After months of anticipation, game week has finally arrived for the University of Hawai‘i baseball team. The Rainbow Warriors will open the 2025 season with a four-game series against Marshall at Les Murakami Stadium, beginning Friday night.
Head coach Rich Hill enters his fourth season at the helm, riding a wave of momentum after a red-hot finish to 2024. The ‘Bows won 18 of their final 20 games, including an 11-game home win streak to close the year.
A significant factor in last season’s success was Hawai‘i’s pitching staff, which led the nation in ERA. Now in his second year, pitching coach Keith Zuniga faces the challenge of replacing key arms, but he has a deep and talented group at his disposal.
Fifteen different pitchers on the roster have hit at least 90 mph on the radar gun, a testament to the team’s development and physical preparation.
“What’s most exciting is we’ve got a bunch of guys who can light up the radar gun but also do a lot of different things,” Zuniga said. “They can hold runners, they’re quick to the plate, they have solid secondary pitches, or they just have a fastball that’s really tough on hitters and can locate it well.”
2025 HAWAI’I BASEBALL PITCHERS
TOP MPH VELOCITIES VIA ROCK ANALYTICS
- Liam O’Brien – 96.3
- Cooper Walls – 94.1
- Ethan Thomas – 93.6
- Itsuki Takemoto – 93.6
- Cory Ronan – 93.0
- Kaysen Raineri – 92.7
- Isaiah Magdaleno – 92.3
- Koen Barton – 92.2
- Jimmy Urban – 91.8
- Charlie Adamson – 91.6
- Freddy Rodriguez – 91.3
- Anthony Andrews – 91.2
- Sebastian Gonzalez – 90.8
- Kyle Dobyns – 90.8
- Joshua Surigao – 90.1
Zuniga credits the team’s strength and conditioning program for the noticeable jumps in velocity.
“The biggest gains have come in the weight room—what they’re eating, what they’re putting into their bodies, and how they’re sustaining that,” he added. “It speaks for itself.”
Beyond the physical improvements, Zuniga sees Hawai‘i’s home-field atmosphere as a major motivator.
“These guys have to be internally motivated, but when you come out here on a Friday night for a squad game and there are people in the stands, it’s special,” he said. **“When you play in an alumni game, and half the lower section is full—it’s unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of.
“Win or lose, this fan base is here. They’re here from the first inning to the ninth, supporting and saluting you. When you feel that type of atmosphere, which I believe is the best on the West Coast, you’re absolutely motivated to go out and win—for this community, for this culture, and for this program.”
Among the returning pitchers expected to play key roles in 2025 are Itsuki Takemoto, Sebastian Gonzalez, Isaiah Magdaleno, and Zachary Tenn.
| Projected Rotations (2024 stats) | Hawai’i Friday — LHP Sebastian Gonzalez (0-0, 3.19) Saturday (Gm 1) — RHP Itsuki Takemoto (3-1, 4.10) Saturday (Gm 2) — LHP Cory Ronan (1-0, 3.60) Sunday — TBD |
|||
The season-opening four-game series against Marshall begins Friday night at Murakami Stadium. A doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday, followed by the series finale on Sunday.
Only Friday’s season opener will be televised on Spectrum Sports.
To view the full 2025 Hawaii baseball schedule, click here.
To view the 2025 Hawaii baseball roster, click here.