This week’s spin of the rotation has landed on right-hander Andy Archer as the University of Hawaii baseball team’s starting pitcher for Friday’s road game against Long Beach State.

This will be the second week in a row the Georgia Tech transfer will be on the mound for a series opener. A week ago, Archer started a non-conference game against Rutgers at Les Murakami Stadium.

“Rich Hill made it clear it’s like a floating entity,” Archer said of the Rainbow Warriors’ first-year head coach. “The plan is for me to take the ball on Friday night. What I plan personally is not to lose that spot.”

Cade Halemanu, a fourth-year junior, entered the season as the ’Bows’ ace. Halemanu struggled in his first two starts, allowing seven runs in nine innings while striking out 12. His third start was pushed back to the fourth game of the Vanderbilt series because of a blister on his right (pitching) hand. Halemanu allowed one earned run in 5.1 innings against then-fifth ranked Vanderbilt. Last week, starting the second game of the series against Rutgers, Halemanu was torched for eight runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Hill said there is nothing physically wrong with Halemanu. Hill said Halemanu projects as a back-end pitcher, perhaps a closer, in pro ball. Hill said a preferred scenario would be for Halemanu to close on Friday, then come back as a starter in second or third game of the three-game series to open Big West play.

“There are a lot of options that we have with him,” Hill said of Halemanu. “I think at the next level he really projects as a bullpen arm. His stuff could really play up out of the bullpen.”

Hill said Tai Atkins and Koali‘i Pontes could fill the bridge innings leading to Halemanu on Friday. “And then bring back Cade on a Sunday and start and go five,” Hill said. “He’s got that kind of arm. If Cade doesn’t close on a Friday, he could start Saturday. Or once he becomes the closer, he could close all weekend.”

This season, an opposing team’s first five batters are hitting .250 against Halemanu. The second and third time, opponents are hitting .324.

Halemanu’s best pitches are a fastball that tops at 97 mph and a change-up.

During the pre-conference schedule, the UH pitchers worked on building arm strength and accruing innings. Archer, who is 0-2 with 6.75 ERA, has not pitched past the fifth inning in four UH starts. “I just want to take the ball every Friday night and empty the tank,” Archer said. “For me, the worst thing is to come back in the dugout and be done and still have gas left in the tank.”

Archer indicated he embraces the Friday role of setting the tone for the series.

“For the hitters to see a guy take the rock, come out with a ton of energy, throw a zero, I think that goes a long way,” Archer said.

In his first two starts, Archer threw strikes on 47.4% of his first pitches. The last two starts, his first-strike percentage was 57.9%.