UH baseball team packs up for season-ending road trip

The Hawaii baseball team’s closer has unfinished business.

The Rainbow Warriors departed on Tuesday afternoon in advance of Thursday’s series opener against UC Santa Barbara. At the conclusion of the season-ending series, relief pitcher Dylan Thomas and many of his teammates will head to their homes on the mainland and Canada.

“I’ll be going straight home from Santa Barbara,” said Thomas, a sophomore from Valencia, Calif. “I only live about an hour away. I’m taking everything with me right now.”

Thomas’ tentative plans are to pitch in the Cape Cod (Mass.) Baseball League this summer and return to UH for the fall semester. But that could change depending on his place in next month’s Major League Baseball draft. Because he redshirted in 2016 and has completed three college years, Thomas is eligible for the draft. Up to 15 clubs have expressed interest in Thomas.

“I’ve been telling teams, basically, I want a fair opportunity to keep playing at the next level,” Thomas said.

If he returns to UH, he still would have bargaining leverage following his junior year. “I’m definitely in an interesting situation,” Thomas said.

Thomas said he has kept the lease on an off-campus apartment near UH.

Shortstop Maaki Yamazaki said he will return to Hawaii following this week’s series. “I’m going to store my stuff here, and then go back to Japan for a little bit,” said Yamazaki, a junior who is eligible for the draft.

Jackson Rees, the ace of the pitching staff, is projected to be anywhere from a 10th-round pick to a no-bonus selection. On Sunday, Rees plans to depart Santa Barbara and “drive home (to Orange County) with my parents since I’m not coming back to Hawaii for the summer.”

Rees said he sent most of his belongings to California; the rest he sold. By earning his degree as a junior, Rees still has the option of returning to UH for his senior season.

“I’ve never counted out that option,” Rees said. “I got that extra year for a reason: because I love college. Another year here or whether it’s the pros — either way, I’ll be happy.”

Dylan Vchulek, who earned his degree a week ago, said he plans to return to Hawaii after this road trip. He said he will await the results of the draft and, if he’s not selected, will pursue a sportscasting opportunity.

Third baseman Ethan Lopez, a junior, said he will play in an amateur league in Canada this summer. “I stored my stuff in (Adam) Fogel’s house,” said Lopez, referring to his teammate. “Fogel is the storage unit right now.”

Lopez, who lived in the Kahala area this past year, will move to an apartment unit near the UH campus in the fall.

Fogel, who will be a junior next season, will play in the Cape Cod league this summer.

Starting pitcher Neil Uskali will take two classes this summer to complete work on his bachelor’s degree. Uskali will not pitch this week, effectively ending his collegiate career. He is contemplating undergoing surgery to repair an elbow injury.