The University of Hawaii baseball team which currently shares the longest active winning streak in the nation at eight games, is set to host UC Riverside this Thursday, Friday, and Sunday at Les Murakami Stadium in a crucial three-game series.
Under the guidance of head coach Rich Hill, the Rainbow Warriors are aiming to extend their success and make significant strides in the conference standings.
Historically, UH has had the upper hand against UCR with a 20-13 series lead, despite dropping two out of three games during last year’s matchup in Riverside.
The team’s recent performance includes a sweep over CSUN, where senior infielder/outfielder Jake Tsukada, a Punahou alumnus, achieved a personal milestone by securing his 200th career hit. Tsukada has played 158 games, starting 143, over four seasons with the University of Portland.
Hawai’i’s pitching staff emerged from the weekend with impressive stats, limiting CSUN — the then-conference leader — to three runs, two earned, across three games. The staff boasted a 0.67 ERA and struck out 24 batters while allowing just six walks, holding CSUN to a .168 batting average.
Offensively, the Rainbow Warriors are on track to record their highest scoring average since 1998, currently averaging 7.23 runs per game. Their .293 team batting average is the third highest in the Big West, potentially the best since 2007. Moreover, their .416 on-base percentage is poised to be the top mark since the program began tracking this statistic in 2002. Notably, six regular starters are hitting above .300 and maintain an OBP of at least .420, with four players having driven in at least 30 runs.
The three game series will run Thursday, Friday, and Sunday to accommodate for UH graduation. The first two games of the series will be televised on Spectrum Sports.
Series Schedule:
HAWAI’I (29-15, 12-9 Big West) vs. UC RIVERSIDE (15-28, 5-16 Big West)
Thursday, May 9 — 6:35 p.m.
Friday, May 10 — 6:35 p.m.
Sunday, May 12 — 1:05 p.m.