Of all the analytics, charts and trends, Hawaii baseball coach Mike Trapasso said there is one belief that will never go out of style: A batted ball is better than a strikeout.
“When you put a ball in play, you have a better chance of positive results,” Trapasso said. “Unlike the analytics of Major League Baseball that says strikeouts aren’t a big deal, that’s not quite the case here for us with our team in this ballpark. I think you have a chance of things happening when you put the ball in play.”
In Les Murakami Stadium’s spacious outfield, where drives go to die in the cross winds, there have been 22 home runs in 1,838 plate appearances, or one every 83.5, this season.
It is why the Rainbow Warriors will piece together a contact-thinking lineup for the three-game series against UC Davis beginning tonight. Brennen Hancock will make his sixth consecutive start at designated hitter. Of the UH regulars, Hancock leads with a .447 on-base percentage, reaching on 10 hits, nine walks and two plunks in 36 plate appearances.
Hancock played in eight of the first 19 games before he was summoned to add punch to the DH role. “He’s the perfect example of what you preach to every team every year,” Trapasso said. “When you’re not playing well, you have to be engaged. You have to be ready for when that opportunity comes. This kid, every game he was not playing, he was on the top step (of the dugout) locked in on every pitch.”
At 6 feet 4 and 210 pounds, Hancock relies on a powerful stroke and a jeweler’s 20/10 vision. His build and swing mirrors leading hitter Alex Baeza’s. While watching streaming of a game, Martha Baeza mistook Hancock for her son.
“It was pretty funny,” Hancock said. “We get it a lot. It’s kind of a joke on the team.”
Hancock enters the box with the intent of “getting on base any way I can. A hit. A walk. A hit by pitch. I look for one spot, one pitch, depending on the pitcher. If I get it, I go. If I don’t, I let it go. If it’s two strikes, I can’t let him beat you. I take it personally.”
In 20 two-strike situations, Hancock has reached nine times on three hits, four walks, a hit batsman and a third-strike wild pitch.
Trapasso praised assistant coaches Mike Brown and Carl Fraticelli for instilling defiant at-bats.
“One of the things that was important for me coming into this year was having a good two-strike approach,” Trapasso said. “Coach Brown has done a good job instilling that philosophy in our guys. Put the ball in play.”
Catcher Dallas Duarte and left fielder Daylen Calicdan also have been successful in deep-count situations. Duarte has reached base 10 times in 35 two-strike counts while striking out five times. Calicdan has reached nine times while adding two sacrifice flies and striking out seven times in 39 two-strike situations.
For the eighth series in a row, the ’Bows will have a new all-right-handed pitching rotation. Freshman Aaron Davenport starts tonight, sophomore Cade Smith on Saturday, and junior Logan Pouelsen on Sunday.
With only one class today, Davenport said he has most of the day to prepare and visualize. “I prefer waking up early, getting after the day a little bit, getting my mind sharp,” Davenport said.
Smith makes his first start of the season after nine relief appearances. He is averaging 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings in the four games since switching from an over-the-top motion to three-quarter delivery.
“It was a real subtle adjustment of 3 or 4 inches, but it really helped with consistency,” Trapasso said.
The change increased the velocity of Smith’s fastball from 88-90 mph to 94 mph. “He’s able to throw the ball armside with more consistency rather than cutting it off,” Trapasso said. “There’s no question it helps with his secondary pitches. He’s now throwing three pitches (fastball, curve, changeup) for strikes.”
