UHH pitchers brace for 6-game softball series

UH-Hilo was one of the team’s “under consideration” Thursday in the first official NCAA West Region softball list.

That’s nice, but it’s not as big a consideration right now for the Vulcans as securing the Pacific West Conference Hawaii pod.

UHH, with all five pitchers ready and raring to go, could wrap things up this weekend at Hawaii Pacific on Oahu during a six-game series that begins Friday with the first of three consecutive doubleheaders.

Coach Callen Perreira said the Vulcans (11-4) need is three more wins to secure a spot in the three-team PacWest pod tournament. To the winner goes an automatic berth to regionals.

He said senior right-hander Valerie Alvarado, who was off her game twice last weekend against Chaminade in Kailua-Kona, would pitch the opener against the Sharks (2-9), but he was noncomittal after that. The most likely candidates after that are Leah Gonzalez or Sara Bhatt. Malia Risdall and Nia Trinidad also are likely to visit the circle at least once at Howard Okita Field in Kaneohe.

“Val had a really good day of practice, and it looks like she’s found it,” Perreira said. “We’ll have to (pitch) everybody this weekend.”

Hawaii Pacific made UHH’s path the pod tournament easier when it swept the Silverswords (10-10) for its first two wins of the season. The doubleheader loss for Chaminade came on the heels of it taking three of four from UHH.

“HPU has always been a good hitting team, and they will put up some runs,” Perreira said. “Against Chaminade we didn’t hit the ball that well, so hopefully our bats can get going.”

The regional list consists of teams from the PacWest and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and could provide the Vuls an at-large path to the postseason. The first priority, however, is trying to grab the automatic qualifier.