There exists a chart in the locker room of the Hawaii softball team displaying circles representing each win for the 2019 season. The objective was for 40 slots to be covered with a softball and crossed bats right around this time of the year.
UH, which has enjoyed its finest season since 2013, stands at 32 wins entering its final series of the season, which opens today against UC Davis.
“My wife (Nanci) put that together for them as a goal-setter, goal chart,” UH coach Bob Coolen said. “We’ll end up however many games short, but if we get the automatic (berth to the NCAAs), it’ll be all worth it. If we don’t get the automatic, I’ll fight again for (a) tournament in the Big West and we’ll try to get it sometime down the road.”
The Big West’s automatic berth in softball still goes to the regular-season champion. Second-place UH (13-5 Big West) is mathematically in the hunt but needs to sweep Davis (37-13, 11-7) and have first-place Cal State Fullerton (35-16, 15-3) lose out at sixth-place UC Riverside.
In other words, not great odds.
Hawaii’s seven outgoing seniors will be among those trying to do their part to keep hope alive with today’s doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.
“My goal was always to make it to postseason, and if we fall short, we fall short,” third baseman Nicole Lopez said. “But I enjoyed every second of this year, and I’m happy this was my senior year because this team is super special. We had something that we’ve never had in the past (three) years that I’ve been here. So I’m happy to end it with this team.”
UH was 23-27 in 2018, 29-23 in 2017, and 24-30 in 2016. It was apparent from the preseason there was a purpose that separated this group.
Sixth-year senior Brittany Hitchcock put together her finest campaign coming off an injury-shortened 2018 and had two offensive juggernauts at the corners (Lopez at third and Callee Heen at first) to back her up.
Hitchcock (19-7, 1.75 ERA) can become the program’s first 20-game winner since Kaia Parnaby captured a UH-record 39 in 2013. She is No. 4 in Rainbow Wahine career strikeouts with 494 and also fourth in wins at 66.
“We had some big games that didn’t go our way, but overall I was just able to enjoy this year,” said Hitchcock, who has 20 complete games this season, including six shutouts. “The results kind of fell into place and it’s nice that both parts got to go together, in terms of enjoying all aspects of the game, and actually getting all the wins and being up there at the top to have a chance to bring home a Big West title, which was our goal the whole time.”
UH has dropped only one Big West series, a sweep at Fullerton, but that was impactful as the Titans own the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Wahine prevailed against Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge, two other teams that had given them fits.
A big reason was Lopez, who has started 202 straight games at third and leads the team in a host of offensive categories, including runs (43), hits (57), doubles (12) and stolen bases (6-for-6). Her .365 batting average and 12 home runs are second to junior Heen (.373, 14).
“I’d say just our chemistry, and our ability to play as a team,” Lopez said of the factor that was previously missing. “To just stick together. We have so much love for each other.”
Among the seniors are two sets of former high school teammates in outfielder Jennifer Iseri and catcher Heather Cameron (Cerritos High in Southern California) and Lopez and utility player Jenna Kumabe (Mid-Pacific Institute).
“We’ve known each other since we were 7, and pretty much have played with each other ever since,” Iseri said of Cameron. “To be able to experience this journey with her is something that is unmatched, and something that we never thought we’d have the opportunity to do. … It was awesome having a piece of home here with me.”
The other seniors are Alyssa Sojka, a junior college transfer who’s been productive batting third, and reserve first baseman Carly Pina.
The unusual schedule this week came at the behest of the Big West, Coolen said. It reversed the original schedule of a doubleheader on Friday, and pushed back the start times. Senior ceremonies will be held after Friday’s 7 p.m. game.
HAWAII SOFTBALL FINAL SERIES
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
>> Who: UC Davis (37-13, 11-7 Big West) at UH (32-14, 13-5)
>> When: Today (5 p.m., 7 p.m.) and Friday (7 p.m.)
>> TV: Spectrum Sports
>> Radio: 1500-AM Thursday; 420-AM Friday
