By MATT GERHART
Tribune-Herald sports writer
Before they go out, softball players Amber Waracka, Nicole Alconcel and Bryanna Hardy would like to leave one more lasting impression.
Change is coming soon enough for the University of Hawaii at Hilo seniors. But for now, they’re right where the Vulcans need them to be: front and center and ready to lead.
The preseason all-Pacific West Conference selections will be counted on heavily by new-look UHH, which opens its second season under coach Jaime Wallin on Tuesday with a noon doubleheader against Cal State Stanislaus at UHH Field.
Ace right-hander Waracka has been mowing down hitters since her freshman season, but she says her last go-around definitely has a different feel.
“It’s kind of scary to actually see the finish line for once,” Waracka said. “It’s always been, ‘Oh well, I still have another year. But I’m almost done now. It’s scary, but it gives you more motivation. If this is the last time you’re going to play softball competitively, you want to end it with everything you have.”
The Vuls, picked to finish fifth in the PacWest, must replace two powerful bats in Christina Pedroza and Kanani Numata, the team’s leading RBI producers, as well as Tessa Truong, who led the team in runs last year.
The team’s leading hitters — Hardy (.369) and Alconcel (.359) — are back. UHH finished 28-14 last season, including 21-7 in the Pacific West Conference — but they lost key games down the stretch to Dixie State and Hawaii Pacific and fell short of a second consecutive trip to regionals.
“We ended on a low note, we got pretty tired toward the end,” said Alconcel, a shortstop. “But coming into the season that’s something that we learned from, and we’re going to change it.”
Wallin’s already made preparations for the seniors’ departure, bringing in 10 freshmen, many of whom will be relied on to contribute from the start.
“This team doesn’t rely on one star player,” Hardy said. “We’re all good.”
Wallin expects senior second baseman Aisha Sueda — a Hilo High graduate — to bounce back after hitting only .231 last season.
Junior Brittany Spencer finished last season at catcher and hit .276.
Hardy made a successful transition last season from catcher to outfield — though she still will welcome the opportunity to spell Spencer from time to time.
“It’s different in the outfield, but it gets boring out there with nothing to do all the time and not being involved in every play,” she said.
Junior first baseman Asha Prithiviraj started 24 games last year and hit. 269.
Redshirt freshman Gerika Pantohan is slated to start at third base. She transferred from the University of Hawaii and won a state championship at Campbell High School on Oahu.
Alconcel could hit leadoff or provide pop in the middle of the lineup.
“It’s great to have her up there because she can hit in the gaps and steal some bases for us,” Wallin said. “Then again, it’d be nice to put her down in the order because she’s really good at hitting behind runners.”
Besides Hardy, Wallin says injuries have made the outfield a bit of a work-in-progress.
Freshman Shelby Vickers was expected to patrol center field, but she’s out nursing a hand injury for about six weeks, so sophomore Angeline Cruz will take her place.
Senior Emily Heinemann will man another corner spot until sophomore Erin Oshiro — a Waiakea High graduate — recovers from a groin injury.
Two other freshmen, Collette Black and Colleen Aubrey, are also in the mix, but until the Vuls are at full strength, Wallin worries about her team’s range in the outfield.
Another freshman, Emily Greene, will see playing time at designated player.
Despite all the new faces, Waracka says chemistry is not an issue.
“With a young team they’re willing to learn, they’re willing to work hard,” Waracka said. “That gives us an advantage because you don’t have people coming in with egos. They come in really wanting to work hard and be part of the team.”
Waracka dominated hitters as a freshman, sporting a 1.79 ERA. Though she’s been a reliable ace for three seasons, her ERA has increased each year, reaching 2.74 in 2011. She says she’s made a few tweaks to her motion to finish with a strong senior season.
“Last year, we had a little bit of a setback in the sense that she was doing some things with mechanics that didn’t put her in position to be the type of pitcher she’s capable of being,” Wallin said. “We’re hoping with some of the adjustments that we’ve made to her mechanics this year, that she’s going to see some better movement on her pitches and have a little bit better command, especially against some of the better teams and have a little more success.
“That’s where the struggles were, her being able to close out the better teams. If we’re going to be an elite team in the conference, we need her to step up. She’s got to be willing to reinvent herself in terms of what she throwing and how she attacking people.”
With the loss of Pedroza in the circle, senior Jessica Pepin will see an increased role, and the team will work in freshman left-hander Ashley Nelson as the season progresses.
“I’m not really sure about this team yet,” Wallin said. “We have the ability to be a team to score four, five, six runs a game if we get comfortable in the box. We’re also are the type of team pitching-wise that can only give up one or two runs. But we’ve got to make sure we’re confident in the zone and defensively making plays. I think it will all come in time.”
Heading into her last season, Alconcel has already made one change — she got a buzz cut.
“I came in with a buzz head, then my hair grew out,” she said. “It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. I came in as a freshman with no hair; I’ll go out with no hair.”