The Hawaii baseball team emerged from its recently completed fall camp with more options than answers.

There are five contenders for Josh Rojas’ vacated starting job at third base as well as added arms to a pitching rotation that lost only one starter.

“You know that old saying, you never have enough?” said Mike Trapasso, who is in his 17th year as head coach. “It’s true. There’s no doubt (pitching) could be a strength for us going into the season. But you never know. The one thing you always know is you never know.”

With Brendan Hornung’s graduation, the ’Bows return three starting pitchers — Jackson Rees, Neil Uskali and Dominic DeMiero — to a rotation that uses four for nonconference series and three for Big West weekends.

Rees and Uskali were shut down for a month to rest their arms following the 2017 season. “They both came back with increased velocity,” Trapasso said. In fall training, Rees’ fastball reached 93 mph and Uskali, who topped at the mid-80s last season, was at 90 mph consistently.

“What I focused on was getting stronger,” Uskali said of his offseason goal. “After six starts (last season), I was starting to get a little tired, just fatigue throughout the year when the innings started to build up.”

DeMiero, who experienced elbow issues at the end of the season, has been on a strength-building program this fall. A recent MRI did not show any structural damage to his left (pitching) arm. He is expected to be ready when the ’Bows open training camp in January.

Newcomers Cade Smith, Jeremy Yelland and Kyle Hatton will push for berths in the rotation. Smith was the Minnesota Twins’ 16th-round selection in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. But he opted to honor his UH commitment. Smith is 6 feet 5, 230 pounds, and capable of throwing 91-mph heat.

Yelland, a left-hander from Spokane, “is up to 92 (mph) with tremendous life (on his pitches),” according to Trapasso.

Hatton, also a lefty, has been restricted because of back issues. “In the limited innings he’s thrown, he’s been outstanding,” Trapasso said. Hatton was 3-1 in 12 games for the UC Santa Barbara team that earned a berth in the 2016 College World Series.

Logan Pouelsen, who was used as a first baseman/designated hitter last season, is in the pitching mix. As a Huntington Beach (Calif) High senior, Pouelsen had committed to UCLA before suffering an injury to his right (pitching) elbow that required Tommy John surgery. After it was agreed to dissolve the UCLA commitment, Pouelsen signed with UH. Pouelsen’s fastball is clocking 91 mph; it topped at 96 mph at Huntington.

Pouelsen also is a contender at third, along with Kekai Rios, Dustin Demeter, Ethan Lopez and Daylen Calicdan. Rios is the No. 1 catcher. Demeter was the starting shortstop last season. Lopez played outfield last year after struggling as a freshman infielder in 2016. Calicdan is a redshirt freshman from Kamehameha-Hawaii.

“We’ve got options,” Trapasso said of the third-base competition. “That’s the big thing everyone is asking. The only thing I can promise is we’ll have somebody at third base on opening night. We just won’t leave it vacant.”

The ’Bows open the 2018 season on Feb. 16 against Air Force.