Hawaii left-hander Quintin Torres-Costa will have Tommy John surgery on his left elbow and will likely miss all of the 2014 season.
Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said the decision to have the surgery was made this week after an MRI came back showing no improvement in a partial ligament tear he suffered two months ago.
Torres-Costa elected to rehabilitate the injury and was throwing "well" according to Trapasso, but continued to feel pain in the elbow.
RAINBOWS BASEBALL
» Who: Hawaii (11-31, 6-12 Big West) at Long Beach State (22-24, 9-9)
» Where: Blair Field, Long Beach, Calif.
» When: Today, 3 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.
» TV: None
» Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
Probable starters
» UH: RHP Connor Little (1-5, 4.14 ERA); RHP Corey MacDonald (5-5, 4.02 ERA); RHP Matt Cooper (2-6, 3.34)
» LBSU: RHP Shane Carle (2-8, 3.50); LHP Jake Stassi (4-2, 2.47); TBA
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Recovery time from the surgery is roughly a year, putting next season in doubt.
"He could have kept throwing and trying to pitch through it, but it was only a matter of when, not if, that the tear would go from partial to complete," Trapasso said. "He’ll get it fixed and come back 100 percent but we’re looking now at him basically missing all of next season."
Torres-Costa, the reigning high school state pitcher of the year out of Waiakea, threw twice for UH this season.
He was the first player under Trapasso to hit while starting a game on the mound and was hit by a pitch and singled in his three at-bats.
The injury occurred during batting practice in Las Vegas on UH’s first road trip of the season.
He is eligible to redshirt this year and can earn an extra medical hardship year if he sits out all of next season, as well.
Torres-Costa will be the second UH pitcher to undergo the same procedure this season. Junior Andrew Jones tore a ligament in his elbow in his first-ever outing for the Rainbows in the season-opening series against Oregon.
Hawaii lost returning junior Jarrett Arakawa for the season after he had shoulder surgery earlier this year. UH is also without Scott Squier, who was suspended indefinitely last week for violating team rules.
The Rainbows took 24 out of a maximum 27 allowed on their current road trip.
Backup catcher Tyler Young, who last played 13 days ago against Cal State Fullerton, has been dealing with an arm injury on the trip and has struggled throwing the ball. He will have an MRI done when the team returns home next week and "is probably out" this weekend, Trapasso said.
Despite all of that, UH beat Pacific twice last weekend and can win consecutive series for the first time all year with at least two victories at Long Beach State.
The pitching matchups favor the Dirtbags (22-24, 9-9), who are 17-13 against right-handed starters but only 5-11 against southpaws.
Hawaii (11-31, 6-12) will trot out three right-handers and has only two available lefties among the nine pitchers it took on the road with it.
The Rainbows will ride the arms of Connor Little, Corey MacDonald and Matt Cooper for the final nine games of the season as UH tries to avoid its lowest win total in 39 years.
Hawaii needs to go 5-4 to finish with at least 16 wins, matching the 16-40 record in Trapasso’s first season in 2002.
Long Beach State is coming off three straight losses to Cal State Fullerton last weekend but has an RPI of 71 despite a losing record.
Shortstop Jeff McNeil is one of two LBSU starters hitting over .300, leading the team with a .344 average, 63 hits and 14 doubles.
"They stumbled last weekend against Fullerton, but very good teams will stumble against Fullerton," Trapasso said. "They’ve been playing pretty well in conference, have good pitching and have been pretty good at home."
Hawaii and Long Beach State have played two of the five toughest schedules in the country according to boydsworld.com.
