Hawaii’s Magdaleno earns 3rd straight Big West honor ahead of tournament

Ahead of the Hawaii baseball team’s flight to California, right-handed pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno received a familiar parting gift.

For the third week in a row, Magdaleno was named the Big West’s Pitcher of the Week.

The junior from Los Angeles continued a remarkable run with last Wednesday’s one-hit, 14-strikeout shutout of Cal State Northridge. In his last three starts, Magdaleno posted these numbers: one earned run, six hits, 39 strikeouts against two walks, in 26 innings.

“The last three weeks, I’ve never seen anything like that,” UH head coach Rich Hill said. “That’s four decades, maybe more, of watching this thing. … He’s certainly on a roll. (But) it’s all about that next game. You know how baseball is. It’s pitch by pitch.”

Magdaleno is focused on Wednesday’s play-in game against Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament in Irvine, Calif. The winner advances into the double-elimination round. The loser heads into the offseason.

“It’s not too much pressure now,” said Magdaleno, referencing last year’s play-in victory over UC Santa Barbara in the inaugural Big West Tournament. “We’ve been here before as a team. We — the returners — know what it’s like to go into this tournament. It’s more so the newer guys seeing what it’s like. They’re going to be super excited going there for the first time in the Big West Tournament.”

Since signing with the ’Bows in June 2021, Hill has promoted each game as the seventh of a World Series. Hill is hopeful that approach, as well as fighting to secure one of the tournament’s five berths, has prepared the ’Bows for Wednesday’s elimination game.

“I just think we’re built for this,” Hill said. “We’re built for the mentality of the postseason. Here, the outcome is a bit of a distraction. It’s all about the process it takes to get that W. The postseason, a lot of external things kind of creep in. You win, you kind of move on. You lose, it’s over. All those attachments. We work on that. A lot of visualization, a lot of breath work, and a lot of meditation. It just comes down to playing the best baseball you can. And the best way to do that is to be free and easy.”

1. UC SANTA BARBARA GAUCHOS

>> Records: 22-8 Big West, 37-16 overall

>> Head coach: Andrew Checketts

>> First game: Thursday at 10 a.m. against Hawaii-Cal State Fullerton winner

>> The skinny: For starters, Jackson Flora is regarded as one of the nation’s best right-handed pitchers. He’s 10-0 with an NCAA-leading 1.03 ERA while second in hits allowed per nine innings (5.15). Flora relies on a 96-97-mph fastball that occasionally amps to triple digits. His slider has two gears — 78-81 mph with a wide break and an 86-89-mph version with a downward cut. He also mixes in a changeup. Long Beach State transfer Kellan Montgomery and Nathan Aceves fill out the rotation. Catcher Nate Vargas has smacked a team-high 10 homers. He has not committed an error. Opponents have been thrown out 39.2% on steal attempts. Jonathan Mendez was the starting shortstop through midseason but has been used as pinch-hitter and designated hitter in his past 16 appearances. Corey Nunez has taken over at short, and William Vasseur, who is hitting .322, made the midseason move from third to second.

>> Player to watch: In last year’s play-in game, Checketts started Flora over Tyler Bremner, the eventual No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft. The Gauchos lost to UH in that game, ending their season without Bremner pitching in the postseason. No gamble this time. Flora, who averages 11.86 strikeouts per nine innings, gets the ball as the Gauchos’ ace.

2. CAL POLY MUSTANGS

>> Records: 22-8 BW, 33-21 overall

>> Head coach: Larry Lee

>> First game: Thursday at 3 p.m. against UC San Diego

>> The skinny: It’s been a roller-coaster ride for right-handed junior Griffin Naess, who was named to the league’s preseason first team. Naess has been very good (one hit, 16 strikeouts in seven innings against Washington State; 6 2/3 scoreless innings against USC) and not-so-good (five runs apiece in three innings against UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara). But Lee has been supportive of Naess’ “ability to get out of jams,” usually with a plus-changeup. Ethan Marmie, who was 4-4 in 14 starts last year, spent the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Laif Palmer has not pitched since suffering an injury against Hawaii in March. But Carson Turnquist is 7-2 in 11 starts. And Nick Bonn has pitched multiple innings in eight of 12 saves. The offense revolves third baseman Alejandro “Peanut” Garza, who is hitting .337 with a strikeout ratio of 6.1%. Michael Garza gave his son the nickname because of his alleged resemblance to a legume on a prenatal ultrasound. At 5-9 and 165 pounds, Garza uses a wide stance to create torque on his swing. He pulled a rare home run to left at Les Murakami Stadium in March.

>> Player to watch: Two years ago, Cal Poly catcher Ryan Stafford was the Baltimore Orioles’ fifth round selection in the 2024 draft. Last year, Jack Collins hit 13 homers in his lone Mustang season. California transfer Ryan Tayman is the latest success at catcher. He leads with a .351 average and tied Cal Poly’s single-season record with his 16th home run.

3. UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS

>> Records: 18-12 BW, 24-26 overall

>> Head coach: Eric Newman

>> First game: Thursday at 3 p.m. against Cal Poly

>> The skinny: Before the Tritons’ ascent, there was the smackdown. Newman assembled a nonconference schedule that included top-ranked UCLA, No. 15 Oregon and Cincinnati. The Tritons went 6-14 in those games, although one of the wins was over UCLA. Newman had said “we were able to take away a lot of lessons and maintain a certain level of confidence and trust and faith in what we’re doing” entering Big West play. The Tritons are batting .246 and have struck out an average 8.9 times per game. Third baseman J.C. Allen, first baseman Gabe Camacho, and corner outfielders Alex Leopard and Nick Costello whiff a combined average of every 3.55 at bats. But when Camacho connects — average exit speed of 95.7 mph — the ball goes far (52% of his hits are homers or doubles). But in the past eight games, shortstop Anthony Postetio has struck out once in 31 at bats while hitting .451. “When it comes to just knowing the strike zone, he has high level bat-to-ball skill,” Newman has said. Centerfielder Michael Crossland, who is hitting .326 in league games and has not made an error this season, has not played since leaving the May 2 game against Long Beach State after one at bat. Steele Murdock, who averages 12.7 strikeouts and 9.1 hits per nine innings, is the top starter.

>> Player to watch: With a team-best 16 home runs and 51 RBIs, Camacho appears fit for the middle of the order. And despite having only one steal, he has been used as a leadoff hitter because of his knack for getting on base. He has been hit by 26 pitches.

4. HAWAII RAINBOW WARRIORS

>> Records: 16-14 BW, 27-22 overall

>> Head coach: Rich Hill

>> First game: Wednesday at 3 p.m. against Cal State Fullerton

>> The skinny: For the third year in a row, pitching coach Keith Zuniga assembled a top-10 staff. The ’Bows are ranked third nationally with a 3.44 ERA. They also are 21st in strikeouts-to-walks ratio at plus-2.67. Isaiah Magdaleno, who returned to the rotation after a year as a closer, has had a Linsanity-like three weeks, pitching to a 0.69 ERA and 0.31 WHIP while averaging 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Hill said it’s the most impressive stretch he’s witnessed in four decades of coaching. After redshirting last season, Hekili Robello has impressed as the No. 2 starter. The ’Bows received a boost with the return of shortstop Elijah Ickes, who missed 20 games because of a wrist injury. He nearly hit for the cycle in his first game back. Taylor Takata, who filled in for Ickes, is now an option at short or second. In Big West play, Takata is hitting a team-best .339 while committing only two errors in 62 chances. It took a couple of months for first baseman Josh Martin to adjust from JUCO ball, but he is hitting .321 in 23 Big West games.

>> Player to watch: Tsubasa Tomii, the pitching hero of the 2017 Little League World Series, has a 1.56 ERA in 25 relief appearances, including 1.11 against Big West hitters. Right-handed Tomii has limited left-handed batters to a .093 average. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is plus-2.6.

5. CAL STATE FULLERTON TITANS

>> Records: 15-15 BW, 23-30 overall

>> Head coach: Jason Dietrich

>> First game: Wednesday at 3 p.m. against Hawaii

>> The skinny: The Titans had lost five in a row and were facing an early offseason when they rallied to defeat UC San Diego on Saturday to secure the tournament’s final berth. Outfielder Paul Contreras hit .436 in league play, including going 5-for-5 in the elimination game. He batted .259 last season after transferring from Modesto Junior College. As a right fielder, Contreras has thrown out seven runners while not committing an error. After Long Beach State transfer Armando Briseno suffered a season-ending injury, there were open auditions at shortstop. Cameron Kim, a natural third baseman, won the job. Mikiah Negrete, who shut out UH on two hits, is the Titans’ ace. He once was recruited by Rich Hill, who was at San Diego at the time. After Hill accepted the Hawaii job in June 2021, Negrete committed to USD for the 2023 season. He transferred to Fullerton in 2024.

>> Player to watch: With a gyrating, four-hitch motion, it is impossible to not watch left-handed Negrete. “It’s like a dance,” Negrete said of his delivery. “It’s a dance for me, and it helps my rhythm.” Negrete complements a 91-mph fastball with a slider.

BIG WEST BASEBALL TOURNAMENT

At Irvine, Calif.

Hawaii (27-22, 16-14 BW) vs. Cal State Fullerton (23-30, 15-15)

>> When: Wednesday, 3 p.m.

>> Radio: 1500-AM / 92.7-FM

>> Streaming: ESPN+

>> Note: Winner plays No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara 10 a.m. Thursday in a double-elimination tournament. Loser is eliminated.