UH's hopes hitched to lefty Harrington
If Hawaii hopes to go far in the Western Athletic Conference tournament, the Rainbows need a quality start tomorrow from Ian Harrington, UH coach Mike Trapasso said.
The senior left-hander has suffered from inconsistency this year, but has enjoyed some outstanding outings and has twice earned WAC Pitcher of the Week honors.
Hawaii plays host Nevada tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Peccole Park in Reno, and Harrington will face off against a familiar foe -- Wolf Pack ace Ryan Rodriguez. Harrington and Rodriguez have met twice this season, with the teams splitting the games.
"He's just a good pitcher," Trapasso said of Rodriguez. "He's fastball, slider, change and on any give night has command of all three."
Statistically, Ian Harrington is not Hawaii's best pitcher. The senior left-hander is 7-7 with a 4.44 ERA.
But Harrington can be very good, and that's what Rainbows coach Mike Trapasso is counting on as UH opens play tomorrow in the Western Athletic Conference tournament in Reno, Nev. Harrington gets the start against host Nevada and Wolf Pack ace Ryan Rodriguez -- the third time they are matched up this year, with each team winning once previously.
"He had an up-and-down year," Trapasso said. "I told our staff our success relies heavily on one guy doing well: Ian. If he gives us a quality start in the first game, that helps. That first one is huge. If you have to go to the bullpen early, you're really fighting an uphill battle."
Harrington allowed eight hits and four runs in 2 2/3 innings in UH's 7-5 loss to Fresno State on Saturday. Trapasso hadn't planned on leaving him in too long, anyway, since he knew he would start him tomorrow. But Harrington made the decision to pull him easy.
His previous start was also a 7-5 loss, this one to Nevada and Rodriguez on May 12. He yielded 13 hits and six runs in five innings. Harrington fared a little better against Rodriguez and the Pack on March 23 (three runs, seven hits in 5 2/3 for a no-decision), when Evan Zimny gave UH a 5-3 win with a walk-off homer.
Harrington has pitched some excellent games, earning WAC Pitcher of the Week honors twice. He went the distance to beat heavy-hitting Louisiana Tech 5-2 on April 22.
"From a personal standpoint, it's been a bit of a roller-coaster season," Harrington said. "I've struggled with consistency week to week. Sometimes that's just baseball. You just have to throw your best pitch and hope the batter doesn't do anything with it."
Harrington was very consistent during UH's drive to the NCAA Regionals last year. He went 9-3 with a 3.99 ERA. He entered 2007 as the WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
Like the rest of the Rainbows, Harrington hopes to feed off of UH's season-ending series win over Fresno State, as Hawaii beat the Bulldogs 7-6 and 1-0 on Sunday and Monday.
"Obviously, it's a good thing that we've got momentum after beating the No. 1 team in the conference. We have a lot of guys believing in what we can do," he said.
Trapasso said reliever Tyler Davis' good outing Monday is a positive sign.
"He'd struggled the last month and it's no coincidence we struggled as a team," said Trapasso, who saw his team go 11-13 in the WAC. "I don't know how much (momentum) helps. It can't hurt to have won a series against Fresno State. They basically ran away with the league. Hopefully, we get hot now for four games."
If UH gets past Nevada, the Rainbows could have a distinct advantage with their pitching depth. And the Rainbows may have another arm to go to, as left-hander Nick Rhodes went 6 1/3 shutout innings Sunday and Monday to earn a save and a win.
"To win a tournament like this, you have to have somebody step up," Trapasso said.
HIT AND RUN:
Freshman left-hander Cory Kahn is making the trip instead of junior right-hander Craig Johnson, who is out with an undisclosed illness. Kahn made just one appearance this season, striking out two and walking one, while giving up a hit in two scoreless innings of relief. ... The Rainbows were scheduled to arrive in Reno last night and practice today at 12:15 p.m. Pacific time.
WAC TOURNAMENT CAPSULES
Here's a capsule look at the teams in the Western Athletic Conference baseball tournament, listed in order of seeding. All games are at Peccole Park in Reno, Nev. The double-elimination tournament runs through Sunday, and the winner earns the WAC's berth in the NCAA Regionals.
