2014 february 10

Page 1

A K LEO T H E

MONDAY, FEB. 10 to TUESDAY FEB. 11, 2014 VOLUME 109 ISSUE 52

Serving the students of the University of Hawai‘i a at M Mānoa. ānoa.

V O I C E

www.kaleo.org

looking for an ace

UH pitchers rising to their roles Last season, pitcher Kaia Parnaby treated softball fans to a season for the ages. Pitching in more than three-quarters of Hawai‘i’s total games, Parnaby claimed almost every single-season record in University of Hawai‘i and Big West history. With Parnaby having graduated this year and pitching professionally overseas, four Rainbow Wahine pitchers are gearing up for the task of replacing an all-time great. Sophomores Keiki Carlos and Loie Kesterson, holdovers from last year’s squad, will team up with freshmen Heather Morales and Brittany Hitchcock to give head coach Bob Coolen a plethora of talent to utilize this season.

“With this being D-I softball, everyone is going to be competitive,” Morales said. “There aren’t going to be any bad athletes where you could find yourself dropping down to their level of competition.” Coolen, who has named Morales as the lead pitcher in his rotation, credits the success to Morales’ upbringing as a pitcher. “She has a great mentality that she’s gotten from the program she comes from,” Coolen said. “The program she comes from was hell-bent on winning. She pitched next to a girl who is going to be pitching at (No. 4) Michigan and emerged as a marquee pitcher. She’s put up a great strikeout to walk ratio, which we hope parlays itself into success because that’s what made Stephanie Ricketts and Kaia Parnaby great.”

MIGHTY ʻMOʼ

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Morales, a 5-foot-7 freshman from Indio, Calif., is the early favorite to step into the role as the ace of Hawai‘i’s staff. Following a solid exhibition season, Morales recorded two complete games and boasts a 3-1 record in the first four starts of her career. Additionally, she began her career with 20 consecutive shutout innings.

Kesterson, who emerged as the No. 2 pitcher last season behind Parnaby, returns in that role this year behind Morales. Kesterson showed marked improvement from last season in her first two starts of the year. Kesterson is 0-2 on the year, but has exhibited better command and held No. 13 UCLA to one hit through six innings.

JEREMY NITTA Senior Staff Writer

Continued on page 2

SHANE GRACE / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I

Heather Morales


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2014 february 10 by Ka Leo O Hawai‘i - Issuu