Whether they’ve been part of the Hawaii softball program for four years or just the past few months, it’s the time they have left that matters most to the Rainbow Wahine seniors.

Melissa Gonzalez, Jasey Jensen and Jenna Rodriguez play their final series at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium this weekend against New Mexico State with an eye on the possibilities still ahead.

"This series is definitely important for us as a team. It is the last time I’ll be playing in this stadium, but I’m not looking at it like that right now," Rodriguez said. "There’s more on my plate than that."

Hawaii (30-16, 8-7 Western Athletic Conference) closes the home schedule against first-place NMSU (37-12, 14-1) with a single game today at 6 p.m. and a 4 p.m. doubleheader tomorrow, which will be followed by the traditional senior sendoff.

The Wahine trail the Aggies — who bring the WAC’s top offense and a school-record 10-game winning streak to town — by six games with six games left in the regular season, their hopes of defending the WAC regular-season title fading.

One more win would secure their place in the WAC tournament, and the Wahine are working to recapture the field presence that defined last year’s postseason run and a strong start to this season.

"In the beginning of the season we were playing the Stanfords and Oregons and we were playing really great games," Gonzalez said. "When the challenge is so great like that I think our team is really good at rising to it and I hope we play up to that."

Gonzalez, the team’s lone fourth-year player, is the senior member of a senior class that didn’t enter the program together but is hoping to make one more postseason push before leaving.

Gonzalez saw sporadic playing time in various roles her first two years before finding a home at third base last year. She’s started all 112 games there since and was named an NFCA first-team All-American as a junior, when she hit .394 with 25 homers.

"First coming here, it kind of breaks you down because you’re always the best when you’re being recruited and then you come here and everyone’s just as good if not better," Gonzalez said. "As a freshman, I kind of got broken down a little bit and each year I’ve gotten more confident. More confident in my skills, in my teammates, in everything around me."

Rodriguez transferred to UH following a decorated two years at Yavapai Community College, and was nudged toward Manoa by Wahine junior Alex Aguirre, a teammate on the California Rage Gold under-18 team.

"She would tell me all the experiences she had and it just sounded like so much fun I definitely wanted to be a part of that," Rodriguez said.

She stepped right into the starting lineup as a junior and provided an iconic moment in the program’s history with her walk-off homer against Alabama in last year’s Super Regional that led the Wahine to the softball world series.

Primarily a designated player last year, Rodriguez solidified her role in right field this season and has seen more time as a relief pitcher in WAC play.

"That was my main focus," she said, "to not only just be one type of player. I wanted to be all sorts of types to help the team succeed."

Jensen has also provided versatility in the outfield and at second base in her lone season with the Wahine after giving up a full scholarship and a captain’s role at Utah to join the program as a walk-on.

Along the way, she’s rediscovered a passion for softball that went missing last year.

"I really felt strongly that while I could play I might as well play somewhere where I’ll love the game and have fun," Jensen said. "If I wasn’t having fun it wasn’t worth it to me to end softball disliking the game. It was a huge risk, but after I made it, it’s been the greatest decision so far."

While Gonzalez and Rodriguez have witnessed the emotion of senior night, Jensen said she doesn’t know quite what to expect after the home finale.

"But I hear it’s awesome."