In Saturday’s dress rehearsal, the University of Hawaii baseball team was dressed to thrill.

The ’Bows dominated all phases in routing the alumni 19-0 at Les Murakami Stadium.

Freshmen Cory Ronan, Harry Gustin and Ben Whipple combined on a no-hitter in a game that was called after 61⁄2 innings. The ’Bows also pounded out 15 hits and used their pressure-brewing quickness to create scoring opportunities in a prelude to the Feb. 18 season opener against Washington State.

Rich Hill, making his debut as UH head coach, said the exhibition helped the ’Bows connect with their past. Hill, a self-styled “uniform snob,” also was able to break out the all-white uniforms that will be part of the ’Bows’ revolving ensemble. “Those looked pretty cool,” said Hill, who will incorporate kelly green and orange into uniform combinations. The ’Bows’ retro look also will feature gritty pitching and a small-ball offense.

“The personnel we have really matches that style of game,” Hill said.

With Cade Halemanu and Andy Archer locked at the front of the pitching rotation, Hill wanted to give the three freshmen their first opportunity in a college-game setting. “They all showed poise beyond their years,” Hill said.

Ronan allowed one walk in three innings. Gustin stuck out five in 22⁄3 innings, including fanning Kalei Hanawahine on 10 pitches, and induced a double-play grounder. “That’s what this environment is for,” Hill said of Gustin’s problem-solving pitches. “It’s about responding to adversity, responding to a bad call. And maybe when you don’t have your stuff, what’s it going to be like?”

Whipple, the 6-foot-5 grandson of basketball Hall of Famer Dan Issel, got the final four outs. “That’s a lot of arms and legs coming at you,” Hill said of Whipple’s elongated motion. “He’s a very good athlete for a big guy. You can see his competitiveness come through.”

Matt Sisto, who pitched for UH from 2009 through 2012, matched Ronan with his own 1-2-3 first inning. “I felt really good because I had the adrenaline rush,” Sisto said. “The second inning, my shoulder was killing me. I wanted to get through it.”

The ’Bows were able to unwrap their small-ball approach in the second. Stone Miyao grounded a single up the middle, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Matt Wong’s sacrifice fly.

Then in the third against left-hander Sam Spangler, a KHON anchor/reporter and former UH pitcher, the ’Bows filled the bases on two singles and a walk. Hill, who was coaching at third, encouraged base-runners Aaron Ujimori and Matt Aribal to expand their leads off third and second. Scotty Scott bunted toward the mound. By the time Spangler fielded the ball, Ujimori scored and Aribal had rounded third. Spangler’s throw sailed wide of the first baseman. But even if that throw had been on the mark, Aribal would have scored.

“We work on that,” Aribal said of the 180-foot sprint from second to home. “We take pride in that. It’s good to see it work out.”

Hill said: “Mike Gillespie, whom I consider to be the best game coach in college baseball history, was my mentor. He did that play to us twice in one inning. I really believe in putting pressure on a defense and making ’em play fast-catch.”

The ’Bows had four sacrifice flies, including two by center fielder Cole Cabrera, advanced bases on three deep flyouts, and scored six runs on wild pitches, passed balls and errors.

“The players have bought in,” Hill said. “They really seem to enjoy working on the short game, running the bases smart and aggressively, and being opportunistic on defense. We got some ground-rule doubles in there and some extra-base hits. I’m really happy with the way we advanced the ball in the dirt, took the extra base, and, obviously, the pitching.”

Cabrera, a Punahou graduate who transferred from Cal Poly last summer, made a running catch as part of the restructured outfield. “He made it look really easy,” Hill said.

Cabrera indicated it was surreal to play his first UH game against the alumni.

“That was the dream,” Cabrera said. “First kind of game playing for Hawaii, with ‘Hawaii’ across my chest, that was awesome. … Growing up, I had my seats at AA in the second deck every single game. Being able to watch players I grew up watching on the alumni, it’s come full circle. It’s pretty cool.”

In turn, Spangler marveled about this year’s ’Bows.

“They play small-ball really well,” Spangler said. “They’re athletic. It’s tough for us old guys to keep up with that kind of stuff. … They’re obviously better than we are, but they’re really good. Not only speed, they’re powerful, too. The pitchers throw hard. They had some nice pop with the bats. I’m excited for them.”