1. Fresno State Bulldogs
Record: 32-27, 17-7 WAC
Last 10: 6-4
Against Hawaii: 3-3
Coach: Mike Batesole
Key players: 2B Erik Wetzel (.353, 50 R), OF Steve Susdorf (.353, 11 HR, 63 RBI, .567 SPCT), OF Loren Storey (.330, 19 SB), P Justin Wilson (7-5, 3.20), P Clayton Allison (9-4, 4.45), P Jason Breckley (3-1, 4.18, 6 SV).
Tomorrow's game: Sacramento State, 8 a.m.
Notable: Fresno State is the defending tournament champion, beating Hawaii in the final last year.
2. Nevada Wolf Pack
Record: 32-24, 15-9
Last 10: 6-4
Against Hawaii: 4-2
Coach: Gary Powers
Key players: 1B Shaun Kort (.398, 80 H, 47 RBI), OF Terry Walsh (.374), C Konrad Schmidt (.364 8 HR, 46 RBI), P Jarad Mitchell (1-0, 1.76), P Ryan Rodriguez (8-6, 3.59, 99 K), P Kyle Howe (4-3, 4.87)
Notable: Nevada was the WAC's hottest team heading into the last week of the season, but lost two of three at San Jose State. Wolf Pack is 21-6 at home.
Tomorrow's game: Hawaii, 4 p.m.
3. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Record: 35-22, 14-10
Last 10: 5-5
Against Hawaii: 1-2
Coach: Wade Simoneaux
Key players: SS Dennis Winn (.354, 8 HR), OF/P Brian Rike (.354, 20 HR, 65 RBI, 74 R .722 SPCT., 16-17 SB), OF/P Brandon Hudson (.350), 1B Albie Goulder (.327, 14 HR, 51 RBI), 3B Courtney Jones (.327, 10 HR), 3B Drew Bunting (.407 in 108 AB), P Dylan Moseley (7-4, 4.07), P Luke Burnett (5-7, 4.41)
Notable: LaTech possesses the most gifted collection of sluggers in the league, but pitching is suspect.
Tomorrow's game: San Jose State, 11 a.m.
4. San Jose State Spartans
Record: 32-24, 11-13
Last 10: 5-5
Against Hawaii: 2-1
Coach: Sam Piraro
Key players: OF Donato Giovanatto (.358, 6 HR, 54 RBI), OF Chris Balatico (.357), SS Kyle Bellows (.339, 44 RBI).
Notable: The Spartans have won five of their last six, with 10 or more runs in three of the wins and at least six in all.
Tomorrow's game: Louisiana Tech, 11 a.m.
5. Hawaii Rainbows
Record: 33-23, 11-13
Last 10: 5-5
Coach: Mike Trapasso
Top players: 1B Kris Sanchez (.364, 23 2B, 10 HR, 63 RBI), 3B Justin Frash (.357, 47 BB, .484 OBP), 2B Jon Hee (.337), P Matt Daly, (5-2, 3.09, 78 K in 70 IP), P Mark Rodrigues (9-3, 3.41, 10 BB in 95 IP), P Tyler Davis (6-2, 3.89, 4 SV).
Outlook: The Rainbows were preseason co-favorites to win the WAC, but underachieved during the conference season until taking the season-ending series against Fresno State.
Tomorrow's game: Nevada, 4 p.m.
6. Sacramento State Hornets
Record: 17-38, 10-14
Last 10: 4-6
Against Hawaii: 1-2
Coach: John Smith
Top players: 3B Gabe Jacobo (.358, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 10-11 SB), OF Montana Dye (.317, 8 HR), OF Ryan Blair (.315, 18-22 SB), P Tyler Axelrod (1-2, 4.26), P Alvaro Orozco (5-5, 4.68), Mick Joyce (4-6, 5.55)
Notable: The Hornets started WAC play early in the season, and took series on the road at LaTech and New Mexico State, but couldn't keep up the momentum.
Tomorrow's game: Fresno State, 8 a.m.