One of the most highly anticipated University of Hawai‘i baseball series in recent memory is set to begin Friday, as the Rainbow Warriors welcome No. 7 Oregon State to Les Murakami Stadium for a four-game showdown.
Three of the four contests have already sold out, with only standing-room tickets available for the first three games.
The nationally ranked Beavers (32-11) and the ‘Bows (28-14) will meet from Friday through Monday in front of what’s expected to be an electric atmosphere in Manoa.
Headlining the series is the return of Kailua’s Aiva Arquette, Oregon State’s standout shortstop and Saint Louis School graduate.
A projected top-five pick in the upcoming MLB Draft and a National Player of the Year candidate, Arquette enters the weekend batting .371 with 16 home runs, 54 RBIs and 47 runs scored.
“Absolutely, it’s special to come back home and just play in front of a great community—family, my friends—and I get to play against some old teammates as well,” said Arquette. “So it’s going to be fun. Yeah, I’m excited.”
As for the sold-out crowds and the atmosphere at Les Murakami Stadium, Arquette added: “It’s going to be so sick. It’s a great environment—almost like an SEC environment. We’re so stoked to just come down and play baseball. It’s really special.”
The visit is also a family affair—Arquette is the older brother of current Rainbow Wahine volleyball setter Adrianna Arquette.
First pitch for Friday’s opener is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Games 1 and 4 will be televised on Spectrum Sports, with radio broadcasts of all four games available on ESPN Honolulu.