Instead of merely playing out the string again, UH-Hilo’s baseball team faces a new and welcoming reality: a string of big games.
No pressure, right, Vulcans?
Entering the program’s biggest series in decades, coach Kallen Miyataki doesn’t expect the Vuls to vary from the formula they have used to win 12 games in a row.
“I think we’re pretty much the same team,” Miyataki said Thursday from San Diego, a day before UHH was to open an important four-game series at Point Loma, the No. 2-ranked team in the West Region. “We are not taking anything for granted and taking things in stride.”
To put UHH’s winning streak – its longest since 1983 – in proper perspective, the dozen victories surpass the Vuls’ win totals of the 2015, ‘16 or ‘17 teams.
A lucky 13th consecutive win would clinch UHH’s first winning season since 1992, an accomplishment, no doubt, but the bar has been raised beyond just that.
The Vuls are thinking postseason. Though they weren’t ranked Wednesday, four opportunities to climb toward the top eight in the West beckon.
The Sea Lions (27-14, 15-8) and Vuls (22-15, 18-10) enter Friday’s doubleheader in a near statistical tie for second place in the Pacific West Conference, and only UC San Diego is ranked higher than Point Loma in the West.
For now, Miyataki is happy to throw a wet blanket over his players’ rapidly increasing expectations.
“Of course, the expectations are always there,” he said. “Everything is there for us, but it is a long shot.
“They are ranked second in the region for a reason. We’ll have to continue making the adjustments and continue to limit mistakes to come out on top.”
The last time UHH played a PacWest front-runner, things didn’t go well. Azusa Pacific, third in the West, swept the Vuls in four games by a combined by a 52-5.
Though that series was more than a month ago, this will be the Vuls’ first games on the mainland since. They were 18-10 at Wong, standing 8-8 in road games.
Miyataki will continue to roll with his usual four starting pitchers: Dylan Spain (4-1, 3.38 ERA) and Kyle Acorn (4-3, 4.50) on Friday, with Christian Sadler (3-3, 4.95) and Travis Burleson (5-2, 7.26) going Saturday.
One of the team’s hottest hitters is senior outfielder Dylan Sugimoto, who raised his average 36 points to .333, second-best on the team, in a recent four-game sweep of Holy Names.
On the season, the scholar athlete is tied for the team lead in runs scored (29) and stolen bases (9-10) and leads in on-base percentage (.438).
“He’s been a spark plug for us,” Miyataki said, “and he’s come a long way.”
“We’re not leading in anything,” he said, “we’re just grinding it out and finding ways to win.”
In softball, UHH (29-16, 22-10 PacWest) remained ninth in the West Region rankings ahead of doubleheaders Saturday at Chaminade (12-34, 9-25) and Sunday at Hawaii Pacific (31-22, 22-12) to close the regular season.
The Vuls are game ahead of the Sharks for third place in the PacWest. Azusa (30-14, 21-8) in second is sixth in the West and the only other PacWest team ranked besides No. 1 Concordia.