[ RAINBOW BASEBALL ]
’Bows eye second place
as they enter last seriesHawaii needs a sweep at San Jose State
plus some help to move up
from fourth place
The Hawaii Rainbows know exactly what is at stake in the final three-game, regular-season Western Athletic Conference series at San Jose State that starts tomorrow.
The 'Bows want to finish second behind league champ Rice.
Hawaii (31-21 overall, 13-13 WAC) is in fourth place in the conference standings, a half-game behind third-place Nevada (30-26, 14-13) and a game behind second-place Fresno State (26-29, 14-12).
Nevada plays at Fresno State this weekend.
"We need to sweep regardless of what happens in Fresno and we do not want either Nevada or Fresno to sweep," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said.
"It is fun to come down to the last week of the season with something to play for. That is a blast. You never know what will happen if you finish second."
If the Rainbows sweep, they finish conference play with a 16-13 record, their first season above.500 since 1999 and only the second winning WAC mark in the last 12 years.
If either the Bulldogs or the Wolf Pack sweep, they clinch second place.
If Fresno State wins two and UH sweeps, the teams would tie for second.
The 'Bows won two of the three games against San Jose State (20-31-1, 8-19) at Murakami Stadium the first week of April.
The Spartans, who have had a disappointing season, also have something to play for. They are in last place, a game and a half behind the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, who end their season with four games at Rice.
"The Spartans will be playing with a lot of pride," Trapasso said. "They have three pitchers who can beat you any time."
The starting rotation is the same for UH. Ricky Bauer (8-3), who threw just 15 pitches to extricate the 'Bows from a near disaster in the bottom of the ninth inning at Pacific on Tuesday, starts tomorrow. Stephen Bryant (8-4) and Clary Carlsen (6-7) follow Saturday and Sunday.
The Spartans' rotation is Matt Durkin (7-5), Corey Cabral (6-8) and Jose Amaya (1-6).
Notes: The 'Bows lead the series with the Spartans 31-28. ... Center fielder Robbie Wilder will not play this weekend after re-injuring a hamstring in the second game at Nevada. ... The UH coaches and the parents of several Rainbow players participated in a golf tournament yesterday organized by Curtis Osaki, the man who designed the UH Logo. ... All three games will be broadcast on KKEA 1420-AM.