Opening his 12th season as the Hawaii head baseball coach, Mike Trapasso is sure of one thing:
No matter how much practice time he gets before the Rainbows’ Feb. 15 regular-season opener against Oregon, he won’t know the exact makeup of his squad until the lights are turned on, the seats have been filled, and the season is under way.
"This place does things to some guys," Trapasso said, motioning toward the 4,312-seat Les Murakami Stadium, where the Rainbows held their first practice of the spring on Monday. "When you come out on February 15th and there’s 4,000 people and there’s a great atmosphere and it’s loud, unfortunately some guys will be intimated by that and play different than they do in the fall or spring practices.
"But you’re also going to find the other end of that where some guys feed off that energy and give you more than they were in the fall or spring."
The Rainbows welcomed 16 newcomers to a team that last year won 30 games for the eighth time in Trapasso’s 11 seasons.
Much has changed since the Rainbows walked off the Hohokam Stadium field in Mesa, Ariz., last May after losing both games in their final Western Athletic Conference tournament.
For one, Hawaii will make its debut in the Big West Conference, which is as strong in baseball as any other sport.
The ‘Bows will also have to replace 15 letterwinners, including four starting position players, and remake a pitching staff dealt a big blow to start the year.
Junior left-hander Jarrett Arakawa, 12-10 with a 3.61 ERA and 28 career starts, won’t be ready to pitch by the season opener.
He experienced pain in his shoulder following a stint last summer in the Cape Cod League and was shut down for the fall.
He tried to throw once in December but still felt discomfort and will attempt to give it a go again this week. But even if he’s pain free, he’s still a month behind the rest of the team in building his arm up for the long season.
"Our hope is that by conference he will be healthy and get him back up to a pitch count where he can be throwing in the rotation, but right now, we won’t know anything until he starts throwing again," Trapasso said.
Coupled with the departure of four-year starter Matt Sisto, UH will at least begin the season without their top two starters from a year ago.
Replacing those 188 innings falls on the shoulders of a mix of newcomers and returnees.
Senior Connor Little is fully healthy after redshirting last year following an ankle injury that kept him out for the season. Left-hander Scott Squier, who started 14 games as a freshman and went 3-4 with a 3.50 ERA, has added a slider to his repertoire and has the potential to break out as a bonafide ace.
"He’s a guy who looks to be making a jump from a good freshman to hopefully a high-draft upperclassman," Trapasso said. "We’ve changed a little on his mechanics, so hopefully he’s made a jump."
Another sophomore lefty, Lawrence Chew, finished with a 2.40 ERA in 45 innings primarily out of the bullpen last year, but after starting in the West Coast League over the summer, could move into the rotation.
Newcomer Andrew Jones, who went 11-0 with a 2.40 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 71 innings at Grayson Junior College last season, and 6-foot-6 senior righty Corey MacDonald may also find their way into the rotation.
"It’s an area where we think we have a lot of depth, but you don’t just replace a No. 1 starter like that," Trapasso said.
Monday also marked the beginning of the final season for Kamehameha alumnus Pi‘ikea Kitamura, who has started 173 games through three seasons primarily at shortstop and third base.
Kitamura has rounded into a do-everything type of player after he was limited offensively as a freshman. Now one of the oldest guys on the team, he begins his final year with the same youthful excitement he had four years ago.
"I just remember coming out here and seeing all the old guys I looked up to and being able to play with guys like Kolten (Wong) and Sam (Spangler)," Kitamura said. "I get the same feeling even now like a little kid walking out here and seeing the seats and the stadium."
One of two players to hit over .300 last year, Kitamura will again shuffle between short and third, but will likely begin the season at third, with newcomer Austin Wobrock the likely starter at short.
Sophomore Steven Ventimilia, who started all 55 games and hit .293 with a team-best 42 runs and 14 stolen bases, will man his spot at second, while first base will be a hotly contested battle between returnee Max Duval and juniors Marc Flores and Jerry Kleman.
The most excited person to get out on the field on Monday may have been junior outfielder Kalei Hanawahine.
He was with the team all of last season but had to sit out after transferring from San Diego.
This time around, he’s able to go out and practice knowing he has an opportunity to finally go out and put on the hometown jersey in front of family and friends.
"It’s a little different from last year, but this year I’m looking forward to going out with the guys and compete on Friday night," the Kamehameha alumnus said. "It’s tough to just sit back in the dugout and watch my boys go out and play every night but it’s going to make this year that much more worth it."
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2013 UH BASEBALL ROSTER
SENIORS (8)
Pi‘ikea Kitamura, INF; Corey MacDonald, RHP; Connor Little, RHP; Patrick O’Rourke, RHP; Jim MacWilliam, LHP; Max Duval, INF; Jon Flinn, RHP; Kris Butler, RHP
JUNIORS (12)
Kalei Hanawahine, OF; Conner George, INF/OF; Jerry Kleman, INF; Adam Hurley, OF; Jarrett Arakawa, LHP; Austin Wobrock, INF; Marc Flores, INF; Andrew Jones, LHP; Scott Kuzminsky, RHP; Tyler Young, C; Kaden Kamoe, INF; Matt Cooper, RHP
SOPHOMORES (6)
Kaeo Aliviado, OF; Stephen Ventimilia INF/OF; Bryan Burgher, RHP; Scott Squier, LHP; Trevor Podratz, C; Lawrence Chew, LHP
FRESHMEN (7)
Alan Baldwin, C/OF; Andre Real, INF; Quintin Torres-Costa, LHP/OF; Greg Chavez, C; LJ Brewster, INF; Jonathan Lopez, RHP; Shane Grace, LHP
