Newfound fans electrify Rainbow Wahine softball games
Players have already proven they have what it takes, it's time for Hawaii fans to do the same
MANOA—Last season, the University of Hawaii’s Rainbow Wahine went all the way to the College World Series. And, on their way to Oklahoma City, they shocked the softball world with stunning, walk-off victories over number-one ranked Alabama and perennial powerhouse Stanford.
Although they didn’t win the NCAA Championship, the softball team’s miracle season managed to capture the attention of Hawaii residents and make people realize there is something special brewing in Manoa.
This past Valentine’s Day weekend, the Rainbow Wahine opened up their season with the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic—a four-team tournament also featuring Southern Utah, Texas State, and UC-Davis. Although the tourney officially marks the start of the season, many would say that the weekend was merely a warm up for the Wahine.
With five straight victories, three of them by mercy rule, Hawaii, took home the Paradise Classic trophy with ease and have some momentum going into this week’s tournament in Las Vegas.
Led by returning All-Americans Kelly Majam and Melissa Gonzales and ace pitcher Stephanie Ricketts, the Wahine have the firepower to go for another sweep as they get ready to face Utah, Long Beach State, Oregon, Stanford, and CS Northridge.
Aside from the Rainbow Wahine making kalua pig out of every team they face, the most intriguing story from this season surrounds a player that wasn’t around before: the crowd.
At last year’s opening three-day tournament, about 1,000 people showed up ... total, including the players and team representatives. Even with free admission, nobody wanted to come and support the Rainbow Wahine.
This past weekend, over 1,000 fans showed up each day from Thursday to Saturday. Fans were showing up early (even for the non-Hawaii games) and some had to stand up because they arrived too late. If for some reason people couldn’t make it, they could at least listen to the radio coverage on ESPN 1420.
For the first time in a long time, the atmosphere at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium was electric and it was something to behold. Media coverage and buzz over the team last year really didn’t build up till the end of WAC play, but by that time it was almost too late. The team was getting ready to go on the road for the conference tournament and weren’t going to be playing any home games. The 2010 model of the Hawaii softball bandwagon had already left the station. But not to worry, the 2011 version is at full capacity.
It’s good to know that the softball team is finally getting the attention it deserves, but the contrarians will now question whether or not the squad can handle great expectations for a repeat trip to the College World Series. Judging by the way the Wahine ended last year and have started 2011, it seems they’ll be just fine. The real test lies in seeing how loyal the team’s newfound fans will be and if they’ll ever let the bleachers collect dust.