rest of my life," said Quaglieri. "He just taught me a lot of things about baseball and life. He was a completely fair guy.
"He didn't want to put up with parents and all the politics. He didn't even let parents on the field. He was totally focused on the game of baseball and the team. He gave me more opportunities than anyone else ever did."
The summer after graduation, Quaglieri played for the Carson City Capitals and coach Rob McNut. College coaches from UNLV, Nevada, Hawaii, Portland, Arkansas, Purdue and San Francisco were present, but the Boilermakers won the recruiting battle.
"My parents are firm believers in academics first. They closed a lot of doors because of academics, but it was my decision to go to Purdue. It's an impressive campus and it's the Big Ten," said Quaglieri.
Misfortune struck when he chipped a piece of bone off the top of his left hip and a tendon snapped during workouts leading to a redshirt year. And, the Midwest winters were harsh, not "about the same as Reno" as the Purdue coach told Quaglieri.
"I just never fit in with the Midwest style of living. It was different from what I was used to," said Quaglieri who decided to call former UH coach Carl Furutani to see if he was still interested.
"Carl came to see me on the mainland and gave me another opportunity to come to Hawaii. I decided to try warm weather for a change rather than be indoors for half a season," Quaglieri said. "Being able to play baseball everyday isn't hard to adjust to and I'm more used to the personalities of the players here."
Quaglieri prepares the same for a start or bullpen duty. He loves the challenge of going one-on-one with a hitter.
"He's made considerable progress since the start of fall practice. We dropped his arm angle slightly a couple of weeks before the season started and that got him really consistent with his command in the lower half of the (strike) zone. He's relied on having a lot of movement and keeping the ball down in the zone," said Trapasso.
"Every time he's been out there, the game has been on the line and for the most part he has answered the call. Until we get things going offensively, we need to put our best people out there to hold opponents down as long as possible."
Trapasso delayed bringing Quaglieri out of the bullpen because of his success, but establishing a starting rotation is a higher priority.
A computer science major, Quaglieri is no different than most college players in wanting a shot at pro ball. His long-term goal is to join the FBI.
Tonight his job is charting the hitting tendencies of the San Jose State hitters to see if there are differences from the scouting reports which he can put to good use tomorrow night.
When: Tomorrow, Thursday and Friday, 6:36 p.m.; Saturday, 12:05 p.m. Rainbow Baseball
Where: Murakami Stadium
TV: All games live on KFVE, Channel 5
Radio: All games live on KCCN, 1420-AM
Internet: kccn1420am.com
Tickets: $6 Orange, Blue levels. $5 Red level. $4 Seniors, children age 4-18, UH students in the Red level.
Parking: $3
HAWAII (7-16, 0-3 WAC) Probable starting pitchers
W-L ERA K RHP Chris George (Jr.) 0-2 7.77 31 RHP Will Quaglieri (So.) 2-2 3.60 29 RHP Jason Piepmeier (Fr.) 0-1 5.59 7
SAN JOSE STATE (17-8, 3-3 WAC)W-L ERA K RHP Jeremy Rogelstad (Sr.) 5-2 2.06 38 LHP Jahseam George (Sr.) 4-0 3.31 29 Sunday's starting pitcher to be announced
Notes: The Rainbows and Spartans have played 43 games, with UH holding a 24-19 edge. The 'Bows stopped a seven-game losing streak to SJSU by sweeping the three WAC games at Murakami Stadium last March. ... The Spartans are hitting .297, compared to the Rainbows' .264. SJSU's team earned run average is 4.40, Hawaii's is 5.53. ... Center fielder Nate Jackson has left the baseball team to concentrate on his dream to play in the NFL. "Nate called me after the Hilo series and said he lost six pounds playing those three games and couldn't afford to lose weight if he is to get a chance to play pro football," said UH coach Mike Trapasso. "I told him to go ahead and see how the NFL plays out. From what I saw of his skills last weekend, I'd love to have him back next year if football doesn't work out."
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