The main event is up first when the Big West’s baseball leaders face off in a four-game series at Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark in Irvine, Calif.

UC Irvine (4-0 in league games) and Hawaii (3-1) are opening today with two of the Big West’s top pitchers. UCI’s Trenton Denholm was voted the league’s preseason pitcher of the year. This season, Denholm is 1-1 with a 3.48 ERA. A week ago, Denholm allowed one run in six innings against UC Davis.

The Rainbow Warriors have won nine in a row when Aaron Davenport starts. This year, Davenport is 1-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. He averages 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

UH coach Mike Trapasso downplayed the hype of the second weekend of the Big West schedule.

“It’s too early to put any kind of title on the weekend other than two teams who have a chance to be pretty good battling each other,” Trapasso said. The Anteaters are “so well coached. Ben (Orloff, UCI’s coach) does such a good job. They’re a veteran club, like most of the clubs in our league because of everyone getting their players back (in a COVID year). Their pitching is strong. Their lineup is strong.”

For the Anteaters, it begins with Denholm, who relies on a sinking 92 mph fastball, a 12-6 curveball, and a changeup. Denholm has thrown strikes on 68.7% of his pitches.

“Starts right out of the gate with their Friday guy being what many tab as the top pitcher in our conference,” Trapasso said. “He has power coming at you with good stuff.”

In turn, Davenport has dazzled with a 92 mph fastball, high-spin-rate curveball and a changeup honed the past two years. “He came in with an elite curveball,” Trapasso said. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

But as a freshman in 2019, Davenport knew he needed to develop a changeup to avoid being a one-pitch pitcher if his curveball was off the mark. In his final start of 2019, Davenport upped his changeup count. “I realized this could be good for the arsenal,” Davenport acknowledged.

Davenport pitched off a flat surface to focus on the changeup’s grip and arm slot. He also worked to throw each pitch with the same motion. “It was that commitment he made that fall (of 2019) to focus on the changeup and make that a weapon,” Trapasso said. “It’s truly a plus changeup now, and it’s what puts him over the hump to be an elite guy. He has three pitches he can throw at any time and any count. We’ve thrown 3-2 curveballs, 3-2 changeups, 3-2 fastballs.”

Davenport has held opposing hitters to .189 with runners on base and .233 in two-out situations.

Davenport also become a stare master, figuring out the difference between intensity and emotion. “In baseball, emotion can be the enemy and just get in the way of improvements,” Trapasso said. “Intensity is the laser focus pitch-for-pitch. AD has been really impressive with his maturity and poise on the mound the past couple years.”

Davenport said: “I would say I’m a very intense pitcher when I’m on the mound. I try to keep emotions aside. Pretty much how I interpret that and what (Trapasso) means is when someone looks at me and I’m on the mound, they shouldn’t be able to tell if I have a perfect game going or I let in three runs. I try to stay right there and keep an even head throughout the game. I’ve never been an emotional player. I’ve been taught to keep that inside and not let it show. I’m pretty consistently emotionless.”