If momentum is only as good as the next starting pitcher, the Hawaii baseball team is in pretty good shape.

Senior Matt Cooper (2-1, 1.32 ERA) will take the mound for Hawaii on Friday as the Rainbow Warriors open their second season in the Big West Conference with their third series against a ranked team.

UH will play three games at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium against host UC Santa Barbara, which is ranked in all of the major polls and as high as 10th by Collegiate Baseball.

The Gauchos (18-3) lead the conference in hitting, scoring, home runs and stolen bases and are a staggering 11-1 at home.

Hawaii (12-12) has won five of its past six and has the starting pitching to compete with UCSB, which was one of three teams in conference to make the NCAA tournament a season ago.

"Looking at them on paper, they don’t have a weakness," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said. "(Cooper) needs to have his best stuff, needs to have all four pitches available to him, and he’s got to give us seven innings against a team like Santa Barbara."

Cooper admits he hasn’t had his best stuff in his past two starts, but he has kept UH in each game he’s started.

Hawaii is 3-3 when he takes the mound and Cooper has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his six outings.

He has uncharacteristically issued seven walks in his past 122/3 innings but has limited the damage by giving up only 31 hits in 41 innings with 37 strikeouts.

"The last two weeks I haven’t had my stuff, but being the No. 1 guy I’ve had to battle and go as deep in games as I can to keep us in it," Cooper said. "I’ve felt a lot better this week."

Hawaii’s three probable starters have combined for a 1.82 ERA. Junior Scott Squier (3-1, 2.16), who will start on Saturday, has struck out 36 in 412/3 innings and has pitched at least seven innings in five of his six outings. Opponents are hitting just .188 against the left-hander, who has thrown one of Hawaii’s three complete games this season.

Left-hander Jarrett Arakawa (1-0, 2.03) is coming off his best game of the season and the Rainbow bullpen has received a big boost from freshman Quintin Torres-Costa, who threw three hitless innings against Alabama-Birmingham with four strikeouts.

Reigning Big West pitcher of the week Scott Kuzminsky, who fell one out short of tossing two complete games in seven days, will also help the bullpen as Hawaii nears full strength in its pitching staff at just the right time.

"We have all of the guys coming around and it’s a big deal, especially for the starters because we’re doing well," Cooper said. "Now we have the guys in the bullpen when we need it."

Hawaii’s offensive numbers have dipped over the past few weeks. UH sits last in the conference, hitting .225 as a team. Opponents are hitting just .231, which has allowed Hawaii to get back to .500.

The Gauchos play in one of the friendlier parks for hitters in the conference, which is something first baseman Marc Flores is looking forward to.

Hawaii’s cleanup hitter belted his first home run of the season against UAB and is hitting .277 with five doubles and a team-high 15 RBIs.

"We’ve been getting the hits and the runs when we needed," Flores said. "I think we’ve done a good job of keeping our heads in the game the whole time and we have the confidence that we can come back even if we’re down two or three runs."

Hawaii, which has outscored its opponents 101-98, has scored 39 percent (39 of 101) of its runs in the seventh inning or after.

Flores is one of five starters hitting over .260, including freshman Marcus Doi, who has been cleared to start at designated hitter this weekend after missing 13 games with a groin tear.

"To have his best in the lineup and available to hit three or four times, I think, is something that could be a boost for our whole team," Trapasso said. "I don’t think we can hit him leadoff for right now just for his psyche — that would make him think he’s got to turn it up and go all out and unfortunately we’ve got to be careful he doesn’t do that. He’s there for his bat, not for his legs, at least for this weekend."