[ RAINBOW BASEBALL ]
Owls again favored
to capture WAC crownRice has won the conference
title every season since 1997
There has been one constant in Western Athletic Conference baseball since Rice won the league title in 1997, its first season in the WAC. The Owls have yet to relinquish that crown.
It sounds like a broken record, but the Owls are the team to beat in 2004. They are the defending national champions and return their starting rotation of Wade Townsend, Jeff Niemann and Philip Humber.
The WAC coaches had no problem picking Rice to win its eighth consecutive league title in their preseason poll. The Owls, ranked No. 3 in the nation, win on the road, a troublesome adventure for most league teams, and rarely lose when visitors come to Reckling Park. They are 91-15 (.858) at home in WAC games.
Hawaii, 25 players strong, open its conference season with night games at Rice tomorrow and Saturday and an afternoon encounter Sunday.
Rainbow coach Mike Trapasso has center fielder Robbie Wilder and left fielder Jaziel Mendoza back from the injury list.
The starting rotation remains the same, with Ricky Bauer (5-1, 1.93 ERA), Stephen Wright (2-1, 4.96) and Clary Carlsen (3-3, 3.89) given the task of taming the hot-hitting Owls.
"It's a new season and we are looking forward to it," Trapasso said. "Any time we play anyone in the top 10, we are going to have to play very well. That is no secret."
Trapasso says the Rainbows are a far different team now than the one that struggled in the first two series against Texas and Cal State Northridge.
"We were not very good in every phase of the game then. It was a question of competitiveness and playing with fire," Trapasso said.
"Since that time we have done better. We have pitched significantly better and are hitting better. Winning 13 of our last 15 games is a good thing, but I think we really started coming together in the tournament. It's just that we played well. We played better than when we won eight games in a row."
The 'Bows (14-7) are out to improve on their fourth-place league finish a year ago when they were 11-19.
"I've played in a lot of big games," said UH outfielder Greg Kish, who started his college career at Oklahoma. "I've played against Texas about 15 times, played Baylor, played Oklahoma State, played at Texas A&M, which is the hardest place to play in the nation. Rice is a good college team, but they are a college team. If we execute and take care of our stuff, we can win."
Notes: The games will be broadcast on KKEA 1420-AM. ... Rice leads the series 25-5 and has a 12-game winning streak against the 'Bows. ... UH junior left-hander Mark Rodrigues will have Tommy John surgery in the near future. A transfer from Los Medanos College, he has not pitched for UH this season.
WAC Baseball
A look at the conference teams in the order they play Hawaii in the first round, with the overall record and conference record, if applicable, in parentheses:RICE (14-5, 3-0)
Coach: Wayne Graham, 13th season (550-229, .706)
2002 WAC record: 25-5 (first)
Players to watch: OF Chris Kolkhorst, OF Austin Davis, SS Paul Janish, RHP Josh Baker, Townsend, Niemann and Humber
Outlook: Niemann, the coaches' preseason pick as WAC Pitcher of the Year, leads a staff that dominated the conference a year ago. Through 18 games, opponents are hitting .211 against Rice pitching. The Owls are hitting .302 as a team, led by Kolkhorst (.420), junior college transfer Adam Morris (.383), Matt Ueckert (.356) and Davis (.310). Interestingly enough, three of Rice's four defeats have been to UH's season-opening opponent, Texas, by scores of 6-3, 8-7 and 5-0.LOUISIANA TECH (9-13)
Coach: Wade Simoneaux, second season (27-48-1, .360)
2002 WAC record: 10-20 (sixth)
Players to watch: 2B Brandon Haygood, RHP Clayton Meyer, RHP Blake Burns, 1B Kyle Spangler
Outlook: The Bulldogs would like to prove the coaches wrong and finish higher than sixth this year after holding up the league in that position in 2003. Simoneaux's first recruiting class includes 11 freshmen and eight junior college transfers. There are 11 new pitchers on the team, and the outfield and infield are solid. What happens on the mound will be critical for the Bulldogs. They won the middle game at Oklahoma State last weekend, but that victory was bookended by 15-2 and 19-1 defeats.SAN JOSE STATE (10-10-1, 0-3)
Coach: Sam Piraro, 18th season (571-426-5, .572)
2002 WAC record: 10-19 (fifth)
Players to watch: 3B Kevin Frandsen, RHP Matt Durkin, Jr., RHP Jose Amaya, 1B Brandon Fromm
Outlook: Durkin, who held opposing hitters to a .206 batting average a year ago, is a preseason All-America selection. The Bulldogs are coming off an emotional season that saw Piraro battle bone-marrow cancer. They are picked to finish fifth this year. Improvement will depend on the starting pitchers that follow Durkin in the rotation. Fromm, a freshman, has been a pleasant surprise with five extra base hits and 13 runs batted in. Frandsen (.328) and second baseman David Pierson (.333) are the top hitters. The Spartans pressure a defense with their running game, with 28 stolen bases in 37 attempts.FRESNO STATE (10-14)
Coach: Mike Batesole, ninth season (296-201-1, .595)
2002 WAC record: 14-16 (third)
Players to watch: INF Ryan Haag, C Brandon Marcelli, RHP Matt Garza, CF Richie Robnett
Outlook: Picked to finish second in league play, the Bulldogs reached 10 wins by rallying for three runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth to edge BYU 10-9 Saturday in their own Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic. FSU gets offense from JC transfer David Gomez (.415), Marcelli (.333), Haag (.321), JC transfer Robnett (.307, four homers, 18 RBIs) and freshman Christian Vitters (three HRs, 17 RBIs). Although six of the losses have been to Pacific-10 teams, the pitching has not been consistent so far. The staff ERA is 6.36.NEVADA (9-11)
Coach: Gary Powers, 22nd season (653-496-4, .568)
2002 WAC record: 19-10 (second)
Players to watch: OF Chris Gimenez, OF Jacob Butler, 1B Erick Streelman, C Brett Hayes
Outlook: The Wolf Pack, who swept the six games with UH a year ago, have to replace two starting pitchers if they are to duplicate their second-place finish of 2003. Nevada hits well, especially at home, and outslugged Cal State Northridge in two of three games at Reno, Nev., last weekend. Hayes (.325 and a team-leading 19 RBIs) is the coaches' preseason pick for WAC Player of the Year. Chris Gimenez (.377, three HRs), Robert Marcial (.365) and Ben Mummy make opposing hurlers pay for mistakes.