Hawaii softball team pivotal stretch in quest for Big West

Apr. 16—Coming off three Big West wins and with matchups with the conference leaders coming up, Hawaii softball coach Bob Coolen knows the Rainbow Wahine can't afford to ease off the gas pedal this weekend.

"We have to come out fast and furious, " Coolen said.

After claiming last week's series at Cal Poly, the Rainbow Wahine (9-8, 8-4 Big West ) return home to face UC Riverside in a three-game series starting today at 6 p.m. The Wahine and Highlanders (3-18, 2-10 ) play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon.

UH enters the week third in the Big West standings, trailing Cal State Fullerton (24-11, 9-0 ) and Long Beach State (16-5, 11-1 ). The Wahine will have a chance to make up ground against the Beach next week at home and at Cal State Fullerton on May 7-8, but will need to keep pace this week to remain in sight of the leaders.

UCR picked up its lone Big West wins against Cal Poly on March 27 and 28, but has dropped six straight since against Cal State Fullerton and UC Davis.

The Wahine opened last week's series by outlasting Cal Poly in two shootouts thanks to 21 runs on 27 hits. They then relied on freshman Jetta Nannen's second shutout of the season in a 1-0 duel last Saturday. Cal Poly closed the series with a 6-5 win in the nonconference finale.

Nannen posted a season-high six strikeouts in her second start against the Mustangs after posting just nine over her previous eight appearances this season.

"She's emerging, she's starting to get confident, " Coolen said. "(Associate coach Dee Wisneski is ) calling a good game for her, she feels real good about what she's doing and if her strikeout-to-walk ratio increases it would be great."

UH second baseman Maya Nakamura went 7-for-15 (.467 ) in the series and was named the Big West Freshman of the Week on Monday.

Nakamura leads the Wahine at the plate with a.360 batting average overall and.417 in conference play and hit her second home run of the season—a line drive off the left-field foul pole—in last week's second game.

"She is one of the most easygoing players that I've ever coached, " Coolen said. "She takes everything in, works on her game. You'll see frustration if she lets two pitches go by and they're close strikes, but she will never give up. She's a good 0-2 hitter, she's a good 1-2 hitter."

A standout high school shortstop at Roosevelt, Nakamura spent much of this season in right field, becoming adept at the 9-3 putout on hard grounders into the outfield, and Coolen feels comfortable putting her in various spots in the field.

"I can put her at first, second, short, right field, " Coolen said. "Maya just has that presence. She has good size, she has good strength, but she's a natural, she understands the game."

Big West softball At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium UC Riverside (3-18, 2-10 BWC ) vs. Hawaii (9-8, 8-4 )—When : Today, 6 p.m.; Saturday (doubleheader ), noon—TV : none—Radio : Today, 1500-AM