GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Stephen Bryant is undefeated this season and has been the WAC's Pitcher of the Week twice in the past three weeks.

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Bryant becomes No. 1

There are times when coaches have the right kind of problem.

Florida State at Hawaii When: Tomorrow and Friday, 6:35 p.m., Saturday, 1:05 p.m. Where: Les Murakami Stadium. TV: Tomorrow live, KFVE, Ch. 5. Radio: All three game live, KKEA, 1420-AM. Tickets: $7 orange and blue sections; $6 red section; $5 seniors, and $3 students age 4-18, UH students in the red section. Parking: $3

Count Mike Trapasso and his staff among them as they decide which starting pitcher heads to the bullpen once Western Athletic Conference play starts next week.

The four starters -- Ricky Bauer (1-1, 4.37 earned run average), Stephen Bryant (3-0, 1.48), Colby Summer (1-0, 3.91) and Justin Costi (1-2, 2.13) -- have pitched well, although Bauer would like to be closer to his 3.60 ERA of a year ago.

"I think we will go with who is throwing well at the time. These things have a way of working themselves out," said Trapasso. "The decision would be based on who would give us the best start in all instances."

The opponent and possible matchups might figure into the decision, but a player's recent history would carry more weight. Bauer and Bryant have worked out of the bullpen, but the UH coaches have not seen Summer or Costi in that role.

Against Florida State, No. 3 in the Collegiate Baseball poll this week, Trapasso is flip-flopping his first two starters with Bryant going in the series opener tomorrow and Bauer getting the start Friday night.

Bryant was named the Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second time in three weeks to jump ahead of Bauer in the rotation.

"It will be Colby or Justin Saturday. We're still kicking that around," said Trapasso. "The one who doesn't start will come in and throw against a very good Winthrop team (March 15 or 16), so he won't miss a start. I see all of them starting conference games as well. You always need pitching and all of them will get plenty of innings."

The Hawaii (9-8) bullpen has been effective and consistent.

Steven Wright (1-2, 0.98), Darrell Fisherbaugh (1-1, 1.29), Guy McDowell (1-0, 2.00), Kyle Thomas (0-0, 2.70) and Rich Olsen (0-0, 3.00) are the main players when it comes to relief.

Fisherbaugh and McDowell tend to be used in short closing situations. Wright has been used more when two or three innings are needed. Thomas and Olsen, who is coming off a sore arm last year, can both set up a closer.

"We have to make sure Rich is loose and only throw him when he says he is 100 percent," said Trapasso.

Some of the Rainbow batters showed signs of improvement in the last three games of the First Hawaii Title Rainbow Baseball Tourney last week. The team hit .355 (38-for-107) in those three games.

Two reserves, freshman catcher Erik Ammon and junior left fielder Jeff Piaskowski, got a chance to play because of injuries to others and took advantage of the opportunity. Piaskowski was 5-for-10 with three RBIs. Ammon was 5-for-13 and made the all-tournament team.

"We need to get Greg (Kish) back and we need to get Matt (Inouye) going," said Trapasso. "Rocky (Russo) came out of his funk by being aggressive at the plate. Joe (Spiers) and Isaac (Omura) were consistent and we need everyone else to catch up to them."

Kish has a strained right arm and is off to a very slow start at the plate (.162). Inouye isn't hitting the way he or the coaches expect with a .234 average.

The Seminoles (20-1) won their first eight games, then lost the finale of a three-game series against Auburn, but have won their last 12.

Notes: Hawaii Pacific plays Florida State at 7 tonight at Aloha Stadium. ... After finishing last week's tournament with 4-1 records, Wichita State jumped from 15th to ninth and Louisiana-Lafayette moved up to No. 19 from No. 22 in the latest Collegiate Baseball poll. ... Winthrop is No. 30.