After detailed planning and adherence to safety protocol, the University of Hawaii baseball team has announced a 51-game schedule.
The Rainbow Warriors will open with a three-game road series against traditional power Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. The series begins with a single game on Feb. 26 followed by a doubleheader the next day.
The ’Bows will play Hawaii Pacific and Hawaii Hilo in addition to a full Big West schedule.
In the ‘Bows’ first eight seasons of Big West membership, each league series was three games. This year, the Big West has set each weekend series at four games, with nine-inning doubleheaders on Saturdays.
“With all that’s transpired over the past year, the opportunity to get back on the field and play baseball is truly a blessing,” head coach Mike Trapasso said in a news release. “The pandemic obviously affected our non-conference schedule this season, but we’re excited to open up at Arizona State, one of college baseball’s premier programs.”
Trapasso, who is entering his 20th season as UH head coach, has scheduled road games against top teams in recent years. In 2014, the ’Bows played at Texas. Last year, the ’Bows went to Nashville, Tenn., to face then-No. 2 Vanderbilt. The ’Bows were scheduled to play host to Michigan this year. The Wolverines finished second to Vanderbilt in the 2019 College World Series. But that series, as well as others against power-five programs, was scratched because of the pandemic.
But the ’Bows were able to craft a full schedule, thanks to school administrators and Big West officials. UH leaders gave their blessing to the ’Bows traveling to ASU to open the season.
“As strange as this season has been in putting the schedule together, it’s kind of cool we’re able to stick to our m.o. of trying to challenge ourselves in the nonconference with some of the best teams in the country,” Trapasso said in a telephone interview. “Arizona State definitely fits that bill.”
The ’Bows also benefited from the fourth game added to each Big West series. What’s more, Cal State Bakersfield and UC San Diego have joined the league this year.
Of the 51-game schedule, Trapasso said, “there have been years when we played the full season and it was 51 games.”
The ’Bows return their top three starting pitchers — Logan Pouelsen, Aaron Davenport and Brandon Ross — and their entire starting lineup. Third baseman Dustin Demeter, first baseman Alex Baeza and outfielder Adam Fogel would have been selected as juniors if the 2020 Major League Baseball draft had remained at 40 rounds. But it was abbreviated because of the pandemic, and the three are all back.
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2021 UH baseball schedule
Feb. 26 — At Arizona State
Feb. 27 — At Arizona State (doubleheader)
March 4 — Hawaii Pacific
March 5 — Hawaii Pacific
March 6 — Hawaii Pacific
March 7 — Hawaii Pacific
March 12 — Hawaii Hilo
March 13 — Hawaii Hilo (doubleheader)
March 14 — Hawaii Hilo
March 19 — Long Beach State
March 20 — Long Beach State (doubleheader)
March 21 — Long Beach State
March 26 — At UC Irvine
March 27 — At UC Irvine (doubleheader)
March 28 — At UC Irvine
April 2 — UC Santa Barbara
April 3 — UC Santa Barbara (doubleheader)
April 4 — UC Santa Barbara
April 9 — At UC Riverside
April 10 — At UC Riverside (doubleheader)
April 11 — At UC Riverside
April 16 — Cal State Bakersfield
April 17 — Cal State Bakersfield (doubleheader)
April 18 — Cal State Bakersfield
April 23 — UC Davis
April 24 — UC Davis (doubleheader)
April 25 — UC Davis
April 30 — At Cal State Fullerton
May 1 — At Cal State Fullerton (doubleheader)
May 2 — At Cal State Fullerton
May 14 — At Cal State Northridge
May 15 — At Cal State Northridge (doubleheader)
May 16 — At Cal State Northridge
May 21 — UC San Diego
May 22 — UC San Diego (doubleheader)
May 23 — UC San Diego
May 28 — At Cal Poly
May 29 — At Cal Poly (doubleheader)
May 30 — At Cal Poly
