Nate Klein's first order of business when he takes the mound tonight is pretty simple.

Do not have a repeat of last year.

“;I remember I walked the first hitter I faced on four pitches,”; Klein said about his UH debut a season ago. “;I'm hoping to improve on that.”;

The senior right-hander gets the start in Hawaii's season opener against nationally ranked Oregon State tonight at Les Murakami Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.

The Beavers, ranked as high as 10th in one of the five major polls, is one of three preseason Baseball America Top 25 teams that fill UH's nonconference schedule.

“;Oregon State, 10th-ranked team coming in here, this is the biggest game I've ever pitched in,”; said Klein, who made 10 starts as a junior, going 3-4 with a 5.10 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Klein assumed the role at the top of the rotation, as junior Sam Spangler fell behind in his preparation for the season with a tired arm. Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso is hopeful Spangler will start the finale of a four-game series Monday, but won't hesitate to use him sooner out of the bullpen if a game is on the line.

“;My main goal is to get him into the rotation and get his pitch count up,”; Trapasso said. “;Our goal is to start Sam and get him to go three or four innings on Monday, but if we need to go with him one of the first three games out of the bullpen to help us, we're not going to hesitate to do that.”;

Sophomore Matt Sisto, who ate up innings (82 1/3 ) as a freshman, will start tomorrow, followed by Josh Slaats on Sunday.

Slaats, a preseason All-WAC pick last year, struggled pitching out of the bullpen as a sophomore, finishing with an 8.33 ERA in just 18 innings.

The 6-foot-5 junior spent the offseason working on his mechanics, including adding a third pitch to his repertoire that helped his case to jump into the starting rotation.

“;He hasn't reached the potential we thought he would to this point in his first two years,”; Trapasso said. “;He's a three-pitch guy now with fastball command and we think he has the ability to be a starter.

“;Now what he does with that opportunity is up to Josh.”;

With UH's rotation full of guys in new roles, the Beavers come to town with one of the deepest staffs in the country.

OSU returns 10 pitchers, including junior Tyler Waldron (6-4, 4.15 ERA, 70 K's last year) who will start tonight. Lefty Tanner Robles (1-3, 4.75 ERA) and Greg Peavey (4-3, 5.74) will start the weekend games, with Monday's starter yet to be determined.

Sophomore Sam Gaviglio, a freshman All-American, is OSU's top returning pitcher after a 10-1 season last year, but may not pitch this weekend.

The Beavers finished 37-19 in 2009 and advanced to the Fort Worth regional final.

“;They're a team capable of going back to Omaha,”; Trapasso said. “;We won't see a pitching staff this deep the rest of the year as far as quality arms they continue to throw at you.

“;They'll be flashing some high radar-gun numbers.”;

Wong named to watch list

Sophomore second baseman Kolten Wong was one of 50 college baseball players named to the 2010 Golden Spikes Award watch list.

The award is given to the national player of the year by USA Baseball.

Wong hit .341 as a freshman, with 11 home runs, 21 doubles, 46 runs scored, 52 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He earned Western Athletic Conference freshman of the year and first-team honors and was named a freshman All-American by five different publications.

Past winners of the award include Will Clark (1985), Robin Ventura (1988) and Tim Lincecum (2006).