[ RAINBOW BASEBALL ]
’Bows blip
on national radarHawaii enjoys the modest honor
of earning votes in a national poll
The Hawaii baseball team received a touch of national recognition after winning two of three Western Athletic Conference games from defending national champion and then-No. 3 Rice this past weekend.
The Rainbows received three votes in the Sports Weekly/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll yesterday. That gives UH the 43rd-most votes overall.
The 'Bows did not appear in the Baseball America Poll that ends at No. 25 or the Collegiate Baseball Poll that goes to No. 30. Rice dropped to No. 4 in all three polls.
"When you think about it, it is almost silly to say anything about three votes, but that is three votes we didn't have last week," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. "It means there are three coaches out there who recognized what we did.
"I had an e-mail from the editor of Baseball America this morning saying they were aware of what we did and to keep up the good work.
"The thing is, we can't really enjoy it because we have to get ready for a really good Fresno State team. I know that sounds like coach-speak, but now we're more determined than ever to keep playing well."
The last time a Hawaii team appeared in a poll was 1999 when the Rainbows were No. 28 in the Collegiate Baseball Poll for a week.
The 'Bows (29-17 overall, 12-9 WAC) open a three-game series with the fourth-place Bulldogs (22-28, 10-11) Thursday at 6:35 p.m. at Murakami Stadium. The series concludes the 2004 home season.
UH is tied for second with Nevada in the league standings. The Wolf Pack (27-22, 12-9) are in Houston for a three-game series with Rice this weekend.
Hawaii travels to the mainland for league series at Nevada (May 21-23) and San Jose State (May 28-30) with a nonconference game at Pacific on May 25.
