UH-Hilo baseball season tickets available; preseason baseball and softball rankings released
Tickets for the UH-Hilo baseball 2024 season is now available to be purchased online through AudienceView Campus.
The upcoming slate features 25 total home games played in the historic Francis Wong Stadium at the Ho‘olulu Complex in Hilo.
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Teams making the trip to the Big Island this spring include Saint Martin’s, Chaminade, HPU, Concordia University Irvine, UH-Manoa, Biola and Point Loma.
Packages are $120 for adults — and $60 for seniors (aged 65-plus) and middle/high school students. Single-game tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and middle/high school students.
Admission is free for ages 12 and under along with students and faculty/staff from the University of Hawai’i at Hilo or Hawai’i Community College. Valid UH ID card must be shown at the entrance.
Tickets can be accessed at HiloAthletics.com/tickets.
For more information, contact the UH-Hilo Ticket Office at 808-932-7802 or at vtickets@hawaii.edu.
All UH-Hilo Baseball games, in addition to the Alumni Game, will be available to be viewed online in partnership with Out of the Sea Media Arts Inc.
Single-game viewing is priced at $10 with a season-package offering of $195.
More information is available at HiloAthletics.com/LiveStream.
Softball ranking
Concordia is the unanimous choice of the Pacific West Conference coaches to win the 2024 regular season title and the Golden Eagles also earned the preseason Pitcher of the Year and a share of the preseason Player of the Year award.
If you think this sounds a lot like the 2023 predictions, you’re right. Last January, the Golden Eagles were the undisputed choice to repeat as title winners and Katlin Entrup was the preseason pitcher of the year. It’s true again in 2024, with the addition of shortstop Rylie Rohr selected as the co-player of the year, sharing with Azusa Pacific’s Katie Korstrom.
There was no jinx in 2023 to those preseason awards. The Golden Eagles would go on to win their second straight title and fourth crown since 2018. They would also win the first-ever PacWest Conference Championship Tournament and advance to the NCAA West Regionals for the fifth consecutive year. Coach Crystal Rosenthal’s squad would wrap the year at 48-13 overall with a 27-5 record in the PacWest, winning the title by seven games over second-place Biola.
All eight PacWest teams will be shooting to qualify for the four-team PacWest Championship tournament May 1-3 at Dominican University in San Rafael. That qualification journey begins Feb. 1 when Biola hosts Northwest Nazarene and HPU travels to Westcliff to start the season.
Feb. 2-4, seven of the eight conference squads will be in Irvine for the Concordia Kick-off Classic, featuring top teams from all across the west region.
UH-Hilo is just two poll points and one slot behind the Sharks at No. 6.
The Vulcans are led by slick-fielding shortstop Jayda Favela, who hit .346 and had 20 stolen bases last year as a sophomore. UHH head coach Aisha Sueda has five starters returning along with transfers Kiani Nakamura (Oregon State) and Megan Yorba (Holy Names). Nakamura played on the 2022 Beavers team that advanced to the NCAA College World Series.
Baseball ranking
The last five full baseball seasons in the Pacific West Conference have seen either Azusa Pacific or Point Loma hoist a trophy as the end of the campaign. According to the PacWest coaches, you shouldn’t expect 2024 to be any different.
The Cougars are the preseason favorites by one poll digit, edging the Sea Lions, 76-75. But Point Loma had more first place votes (5) than APU (4).
Last year, the Sea Lions won the regular season title, but the Cougars claimed the crown for the first-ever PacWest Tournament.
That’s business as usual lately in the PacWest.
The Cougars won the PacWest regular season title in 2017, 2018 and 2019. There were no championships in 2020 or 2021 (COVID-19), and when full play resumed, it was the Sea Lions winning in 2022 and 2023.
The Cougars have been to the NCAA postseason six straight times and PLNU has advanced past the regular season in four of the last five seasons.
First pitch for the 2024 season is on Feb. 1.
UH-Hilo takes the seventh spot, just one voting point ahead of rival HPU.
The Vulcans return Third Team pick Alec Yamauchi but must replace five-year star Casey Yamauchi — who signed undrafted to the Oakland Athletics organization last spring.
The Vulcans went 25-19 last season under veteran head coach Kallen Miyataki.
