Vulcans Open PacWest Play at with a Dozen Games
 
Hawai`i Hilo 5-3 overall/0-0 PacWest Conference
Tues-Wed, March 5-6 vs. Notre Dame de Namur (0-15/0-12 PWC), Noon DH, UHH Softball Field
Fri.-Sat., March 8-9 vs. Holy Names (2-5/1-1 PWC), Noon DH, UHH Softball Field
Tues-Wed., March 12-13 vs. Dominican (3-1/2-1 PWC), Noon DH, UHH Softball Field
Live Stats available at hiloathletics.com
 
Hilo Headlines: The Vulcans are anxious to get back to action after a 5-3 start in Las Vegas and Utah, but they haven't played since Feb. 9. Weather permitting, they will play 12 home games over nine days, beginning with a Tuesday doubleheader against Notre Dame de Namur.
 
Silversword Make-Up: The Vulcans scheduled home opener with Chaminade on Feb. 24 was rained out and has been rescheduled for April 20.
 
Battling Good Teams and the Weather: The Vulcans played in freezing temperatures while in Nevada and Utah last month, and sometimes they didn't play at all. UH Hilo had four games cancelled on the trip and played in 20-30 degree temps in St. George, Utah for the Dixie State Courtyard Classic
 
Dandy in Dixie: 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 13^th in the  NCAA Div. II national poll, also went 4-1 as did No. 22 Colorado Mesa.
 
National Notice: The Vulcans defeated Colorado Mesa, then No. 22 in the NFCA poll and now at No. 17. Other west region teams in the it's-still-too-early-to-mean-much listing are Concordia (5), Chico State (8), UC San Diego (13), Cal State San Bernardino (20) and Dixie State (22).
 
PacWest Prognosis: Concordia, behind PacWest Preseason Pitcher of the Year Callie Nunes, is the coach's pick to win the PacWest in 2019. Biola was listed second, Azusa Pacific third, and UH Hilo fourth.
 
Charting the Opposition: The Vulcans will play four games against Notre Dame de Namur, who will be looking for their first win of the season when they arrive in Hilo. They dropped four games each at Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade before arriving on the Big Island. Two of the losses versus the Silverswords were by just one run. Aurora Adams leads the Argos with a .333 average, with Megan Lawson right behind at .313. UH Hilo won all four games played last year between the teams (in Belmont), and the Vulcans lead the all-time series, 34-5. Holy Names arrives on Friday, after first playing four games at Hawaii Pacific, March 5-6. They are 1-1 in conference, having split a doubleheader with Biola and are 2-5 overall. Cassidy Simon is off to a sizzling start at the plate with a .500 average in 20 at-bats, while Synphony Hall has the Hawks' best pitching numbers with a 2.56 ERA. The Vulcans won all four games last year versus the Hawks and UHH leads the all-time series, 8-1. Dominican will arrive in Hilo for games on March 12-13, kicking off 12 games in Hawaii for the Penguins. They are 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the PacWest, but still have games to play against Azusa Pacific and Concordia before crossing the ocean. McKenzie Schumacher was named to the Preseason All-PacWest team, after earning 2018 Second Team All-PWC honors. Last year, she hit .345 and stole 44 bases, tops in the NCAA West Region. Last year, the Vulcans and Penguins split the only two games that they played, and Dominican leads the all-time series, 11-7.
 
Brinell's the Best: Junior utility player Brinell Kaleikini was tabbed by the PacWest coaches as the Preseason Player of the Year. She was also named to the preseason team at the Utility position, having played successfully in five different spots in 2018. The Honolulu native (Moanalua HS) hit .361 last year with 13 doubles, six home runs and 39 RBI. She is off to a good start in 2019, hitting .400 through eight games.
 
Save Some of Those: Head coach Callen Perreira had to be thinking that during UH Hilo's 19-0 win over Chadron State (Neb.) at the Dixie tournament. The Vulcans scored six runs in the first inning and eight in the second to put away the Eagles early. They ended up with 16 hits in the game by ten different players. It was the most runs scored by a Vulcan team since the 2017 squad crossed the plate 23 times during a 23-3 win over Holy Names.
 
Hitter's Headlines: 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). Kiarra Lincoln is hitting .321 with two home runs and eight RBI, while Isabelle Mejia (.333) has four doubles. Kimberly Olivas (.333) had eight RBI and Danielle Antolin joins the .300+ club with a .313 average.
 
Pitching Progress: The Vulcans have a team ERA of .263, with four different pitchers having entered the circle thus far. Leah Gonzales leads in appearances with five, all out of the bullpen, and she has a 1-1 record with a sparkling 0.58 ERA. She also has 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 the 19-0 win over Chadron State, and she took advantage in cruising to the shutout win. In three appearances, she has a 0.00 ERA.
 
Last Year: The Vulcans went 31-15 overall and were 19-9 in the PacWest (fifth place). They just missed out of the NCAA Division II playoffs, unofficially by a spot or two. Bailey Gaspar wrapped one of the great careers in Vulcan history with a school record 15 home runs and a UHH-best 54 RBI and was named a Second-Team All-American.
 
Storied Program: In 31 years of Vulcan softball, UH Hilo has had 29 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. The Vulcans currently have a run of ten straight winning campaigns.
 
Coach Callen: Head coach Callen Perreira returned to the Vulcan bench in 2017, his second stint with the Vulcans. In 22 total seasons, his UH Hilo record is now 638-385-3 (through Dixie State tournament). Including four seasons at College of Southern Nevada, his collegiate mark is 774-489-3. 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.