Behind The Scenes with Goldey Beacom

What Makes Hawai’i So Good?

By Will Mossa

We’re just a few weeks into the College Baseball season and yet we’ve already found a team the entire country has rallied around, the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors. Operation: Honolulu Regional is in full effect, and there’s a reason this team has been so easy to root for. Despite being my personal pick to win the Big West, I’ve been on the train, but even I couldn’t have predicted the Manoa Magic we’ve seen so far. Every weekend there’s walk-offs, heroics, and sold out crowds at The Les. While the Bows have yet to leave the Island, they sit at 10-2, the best record since 2021 (11-2), but four of those 2021 games were against Division 2 opponents. Head Coach Rich Hill has done wonders for the program and tied the record for the fastest to reach 100 wins at Hawai’i, tied with none other than Les Murakami.

It’s not just the grit, the culture, the walk-offs, the magic that has captured the Mainlanders' hearts, there’s a reason this is happening. Roman philosopher Seneca says ‘luck is when preparation meets opportunity’ and I’ll tell you as a loyal Bows watcher, it’s far from luck. This is as complete of a Mid Major ballclub as it gets, and we’re going to dive into what makes this team so good, and why I believe even more a Big West Championship and Regional Host is on the horizon for the Bows.

The Offense:

This is a classic West Coast offense, not a lot of slug as a team (.384), but the Bows get on base at a .409 clip and take full advantage of creating traffic on the bases. Being 27-35 on stolen bases this year, Hawai’i relies on manufacturing runs, but their 25 doubles in 12 games shows their ability to drive the gaps and score runs in bunches. With seven of their nine offensive starters hitting over .290, four of which are hitting over .380, there are no weak points in the lineup and they find a way to put pressure on opposing pitchers every inning with a 12% walk rate to add onto the pile.

Second Baseman Shunsuke Sakaino has been the star of the Bows offense slashing .390/.537/.512 with five doubles, nine RBIs, and five stolen bags. A simple approach with incredible bat-to-ball skills with just five strikeouts in 41 at-bats (12.2%), with nine walks to match, he has the ability to drive the gap and produce runs from the second-spot in the lineup.

Junior utility-man Draven Nushida leads the team in batting average at .424, matching it with .512 on-base% and .485 slug with eight RBIs and three stolen bases, paired with senior outfielder Jared Quandt who leads the team in RBIs (11), while slashing .410/.510/.513 with one double, one home run, and four stolen bases. Adding to the fire power is sophomore shortstop Elijah Ickes, a sure-handed glove and solid bat in the back half of the lineup, and Matthew Miura who has been extremely productive with 10 RBIs, four doubles, and five stolen bases.

When you look down the list of the Hawai’i offense, it’s as balanced as can be. Picking up production one-through-nine and in the words of their most recent opponent, the Northeastern Huskies they are a “matchup nightmare.” Couldn’t say it better myself.

The Pitching:

Keith Zuniga has done wonders with the Hawai’i pitching staff and it’s been on full display all season long, pitching to a combined 3.35 ERA (38), 1.09 WHIP (12), holding opposing hitters to a .209 batting average, with 109 strikeouts to 36 walks (13). The Bows pitching staff has made it extremely hard for opposing batters to find ways on, and with10 arms with multiple appearances and at least three innings pitched, there is a ton of depth which is needed in their regular four game sets.

The Bows have three clear starters that have dominated to this point, with some committee starts for their fourth spot, and a bullpen that’s built to hold and shut down tight games, as they’ve shown in their country leading four walk-off wins.

Gonzaga transfer and one of the biggest portal impacts in Division 1 baseball to this point is Liam O’Brien. Still holding a 0.00 ERA and 0.29 WHIP through 17 ⅓ innings pitched in five appearances, finally cracking his way into the rotation two weeks ago,O’Brien holds a 2-0 record. With 17 strikeouts to four walks, opposing batters are hitting a mere .019 against him. With a short and funky arm action, running it into the mid-90’s with a devastating curveball, O’Brien has kept hitters guessing all season long and I anticipate he continues rolling even through Big West play.

Bullpen workhorse Freddy Rodriguez has racked up six appearances in 12 games to this point, and has been absolute nails all while bringing electric energy to the bump and The Les. Rodriguez has held opposing hitters to a .163 batting average over 14 innings with 16 strikeouts to two walks allowed with one save. Not to mention he’s got a 1.29 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP.

Hawai’i has been hands down my favorite team to watch this year, and have slowly but surely become America’s team. Best day of the week is Bows after dark on ESPN+, and I, along with the rest of the college baseball world are riding the wave for that Honolulu Regional.

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