With just two weeks until opening day, the University of Hawai’i baseball team will give fans an early look at the 2025 squad during its annual Alumni Game this Saturday at Les Murakami Stadium.
Rainbow Warriors head coach Rich Hill, entering his fourth season in Mānoa, has built plenty of excitement around the upcoming season. But before the real competition begins, the program will take a trip down memory lane as more than 40 former players step onto the brand-new turf to face off against the current roster.
Among the alumni suiting up is Scotty Scott, the fan-favorite outfielder who coined the phrase “Party at the Les.” Now living in Santa Monica and working in the corporate world, Scott is eager for an emotional return to his old stomping grounds.
“How much time do you have? I mean, really, if anybody dares to play Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I’m going to cry,” Scott said. “Such an experience to mature as a young man, with so many great people in the Hawaiian community around me. The spiritual connection to Hawai’i is very strong for me, man.”
Scott played 156 games for the Rainbow Warriors from 2019 to 2022, earning Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American honors and being named Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year. He was the first UH position player to earn Freshman of the Year honors since Kolten Wong won WAC Freshman of the Year in 2009. Over his career, Scott hit .282 with 19 stolen bases, 122 runs scored, and 21 doubles.
Having experienced the alumni game as a player, Scott is looking forward to being on the other side this time.
“Yeah, you know, it’s going to be fun. I think Sam Spangler is happy I can’t bunt against him anymore,” Scott joked. “It’s just great to be on the same sidelines as legendary players like Coach Tommy Heffernan and so many other great alumni. And Coach [Hill] has put together a really good team this year. Hopefully, those guys win for the sake of baseball—but hopefully, we’ll give them a good run for their money.”
Scott will be joined on the alumni squad by notable names such as former pitcher and Wake Up 2Day host Sam Spangler, Breland Almadova, Pi‘ikea Kitamura, and Jake Tsukada.
Rainbow Warrior baseball alumni confirmed for Saturday:
- Attending:
- Blaze Pontes
- Lawrence Chew
- Kyson Donahue
- Jarrett Arakawa
- Jon Hee
- Justin Frash
- Ron Nomura
- and more
- Playing:
- Connor Harrison
- Kalei Hanawahine
- Matt Campos
- Scotty Scott
- Darwin Nazario
- Cole Cabrera
- Kenneth Mackenzie
- Alan Baldwin
- Jake Tsukada
- Tai Atkins
- Blake Hiraki
- Trevor Ichimura
- Breland Almadova
- Nainoa Cardinez
- Sam Spangler
- Piikea Kitamura
- Troy Hanzawa
First pitch is set for Saturday at 1 p.m., with free admission for all fans.
The Rainbow Warriors officially open the season on Feb. 14 with a three-game series against Marshall.