The University of Hawaii at Hilo softball team is preparing for a 47-game schedule set to begin at the top of February.
The Vulcans are coming back after finishing the 2022 season 17-20 overall, and 13-15 in conference play.
The UH-Hilo softball team is practicing at the home field to prepare for their first five non-conference games against West regional teams that will begin on Friday, Feb. 3.
Over the season, the Vulcans will play six schools from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, three from California Collegiate Athletic Association and one from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in addition the eight-team Pacific West Conference slate.
“I like tournaments because the pressure is off, but you can still play and see how you’re performing against other teams,” said third baseman Chloe Domingo. “I’m excited to play bigger teams and have a lot of home field advantage.”
“Playing outside the conference is great way to set the standard for the season to see what we have to work on to get ready for conference play,” added outfielder Brandee Chinen.
Fifth-year seniors Domingo and Chinen will be finishing their softball careers this season with excitement as they welcome back all their fans after COVID-19 changed about three seasons of play.
“I’ve lived in Hilo my whole life and have been playing softball here my whole life,” Chinen said. “It’s surreal to be finishing off my career here, but I’m excited to be able to play for my family and friends and our fans one more time.
About half of the Vulcan team is returning veterans and the other half is new transfers or freshmen. Coach Aisha Sueda is entering her second season as head coach of the Vulcans.
UH-Hilo will start the season strong with a tournament in Irvine, Calif. against Cal State San Bernardino Montana State, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State East Bay and Colorado Christian.
“The team has been working hard and it will be great to finally see them compete against someone other than themselves. We got a lot of young talent along with our returning veterans,” Sueda said. “We will be starting off our season at the Concordia Kickoff Classic which will be a great test for us playing against teams outside of the conference, especially National Championship runner-up Dominguez Hills. We’re looking forward to a great start of the season.”
The first home game will be the conference opener against Concordia University Irvine on Feb. 25.
The Vulcans will also host Biola and Azusa Pacific before returning to Hilo in late April to play Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific.
Those interested can find the full softball schedule and roster at hiloathletics.com/sports/softball.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com
