Rainbows receive NCAA bid

Hawaii faces Kansas in Corvallis, Ore., in the first round of the 64-team national tournament

SAN JOSE, Calif. » "It took us long enough," said a grinning Hawaii baseball coach Mike Trapasso.

For Trapasso, it took until his sixth season for the Rainbows to make the NCAA tournament. It's been even longer for Hawaii, which is making its 12th trip, but first since 1993.

The Rainbows, who watched ESPN's "The Road to Omaha" selection show at the Hukilau restaurant yesterday, reacted predictably with a unanimous cheer when "Hawaii" appeared on the television screen as being in the regional at Corvallis, Ore.

Prior to that, though, the UH players and coaches waited and waited. Little was said as the two regionals in Southern California were posted with no UH. The team did not find out it had received an at-large berth in the 64-team field until the 15th regional (out of 16) was announced.

The Rainbows (43-15) are the No. 3 seed in the regional and play second-seeded Kansas in a first-round game of the double-elimination regional Friday. The first pitch is scheduled for 9 a.m. Hawaii time.

The Jayhawks (43-23) finished fifth in the Big 12, but won the postseason tournament, upsetting Nebraska 9-7 in the title game.

Host team and top-seeded Oregon State (38-14), the Pac-10 champ with a 15-7 record, plays fourth-seeded Wright State in the other first-round game at 2 p.m. Hawaii time.

The Raiders (32-25, 17-13) finished third in the Horizon Conference, but were 4-0 in the postseason tournament, defeating Butler in the championship game to earn the automatic NCAA berth.

"That was nerve-wracking," said senior outfielder Matt Inouye, taking deep breaths standing on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. "I didn't want to get my hopes up because I knew it was possible we couldn't get in. It was emotional to see our name on the screen.

"This is probably the biggest moment of relief I've had in the last 10 years."

Reactions did differ among the players.

"I was 99 percent sure we would get in," said Adam Roberts, a senior third baseman and designated hitter.

Robbie Wilder, the senior leadoff hitter, said, "It feels great. It should be really fun. We worked hard all year and we are deserving. I'm happy for the rest of the guys."

"Postseason is always a good thing and this is a chance to see a new state," senior left-hander Mark Rodrigues said.

Even Trapasso said he has never been to Corvallis.

Junior reliever Darrell Fisherbaugh, who didn't have his good stuff in the Western Athletic Conference championship game, said, "I think we're ready. I got what I needed to get out of my system in that game, so I'll be ready.

"I was very confident we would get a berth. I just didn't know where."

The regional will be held in Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. The seating capacity is listed at 2,000. The dimensions are 330 feet down both foul lines and 400 feet to center.

The Rainbows were scheduled to practice here today. Tomorrow, the team will fly to Portland, Ore., then bus to Corvallis, where they will practice tomorrow and Thursday.

Winners of 15 games in a row, WAC champion Fresno State was sent to the regional hosted by Cal State Fullerton. The Bulldogs play the San Diego Toreros, the third-place finisher in the West Coast Conference, in the first round.

Keoni Ruth (Kamehameha) is the Toreros' second baseman.