During Saturday’s season-ending festivities, the University of Hawaii baseball seniors were draped in lei and coach Mike Trapasso was blanketed in emotion.
“This is the best group of kids collectively that I’ve had,” Trapasso said of his 2017 roster. “I can’t remember a better group that was so together and loved each other. It started with the fact there wasn’t a single selfish ‘I’ guy on the team. Guys who didn’t play were equally invested in this team as the guys who played every day. They understood the value they brought every game. It’s emotional for (the season) to end.”
Parting is only bittersweet sorrow. Of the seven seniors, two were every-day players (third baseman Josh Rojas and outfielder Alex Fitchett) and two were pitchers (starter Brendan Hornung and reliever Casey Ryan).
“This will be the first time in a number of years when we’re going from one year to the next with some cohesion and returning the majority of the team,” Trapasso said.
The ’Bows signed eight players, including six pitchers, and received an oral commitment from a left-handed hurler who is 8-0 in junior college. Next month’s major league draft will be an early barometer to how many of the recruits make it to the Manoa campus.
“Even if we got hurt in the draft,” Trapasso said, “we’re still going to be OK. That’s an encouraging thing. We haven’t had that situation in six, eight years. That’s really fun. I’m already looking forward to the first practice next fall with these guys coming back.”
Starting pitchers Dominic DeMiero, Neil Uskali and Jackson Rees will be on a restricted throwing schedule this summer.
“Whenever a guy hits 70 innings, that’s our cutoff to shut him down from summer ball,” Trapasso said. “They’re going to take three to four weeks off from throwing. They’re going to focus on lifting. Then we’re going to do a long-toss program throughout the summer to build them up for the fall.”
An X-ray showed no structural problems with DeMiero, who was scratched from Friday’s start because of tenderness in his left (throwing) elbow. DeMiero’s fastball topped at 88 mph in nonconference games, but then eventually waned to 83 mph in Big West play. The offseason goal is improve DeMiero’s strength to maintain top-end velocity on his fastball, a key in helping his complementary changeup. “It’s important to sustain what he did in the first half of the season,” Trapasso said.
Trapasso indicated that Logan Pouelsen, who demonstrated consistent gap power as a first baseman and designated hitter, would be a consideration on the mound next year. Pouelsen was set to attend UCLA when he suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery as a high school senior. Pouelsen and UCLA amicably parted, allowing Pouelsen to join the ’Bows. Although he was cleared to pitch in March, it was decided to use Pouelsen as a position player through this season.
Dylan Thomas, who established himself as a closer, will avoid pitching-related activities for a few weeks to ease the back stiffness he experienced this season.
Shortstop Dustin Demeter, who had a team-high 29 RBIs as a freshman, will skip summer ball to work on improving his strength.
Most of the returning ’Bows will play in summer leagues. Kekai Rios, who caught all 209 innings of UH’s Big West games, will play in the West Coast League. Rios has been told he also will be used at third and as a designated hitter to ease his catching workload. Trapasso said the plan next year is to give Rios more breaks from catching during the nonconference schedule to enable him to be rested for the Big West games. Whether Rios catches or not, he will remain in the lineup. Rios, who hit .282 as a sophomore, is considered a draft prospect next year.
Trapasso said he will leave Wednesday to meet with UH prospects ahead of the draft.
This week, draft workouts are scheduled for Ryan with the Chicago Cubs and Fitchett with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Rojas and Hornung have been heavily scouted the past two years and also are considered pro prospects.
