Rainbows get a taste of the big leagues

Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso sets a goal every year for his pitching staff to walk fewer than 100 batters in a season.

UH has never accomplished the feat, but has come close a few times, walking 132 in 2013 and 122 in 2012.

Through 13 games this season, the Rainbow Warriors are poised to blow those numbers out of the water. Hawaii has issued 45 walks and hit 17 batters, averaging close to five free passes allowed per game.

In order to change that, Trapasso will lean on his most consistent guys for the upcoming Houston College Classic that begins Friday at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.

Junior L.J. Brewster, who has been third in the rotation for the first three weeks, will start the opener on Friday against Baylor.

UH’s previous No. 1 guy, Tyler Brashears, will pitch on Saturday with Sunday’s start going to either junior Kyle Von Ruden or a returning Jarrett Arakawa.

Brewster, Brashears and Von Ruden have combined to walk nine in 53 innings with a 2.89 ERA.

"That’s been our focal point this week," Trapasso said Wednesday after the team landed in Texas. "It’s a byproduct of inexperience and guys trying to do too much and our focus needs to be on executing every pitch and understand that you have to be down in the zone."

One of the best at it over his career has been Arakawa, a fifth-year senior who has suffered through two labrum surgeries in the past three years.

The left-hander has walked just 58 in 2251⁄3 career innings, including 18 in 97 innings as a sophomore. He threw in a controlled scrimmage last Sunday and had a bullpen session on Tuesday.

"He looked great," Trapasso said. "We’ll just hope that it’s the normal soreness today and then tomorrow we’ll practice at Minute Maid Park. As long as he’s OK, we’ll try and give him him two innings and then (next week’s) Oklahoma (series) he’ll go three innings and we’ll follow that formula."

UH will play in a major league stadium for the first time since 2009, when the ‘Bows went 2-2 in the Dairy Queen Classic held at the Metrodome, which hosted the Minnesota Twins until they moved into Target Field, an outdoor stadium, in 2010.

The Houston College Classic is an annual six-team tournament considered the most prestigious in the country.

All six teams from last year’s tournament advanced to a regional. Several current Major League Baseball players have played in the tournament, including Detroit’s David Price, Pittsburgh’s Gerrit Cole, Cleveland’s Michael Bourn and Washington’s Anthony Rendon.

"It was an opportunity too good to pass up," Trapasso said. "It’s an opportunity for our guys to play the competition that we pride ourselves on playing non-conference and do it in a major league stadium."

UH opens with the Bears (6-5), who began the season with a sweep of Big West member Cal Poly, which was ranked 13th. Since then, Baylor has lost five of its eight, including all three to another Big West member, Cal State Fullerton, last weekend.

Saturday’s opponent, Nebraska (6-4), is coached by former major leaguer Darin Erstad. The Cornhuskers, who advanced to a super regional last season, have won four of five and are coming off a series win against Loyola Marymount.

UH finishes up against tournament host No. 13 Houston, which won its first six games but has lost five of seven since.

The Rainbows will be without second baseman Stephen Ventimilia, who injured his knee last Thursday in a win over Pepperdine.

He was sent home on Monday and an MRI revealed a partial tear of his PCL, but it won’t require surgery. He could return as early as next week against Oklahoma. UH is 1-4 in games without him this season.

"It’s definitely the best news we could have gotten out of that situation," Trapasso said.