[ RAINBOW BASEBALL ]
Rainbows open practice
with nearly everyone
healthyOnly Colby Summer misses
UH baseball camp after undergoing
Tommy John surgery last year
The Hawaii Rainbow baseball team opened practice today with 34 players in camp. UH coach Mike Trapasso was happy to report all the players are healthy.
Trapasso was concerned last fall when right-handed pitchers Keahi Rawlins and Guy McDowell returned to school from summer ball with tenderness in their elbows.
They were examined by two doctors and it was agreed both needed to rest. Neither threw during fall workouts.
"The rest paid off. Both of them have been throwing for three weeks and are pain free," Trapasso said. "They are on their throwing schedule and doing fine. This is good news because it means we won't have to rush the freshmen."
Another right-hander, Colby Summer, who had Tommy John surgery last year, is back in school but probably will not be ready this year.
"Our expectations are he will be ready for next year, otherwise he would be way ahead of schedule," Trapasso said. "We want to use the spring to get him healthy and ready for summer ball. Then we will petition the NCAA for a hardship year so he can come back as a junior rather than a senior."
Two players joined the team during the semester break: Mike Griffin, a third basemanoutfielder from Nanaimo, British Columbia, and Mark Rodrigues, a left-hander from Kauai via Los Medanos (Calif.) College.
Griffin, a left-handed hitter who led the Canadian Junior National Team in hitting last year, graduated from high school last summer but the UH coaches did not see him play until August.
"It was about two weeks before school started and it was too late to get an international student into school," Trapasso said.
Rodrigues, who was drafted in 2001 by Montreal and in 2002 by Oakland, pitched 103 2/3 innings for Los Medanos, compiling a 6-5 record with a 3.04 earned run average, 35 walks and 79 strikeouts.
Trapasso is still waiting for the official transcript on another junior college transfer.
Transfers from four-year schools include senior catcher Creighton Kahoalii (California), junior outfielder Greg Kish (Oklahoma) and senior outfielder Paki Lum (Southern California).
From a group of 20 walk-ons who tried out in the fall, Trapasso kept freshman left-hander Isaac Kamai from Kamehameha.
Senior right-hander Ricky Bauer and senior first baseman Andrew Sansaver were named team captains by a vote of the players.
"They are very deserving because their work ethic is as good as it gets," Trapasso said.
Celebration scheduled for Jan. 16: The UH baseball Grand Slam Celebration is Jan. 16 at the Stan Sheriff Center, and features heavy pupus by Sam Choy's, Asia Manoa, Compadres, Gordon Biersch, Pint Size and Sodexho, and wine tasting by Better Brands, Paradise Beverages and Southern Wine & Spirits.
Individual seats cost $69 ($26 tax deductible). An eight-seat table costs $750 ($406 tax deductible). Each ticket purchased includes two complimentary tickets to the San Francisco game Feb. 27.
The event starts at 5:30 p.m. The heavy pupus, drinks and program begin at 6 p.m. There is a silent auction from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information and tickets, call 956-6247.
Some of the items available in the silent auction are a trip to San Francisco coupled with two tickets in the owners box for a Giants game, a trip to Las Vegas, outer-island trips, autographed balls by Randy Johnson, Juan Marichal and Roy Oswalt, and an autographed bat and hat by Mark Teixeira.