Rested or rusted?
If the weather cooperates, UH-Hilo can solve the answer to that question when it hosts Notre Dame de Namur for a doubleheader at noon Tuesday, fresh off of a 23-day layoff.
The Vulcans (5-3) last left the field on a high note, beating Colorado Mesa, then ranked 22nd and now 17th, 4-1 back on Feb. 9 in St. George, Utah.
UHH’s home and Pacific West Conference openers were to have come Feb. 24 against Chaminade, but that doubleheader was postponed and rescheduled for April 20.
The Vuls are to embark on a stretch of 12 home games over nine days starting with back-to-back dates against the struggling Argonauts (0-15, 0-12), who dropped four games each at Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade before arriving on the Big Island.
Good, bad or ugly, UHH is ready for any form of competition, though the Vuls have an opportunity to get off to a strong conference start against a favorable schedule.
“We take the (12) as whole,” Mae Kaleikini, the PacWest preseason player of the year, said before the Chaminade rain outs. “Win some, lose some, we take (them) as a whole.”
The Vulcans went 4-1 at the Dixie State Courtyard Classic, equaling the best record of the 14 teams in the tournament. The host Trailblazers, ranked as high as 13th in the NCAA Div. II national poll, also went 4-1 as did Mesa, but the Vuls have also had six games washed away so far.
Through eight games, the Vulcans are batting .302 as a team, led by Kaleikini’s .400 average. Sophomore catcher Markie Okamoto checks in at .381, sharing the team RBI lead of nine with Rayla Jacobs-Kea (.300). Kamehameha-Hawaii alum Kiarra Lincoln is hitting .321 with two home runs and eight RBIs, while Isabelle Mejia (.333) has four doubles. Kimberly Olivas (.333) had eight RBI and Danielle Antolin joins the .300 club with a .313 average.
Lincoln at shortstop and Kaleikini at second have forged a good chemistry this season.
“It’s great, we bond easily,” Kaleikini said. “Communication is is key. We’ve learned to adjust very quickly.”
The Vulcans have a team ERA of .263, using four different pitchers. Leah Gonzales leads in appearances with five, all out of the bullpen, and she has a 1-1 record with a 0.58 ERA and two saves. Isabelle Mejia is 2-0 with a 3.29 ERA, while Valerie Alvarado is 102 with a 4.48 ERA. Billi Derleth had lots of run support in a 19-0 win over Chadron State, and she took advantage in weaving a five-inning shutout.
UHH leads the all-time series against Notre Dame de Namur 34-5, including 4-0 last season. Aurora Adams leads the Argos with a .333 average.
In doubleheaders Friday and Saturday, the Vuls welcome Holy Names (2-5, 1-1), which visit HPU first. Cassidy Simon is off to a strong start at the plate with a .500 average in 20 at-bats, while Synphony Hall boasts a 2.56 ERA. The Hawks split a doubleheader against Biola.
Dominican (3-1/2-1) comes in next week, after twin bills against Azusa Pacific and Concordia. McKenzie Schumacher was named to the preseason All-PacWest team, after earning second-team honors in 2018. Last season, she hit .345 and stole 44 bases, tops in the West.
