The University of Hawaii at Hilo softball team hopes to finish a roller-coaster season on a high note, starting with a four-game series against Chaminade University this weekend.
The University of Hawaii at Hilo softball team hopes to finish a roller-coaster season on a high note, starting with a four-game series against Chaminade University this weekend.
The Vulcans will battle the Silverswords in Pacific West Conference doubleheaders at noon today and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the UH-Hilo softball field. The Vulcans then close their season with a PacWest twinbill at 1 p.m. April 28 against visiting Hawaii Pacific.
The Vulcans (20-18 overall, 14-11 PacWest) have struggled at times this season, hitting in the .250 to .260 range while their pitching has given up an eye-popping 100 walks in 250 innings.
“We’ve really struggled with our consistency,” UH-Hilo coach Jaime Wallin said. “Defensively, we’ve been pretty solid. But our pitching and hitting haven’t always held up.
“Against Chaminade, it’s going to be a tough series. They’re a really scrappy team, and they recently played HPU tough. We’re going to have to do all the little things good and minimize our mistakes. Our pitchers are going to have to throw strikes and limit their walks, and offensively, we need everyone from the top of the lineup to the bottom to be productive.”
Chaminade (15-26, 8-19) dropped a twinbill to visiting UH-Hilo last week on Oahu, 4-1 and 7-0. But Wallin expects a tighter series in Hilo.
“We’ll need to attack the pitchers early in the contest,” she said. “We’ve been too timid at the plate and need to be more aggressive. Everybody needs to do their job. For our seniors, it’s not too late to step up and perform, and for our underclassmen, it’s time to audition and show what they can do.”
Wallin said the Vulcans’ goal is to play well in their final six games.
“Consistency in performance has eluded us this season, so it’d be nice to finish real strong,” she said.
Wallin said her team is healthy for Chaminade and expects a competitive series.
The Vulcans are currently in fifth place behind Cal Baptist (21-4), Dixie State (21-5), Grand Canyon (15-5) and HPU (20-10) in the 10-team conference. The Silverswords are seventh.
HPU (28-18 overall) will travel to Hilo to end the season on April 28. These games will be the final home games for UH-Hilo seniors Aisha Sueda (team high .377, 32 RBIs, 5 homers), Nicole Alconcel (.275, 15 RBI) and Bryanna Hardy (.290, 9 RBI) as well as pitchers Amber Waracka (9-8, 3.17 ERA) and Jessica Pepin (6-6, 2.33 ERA).