Hawaii follows rainbow to LSU

Published 9:48 pm Friday, March 9, 2018

<p class="p1">When the University of Hawaii decides to make a road trip, it doesn’t fool around.</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Rainbow Warriors will leave the island for the first time this season with their first trip to a Southeastern Conference school, a little hop of 4,147 miles for a weekend series in Baton Rouge against LSU.</span></p><p class="p1">“We love playing different teams in our nonconference schedule that LSU has never played before,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “I thought our fans would enjoy watching us play them.”</p><p class="p1">Hawaii (7-4) swept a three-game series with Air Force and split four-game series with Brigham Young and Loyola Marymount.</p><p class="p1">For the Tigers (9-4) it’s the final nonconference weekend before Southeastern Conference play begins against some pitching that should rival the arms in the SEC. </p><p class="p1">Hawaii brings — statistically at least — the NCAA’s fourth-best pitching staff, boasting a team ERA of 1.74.</p><p class="p1">“We’ve watched them on tape, and they’ve got great arms, and their offense is much better than the numbers would indicate,” Mainieri said. “It’s going to be three great games. It’s going to have a feel for us like an SEC series, and that’s how we’re going to approach it.”</p><p class="p1">LSU’s 4.80 ERA looks bloated by comparison, but the Tigers have made encouraging strides on the mound over the last two weeks to whittle a number that was over 10 runs per game heading into last weekend.</p><p class="p1">Both starters Zack Hess (2-1, 6.46 ERA) and Caleb Gilbert (1-0, 5.62) had impressive outings leading off last weekend. Hess was named national player of the week by Collegiate Baseball magazine for his 13-strikeout performance against Toledo.</p><p class="p1">The Tigers should get more help this weekend.</p><p class="p1">Last Sunday, AJ Labas made his injury-delayed college debut with two scoreless innings against Southeastern Louisiana.</p><p class="p1">He also started Wednesday against Louisiana-Lafayette with three more scoreless innings and likely won’t be available this weekend.</p><p class="p1">But another recuperating Tiger, Nick Storz (0-0, 0.00), is scheduled to make his debut with a Sunday start against Hawaii.</p><p class="p1">Storz, a 6-foot-6, 257-pound freshman from Brooklyn, New York, will be on a similarly strict low pitch count as was Labas for his first college appearance.</p><p class="p1">Mainieri said Storz, who was recovering from bone spurs, felt some mild shoulder fatigue this week after throwing a simulated game on Monday.</p><p class="p1">He’ll throw some again on Saturday and, if all goes well, will start Sunday, Mainieri said.</p><p class="p1">If not, freshman right-hander Ma’khail Hilliard, who hasn’t allowed a run in 12 innings of relief work, will get his first start. Assuming Storz starts, Mainieri said he expects Hilliard to relieve early and stay long.</p>