Baseball Opens Season vs. Ole Miss - University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics (2024)

HONOLULU –Hawai'i opens the 2024 season with a big-time test against 2022 College World Series champion Ole Miss Friday through Sunday at Les Murakami Stadium. The Rainbow Warriors will host the Rebels for four games, with single games on Friday and Sunday around a seven-inning, nine-inning doubleheader Saturday.

This weekend's series will be the first ever meeting between the two schools. UH is 39-29 all-time against schools currently in the SEC.

HAWAI'I (0-0, 0-0 Big West) vs. OLE MISS(0-0, 0-0SEC)
Dates & Times				Friday, Feb. 16- 6:35 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17 - 1:05 p.m. (7 innings) Saturday, Feb. 17 - Approx. 45 minutes after the end of game one (9 innings) Sunday, Feb. 18 - 1:05 p.m.
Location				Honolulu, O'ahu -- Les Murakami Stadium
Radio				ESPN Honolulu(Friday, Sunday) | CBS 1500 (Saturday)
TV/Live Stream				Spectrum Sports /ESPN+ (Friday only)
Live Stats				Friday | Saturday (Gm 1) | Saturday (Gm 2) | Sunday
PDF Notes				Hawai'i| Ole Miss
Social Media				@HawaiiBaseball|@Hawaiibsb
Promotions				OUTRIGGERis the series sponsor of opening weekendand will award great prizes throughout the series. Fans will be selected at random to participate in fun ball park games with the chance of winning amazing prizes. Friday (Feb. 16):Hawai'i Baseball kicks off theirFriday night traditionof theTropical Turn Up.Please join us at themauka grassof theLes Murakami Stadiumanhour before first pitch for games, autographs, and music by select DJs. With the addition of this Friday night tradition we hope to create a fun and fresh pre-game atmosphere! Buy your food and drinks from the concessions located on the concourse level and bring it down to theTropical TurnUp at the Les. Former NFL running back for the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons, Todd Gurley will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Saturday (Feb. 17):Little League teams or groups that have purchased a group rate package are invited onto the field to stand alongside the UH baseball players for the National Anthem & Hawai'i Pono'i prior to Saturday's game (Check-in 30 minutes prior to first pitch near the Big Westlogo on the ground level).Group-rates and ticket discountsavailable for select games. Sunday (Feb. 18)We will start another tradition at the Les! Starting this season Coach Hill and the Hawai'i Baseball team invite youth attending the last game of each series to run the bases after the game. Please meet with a marketing staff immediately following the game down at the ground level by the Big West logo as we will walk families and youth out to the field.
Projected Rotations				Hawai'i Friday -- LHP Harrison Bodendorf Saturday (Gm 1) -- LHP Randy Abshier Saturday (Gm 2) -- TBD Sunday -- TBD	Ole Miss Friday -- RHP JT Quinn Saturday (Gm 1) -- LHP Gunnar Dennis Saturday (Gm 2) -- RHP Grayson Saunier Sunday -- RHP Riley Maddox

HEAD COACH RICH HILL
At Hawai'i: 57-44, 3rd season
Collegiate Record: 1,136-782-4, 37th season

SERIES VS. OLE MISS

First Meeting

LEADING OFF
DID YOU KNOW?
The Rainbow Warriors hit .330 and posted a 2.89 ERA during their nine-game home winning streak to end 2023. UH outscored its opponents 73-31 over that stretch while out-hitting teams 100-62 and holding opposing batters to a .209 average.

HOME SWEET HOME
Hawai'i enjoyed major success at home in 2023, especially during Big West play. The Rainbow Warriors won their final nine home games last year behind sweeps of Long Beach State, UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara. UH went 12-3 at home in Big West play and won 11 of 12 at Les Murakami Stadium to end the season. The 'Bows outscored opponents 100-58 at home during conference play, with the pitching staff posting a 3.13 ERA while the offense put up 6.7 runs per game. The Rainbow Warriors' 19-7 overall home record was their best since 1998 while the current nine-game home winning streak is tied for the fifth longest active one in the country.

Active Home Winning Streaks
Kent State – 14
Alabama State – 13
Wright State – 12
Oral Roberts – 10
Hawai'i – 9
Ohio State – 9

EXPERIENCED STAFF
Head coach Rich Hill made a couple of key additions to his coaching staff during the offseason. Hill brought in pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Keith Zuniga and assistant coach Lindsay Meggs, meaning all four of UH's full-time coaches have previous experience as Division I head coaches. Meggs was a DI skipper for 16 years, the last 13 of which came at Washington while Zuniga was the interim head coach at New Mexico State in 2023. Assistant coach Dave Nakama spent four seasons as the head coach at San Jose State from 2013-16.

BRING 'UM BACK
Despite losing their top two hitters from a season ago, the Rainbow Warriors bring back the majority of their starting lineup in 2024. The 'Bows return six players who started at least 30 games last season including five who started at least 41 of the 49 games. In total, Hawai'i brings back a combined 303 of its position player starts from 2023 while the returnees accounted for 66.2 percent of the team's hits and 65.3 percent of the RBIs.

POWER SURGE
The Rainbow Warriors are coming off of one of their best power-hitting seasons in recent years in 2023. The 'Bows hit the most home runs in a season since 2010 with 36 while their slugging percentage of .416 was also the highest since the 2010 campaign. Additionally, Hawai'i had five players slug over .450 while five had at least 10 doubles and four hit at least four home runs.

LETHAL LEFTY
Harrison Bodendorf got his college career off to an incredible start, earning Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball a year ago. The lefty finished 5-2 with a 3.45 ERA and 66 strikeouts over 57.1 innings pitched with a .239 batting average against. A first-team All-Big West selection, Bodendorf ended the year second among freshmen in the conference in strikeouts and earned a save in five of his final seven appearances, owning a 2.04 ERA with 24 strikeouts to five walks during that stretch.

» First UH player to earn Freshman All-America honors since 2019 (Scotty Scott), and the first Rainbow Warrior pitcher since 2017 (Dylan Thomas).
» One of three pitchers in the conference with at least five saves and five wins.
» Worked at least 2.1 innings in all five of his saves, posting a 0.59 ERA over 15.1 innings in those appearances, striking out 22 while walking just four batters.
» Finished with a K-BB ratio of 48-10 in his 15 relief appearances compared to a 18-17 ratio in six starts.

VETERAN ARM
The most experienced arm on the Hawai'i pitching staff, Randy Abshier heads into his fifth collegiate season looking to lock down one of the front line spots in the starting rotation. Abshier spent all of 2023 as UH's Saturday starter, making 15 starts while going 6-3 with a 4.29 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 71.1 innings. A transfer from Arizona, Abshier leads the team with 114.1 career innings pitched and 111 strikeouts and is 11-3 over his career in 55 appearances.

» Went 5-0 at Les Murakami Stadium last year with a 2.98 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 42.1 innings.
» Struck out at least nine batters in each of his final three starts at home while getting the win in four straight home starts to end the year.
» Named Big West Pitcher of the Week after becoming the first UH pitcher since 2018 to toss a shutout, working a two-hitter with nine strikeouts vs. Long Beach State on Apr. 22.