Vulcans open PacWest play with Biola
 
Saturday, March 3, UH Hilo (9-4/0-0 PWC) vs. Biola (15-3/4-0 PWC), Noon, DH
Live Stats available at hiloathletics.com
 
Hilo Headlines: It has been nearly two weeks since the Vulcans have seen action, but they will jump right into a packed home schedule beginning with a Saturday doubleheader against Biola (noon). UH Hilo had games scrubbed because of weather against Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific in the last two weeks. Their last action was a doubleheader split with Central Washington on Feb. 16.
 
Rain, Rain Go Away: The Vulcans have had trouble not only playing games, but with getting in quality practice because of rain drenching the Big Island. The Feb. 15 games with Chaminade were non-conference contests, and will not be made up. Last Saturday's rained out twinbill with Hawaii Pacific has been rescheduled for April 14.
 
Solid Start: As UH Hilo heads into conference action, they bring one of the best non-conference records in the PacWest with them (9-4). Only Dixie State (15-0) and Biola (15-3) are better, with California Baptist slightly higher in the win percentage column at 7-3.
 
Biola Byline: PacWest first-year member Biola is off to a sizzling start with a 15-3 overall record and have an 11-game winning streak heading into a Thursday doubleheader at Hawaii Pacific. They swept Chaminade in their first-ever PacWest series to begin conference play 4-0. Picked to finish sixth in the PacWest pre-season poll, the Eagles went 21-22 last year in their final campaign as an NAIA program. Biola is hitting .345 as a team, led by Jay Perez's .442 pace. In the pitching circle, the Eagles use four pitchers and have a team ERA of 2.71. Saturday's doubleheader will be the first-ever meeting between the Eagles and Vulcans.
 
Booming Bats and Sizzling Pitching: The Vulcans are hitting .330 as a team with 18 home runs in 13 games. They are averaging 7.5 runs a game, and have scored in double figures in five games…UHH has a team ERA of 3.66.
 
Big Bats Part II: Junior transfer Isabelle Mejia leads that offense surge with a .444 average, five home runs and 21 RBI. Sophomore catcher Brinell Kaleikini is also over .400 at .410, with four doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI. Bailey Gaspar joins the power trio with a .391 average, four doubles, five home runs and 13 RBI. As a team, the Vulcans rank sixth in all of NCAA Division II with 1.38 home runs per game.
 
Pitching Power: Senior righthander Cyanne Fernandez has picked up right where she left off last year, when she led the Vulcans with a 8-3 record and a 1.67 ERA. Thus far, she is 7-0 with a 2.33 ERA. Only four pitchers in the country have a better record than her in Division II—two with 9-0 records, two with 8-0 records. Reliever Billi Derleth has a 1.97 ERA in four appearances.

PacWest Leaderboard: The Vulcans are tied for the PacWest lead in home runs (18) with Concordia…Despite playing fewer games than six teams in the conference, they are third in RBI (86)…They are second in the conference in slugging percentage (.558)…The Vulcans are fourth in fielding percentage (.965)…Among those with enough at-bats to qualify, Isabelle Mejia is third in the PacWest with a .444 batting average, first in RBI with 21 and tied for first in home runs (5)…Bailey Gaspar is third in runs scored (19) and tied for first in home runs…Darian Obara is tied for first in sacrifice bunts (5)…Cyanne Fernandez leads the league in win percentage at 7-0 (1,000).

Around the Horn: While the Vulcans have yet to crack the national poll, or even receive votes, they are familiar with some teams that have. Colorado Mesa, who topped the Vulcans 8-5 in Las Vegas, is now 12-0 and ranked third in the latest NFCA Division II poll. PWC member Dixie State is fourth with a 15-0 record. Sonoma State, whom the Vulcans defeated 12-2, is No. 16. Concordia at 7-4 is No. 20, and California Baptist is receiving votes.

Rookie Class: It's been a good start for some members of the Vulcan freshman class of 2018. Kiarra Lincoln has started all 13 games at either second base or shortstop, is hitting .293 with 14 runs scored, and has not made an error in 58 chances. Darian Obara has also started all games in the outfield is hitting .241 and has five sacrifice bunts. Skylar Thomas has started 11 games and is hitting .259 with 13 RBI and two home runs, and Markie Okamota is hitting .368 in eight games with six runs driven in.
 
Pre-Season Plaques: Seniors Bailey Gaspar and Mari Kawano picked some honors before the season even started. Both were named to the Pre-Season All-PacWest team, and Gaspar was also tabbed to the FastPitch News All-West Region squad. Gaspar was also selected to the Desert Stinger All-Tournament team.
 
What's Next: After the Biola doubleheader, the Vulcans will stay home and welcome Azusa Pacific on March 8 and Concordia on March 10.
 
Last Year: The Vulcans went 26-22 with a 17-15 mark in the Pacific West Conference. They suffered through a six-game losing streak in the middle of the season, but later won ten straight contests. They finished in seventh place in the 12-team PacWest.
 
Storied Program: In 30 years of Vulcan softball, UH Hilo has had 28 winning seasons. The program began in 1988 and played in the NAIA until 1995. Records are sketchy, but the program has made at least seven playoff appearances, four of them in the NCAA.
 
Coach Callen: Head coach Callen Perreira returned to the Vulcan bench last year, his first since 2009 but his 21^st overall. His UH Hilo record is now 610-371-3 (through Easton Classic games). Including four seasons at College of Southern Nevada, his collegiate mark is 747-475-3. Prior to entering the collegiate coaching ranks, he was the head coach at Hilo High School from 1978-87, winning eight consecutive league titles and a state title.