JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Rainbow baseball seniors (from front) Ricky Bauer, Greg Kish, Nate Thurber, Schafer Magana and Steve Bryant play their last home series this weekend.

Rainbows’ end

The five seniors who close out
their home careers this weekend
have seen highs and lows

Seniors Ricky Bauer, Steve Bryant, Greg Kish, Schafer Magana and Nate Thurber will be honored after Saturday's Hawaii Rainbows baseball game against Fresno State.

Fresno State at Hawaii When: Today and tomorrow, 6:35 p.m., and Saturday, 1:05 p.m. Where: Les Murakami Stadium TV: All games live, KFVE (Ch. 5) Radio: All games live, KKEA, 1420-AM Tickets: $3-6 Parking: $3 Notes: The Bulldogs, who have won the last seven games between the teams, hold a 56-35 advantage in the series. ... UH coach Mike Trapasso has juggled the lineup many times this year, but there has been one constant. Joe Spiers has led off in all 47 games. ... Senior day is Saturday and the first 1,500 fans entering the stadium will receive a team photograph of the 'Bows.

There are two common threads in their thinking about this week. They really haven't thought about senior night for various reasons, with the main reason being that they're focused on beating Fresno State.

Their time as Rainbows has not always been peaches and cream. They have dealt with injuries, changing roles and bench time that tested their resolve. They more than met the test by rehabilitating injuries to return to the lineup and accepted new roles, and they were always ready when called to come off the bench.

All are on schedule to graduate within the next year.

"Ricky and Schafer have been a part of the revitalization of the program and played a big role in that. Hopefully they can finish strong their last nine games and make it a great exit strategy," said Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso.

Bauer, who was Trapasso's first recruit, has been a starting pitcher, long reliever and closer a couple of times. He is 16-21 overall, and that includes a 1-9 record as a freshman in 2002 when UH won just 16 games. His strength is the command of his pitches. He has 202 strikeouts and 48 walks in 341 2/3 innings.

"I thought it (the four years) would go by really slow, but it has actually gone by really quick, because when you are in college you are always busy. There is very little down time," said Bauer. "I've enjoyed it, gotten a lot out of it. The experience has helped better my skills. Overall, I've matured a lot, grown in all aspects."

When asked to pick a career highlight, the co-captain recalled the 75-pitch complete game against The Citadel in the 2004 Rainbow Tournament.

"It is going to be a little sad, but I'm looking forward to what is after -- will I be able to play professionally or not. I'm kind of anxious about that," said Bauer, a Mid-Pacific graduate.

Bryant joined the program last year out of Feather River (Calif.) College, worked out of the bullpen early in the season, then joined the starting rotation. He made 13 starts and shared honors for most wins (eight) with Bauer.

"Hawaii is a good place to play ball. I couldn't ask for anything more. Maybe Saturday it will hit me," said Bryant. "I want to go play pro ball after I'm done here and do it for as long as I can. If not, I'll finish up school. I have 22 credits left.

When his baseball days are done, Bryant wants a career in law enforcement with the California Highway Patrol.

"I hate to think where we would be without Steve Bryant. He has been the most consistent guy for two years. He is very competitive on the mound," said Trapasso.

Bryant has been Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week three times this season and was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher in the Rainbow Baseball Tournament.

Kish, who transferred from Oklahoma, led the 'Bows with a .358 batting average in 2004. He started slow at the plate this year, then strained his right elbow making a throw back to the infield after crashing into the left-field wall in the series against Washington State.

"It was hard for him to swing. Then when the elbow started feeling better, he broke the ribs diving for a ball in the San Jose State series here," said Trapasso. "I don't think anyone could have handled it as well as he did. He stayed a leader and all the time you know it was tearing him up inside."

Kish, who will finish his degree in business management next year, said, "I remember last year when we played Rice. The stadium was full and we beat them on Friday and Saturday. Those were fun games to be a part of.

"I think it would be fun to be a general manager (of a pro baseball team) and I think I would be good at it. But, my focus now is to win some games this weekend.

Magana will earn his degree in art in December, then return home to Taylorsville, Utah, to become a fireman. He has been ready to play every infield position for four seasons. This year he settled in at third base, a reward for his hard work and the fact his batting average has improved every year.

"It has been awesome here for four years," said Magana. "I don't want to think about senior day or I'll get sad or upset."

Thurber transferred to UH last year from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, but did not have the season he expected, finishing with a .257 average. The right-handed hitter worked all summer with assistant coach Keith Komeiji to get away from being a dead pull hitter.

"I didn't live up to expectations and that was hard. I never had a bad year before, but I knew if I didn't make adjustments and hit to all fields, I wouldn't play. I had to wait my turn," said Thurber.

It still took time for Thurber to get back in the lineup this year. A slight labrum tear and shoulder impingement held him back early. Two cortisone shots have helped. When the time came, Thurber was ready.

He is hitting .304 overall, .319 in WAC games as UH's designated hitter.

"Nate didn't come in until January last year, didn't play during the summer and I think that hurt him. But, through it all, he has been a leader. When he wasn't playing very much this year he was a leader in the clubhouse for us. I give a lot of the credit for our turnaround to him," said Trapasso.

Despite the ups and downs, negative is not a word in Thurber's vocabulary.

"The atmosphere here is great. I think we have the best fans in the WAC. Coach Trapasso did everything he said he would do when he recruited me. He got my wife (Jeanine) and I settled in," said Thurber.

He plans to apply to the sheriff's academy in either Los Angles or San Bernardino after graduation next year. His goal is to be assigned to missing-persons cases.