New Hawaii baseball coach Rich Hill has passion for game, the ocean

Jun. 20—There is no doubt the new University of Hawaii baseball coach is a stand-up guy.

Two years ago, Rich Hill competed in the Maui 2 Molokai Challenge, a stand-up paddleboard competition spanning 27 miles. It took Hill about 51 /2 hours to navigate the downwind course across the Pailolo Channel.

"Hey, I'm grinding, and guys like Zane Schweitzer and Connor Baxter—some of these local pros—are just going by me like water bugs, " said Hill, who had competed in race events and was a team rider for King's Paddle Sports. "I'm paddling in peanut butter. But, hey, I made it to Molokai. It was an accomplishment."

It served as a dual metaphor for embracing the journey and fulfilling the goal. "It was a grueling experience, but at the same time, it was magical, " Hill said. "I'm out in the middle of the ocean, and I'm staring at Molokai on one side, Maui and Lanai. It was like, 'Who does this ?' It was a great experience."

Hill, 59, appears to bring that unabashed enthusiasm as the third head coach in UH baseball history. Hill agreed to a five-year deal as successor to Mike Trapasso, who was not renewed for a 21st Rainbow Warrior season.

"I still call them the Rainbows, " Hill conceded during a telephone interview. "I gotta get out of that habit. Back in the day, all those guys were Rainbows. They had it going on. It was just fun to watch."

Hill became enamored with the UH program during a recruiting visit to San Diego State in 1980. The Aztecs were playing the Rainbows, and Hill was taken to Raggers' Rail, SDSU's notorious heckling section.

"I'm a 17-year-old kid watching this whole thing, " Hill recalled. "It seemed like I was watching the big leagues. To be able to play the'Bows the next two years, and all their great players in the early'80s, and all San Diego State's great players, it really started there."

After two years, Hill transferred to California Lutheran, where he became a standout infielder.

"I always loved baseball, " Hill said. "As a little kid, ever since I can remember, just the love affair with baseball. I slept with my glove in the bed, getting it right when you're breaking it in. The first thing you do when you wake up is go play ball with your buddies, and just a real passion for baseball."

He also knew his path would lead to coaching. "I was that middle infielder that grinded it out, overachieved, found a way to win, " Hill said. "Those guys usually end up being coaches. I was always fascinated with the game and the strategy of the game, and how to get better, and how players get better. That was a very transferable skill."

At 24, he was named California Lutheran's head coach. At 30, he was hired to lead San Francisco. At 35, he was hired at the University of San Diego. In 23 seasons, Hill led the Toreros to eight NCAA regionals and six West Coast Conference titles. He was named WCC's coach of the year five times. He coached two national players of the year (Kris Bryant in 2013, Brian Matusz in 2008 ). Four of his assistant coaches are now Division I head coaches.

It was early in his USD tenure when he decided to pick up an activity that eluded him as a youth. "I was playing football, basketball, baseball, and I couldn't get into surfing, " Hill said. "I was always mesmerized by it. When I got the job at San Diego, I said, 'All right, I've got my long board, I'm going (surfing ) for 30 straight days, and see if I can do it. If I can't do it, forget it, this dream of mine won't happen. And if I can, we'll go for it.' And then week No. 2, I was hooked. We're 22 years later, and I have a real connection with the ocean. It's part of my life. I have to be near it. I have to be around it."

When the Showcase, a tournament for prospects, was held in Hawaii, Hill combined catching waves and scouting. "I could surf dawn patrol and go to games, " Hill said. "It was a pretty good weekend."

Hill's gregarious personality belies a disciplinarian who expects his players to be tough, respectful, charitable and diligent on the field and in the classroom.

"He's personable, but a tough coach, " said longtime friend Pal Eldredge, a Spectrum Sports analyst and former coach and MLB scout. "There's not going to be any fooling around. He'll get on them pretty good. He runs a tight ship. You heard him use the phrase 'self-discipline' and also 'intense practice.'"

Hill said he wants his players to help serve others. At USD, the Toreros helped build houses and assisted in numerous community projects. He managed to find a balance in his relationships with his players.

"I think it's all about boundaries, " Hill said. "It's all about relationships and leadership. If your players know you really care about them, that you really love'em, and you want them to be the best versions of themselves, then the discipline comes. They abide by the boundaries set forth by the organization. Any successful organization—and it doesn't have to even be in sports—all have boundaries. And all have standards that are just very high when it comes to effort level, behavior, sacrifice and self-discipline. You have to have that to have a winning culture, and not only in sports, but, really, in anything."