Being idle last week had no effect on UH Hilo's standing in the NCBWA Division II West Region poll, where they still are in fourth with one final regular season series left to play.

UHH will travel back to Oahu this coming weekend for a five-game series slated against Hawaii Pacific at Les Murakami Stadium. The action will start with a single game on Friday at 4 pm, followed by Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders that will begin at 11 am.

The Vulcans will take a 11-7 record into the series, including 11-5 in PacWest play. The Vulcans and Sharks last played on April 17-18, with UHH winning both games on Saturday and HPU claiming both games of Sunday's twinbill. 

Offensively, the Vulcans are led by the torrid hitting of third baseman Trey Yukumoto and shortstop Casey Yamauchi. Yukumoto, the senior graduate-transfer from Hawaii Pacific, is hitting .440 and has 12 runs scored. Yamauchi, the third-year shortstop, is batting .382 with 12 runs scored, five doubles and a team-leading 17 RBI. He also has 10 stolen bases in 18 games. Chris Aubort (.274) adds some pop with five doubles, two home runs and eight RBI. 

On the mound, Christian Sadler is coming off a near no-hitter, blanking the Sharks for seven innings before giving up one hit in the eighth during a 2-1 win in Hilo. He is 3-0 with a 1.20 ERA, allowing just five total hits in 15 innings of work. He has walked just three batters and fanned 13. Lefty starter Kyle Alcorn is 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA, Brandyn Lee-Lehano is 3-0 with a 3.33 ERA in a combination of starts and reliefs appearances. He has pitched 24.1 innings, given up 23 hits and struck out 22. He has three saves.

The latest NCBWA poll has the Vulcans fourth, listing as the second team from the Pacific West Conference. The first official NCAA poll will come out next week (May 5) when teams that are under consideration for postseason play are announced. The site for the NCAA West Region tournament will also be announced at that time.

The Vulcans hope to soon clinch the Hawaii Automatic Qualifier (AQ) to add to their season. The champions of the SoCal Pod (Azusa Pacific) and the NorCal Pod (TBD) along with the Hawai`i Pod winner will play in a round robin tournament May 18-20, at Azusa. The winner of the tournament reserves an automatic bid to the NCAA West Region tournament, dates and site to be determined.

Here is this week's National College Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) West Region poll (records in parenthesis).

1. Northwest Nazarene (23-5)
2. Azusa Pacific (24-8)
3. Western Oregon (12-6)
4. Hawai`i Hilo (11-7)
5. Fresno Pacific (15-13)
6. Central Washington (11-9)
7. Academy of Art (13-11)
8. Concordia CA (11-12)
9. Biola (10-14)
T-10. Point Loma (9-19)
T-10. Holy Names (10-12)

The Vulcans hope to soon clinch the Hawaii Automatic Qualifier (AQ) to add to their season. The champions of the SoCal Pod (Azusa Pacific) and the NorCal Pod (TBD) along with the Hawai`i Pod winner will play in a round robin tournament May 18-20, at Azusa. The winner of the tournament reserves an automatic bid to the NCAA West Region tournament, dates and site to be determined.