The University of Hawai’i baseball team marked head coach Les Murakami’s induction into the College Baseball Hall of Fame with a 4-2 victory over Wichita State on Friday night. The game took place at a sold-out Les Murakami Stadium, where fans and more than 50 of Murakami’s former players, assistant coaches, and staff gathered to honor the coach.
Murakami, who is credited with building the program into a national contender, was recognized in a pregame ceremony attended by notable figures such as pitching greats Derek Tatsuno and Gerald Ako. Gene Stephenson, legendary Wichita State coach and long-time rival and friend of Murakami, also participated in welcoming him into the Hall of Fame. Tatsuno is himself a member of the Hall of Fame since 2007.
On the field, junior pitcher Hekili Robello led Hawai’i by striking out nine batters over six innings while allowing just two runs—one earned—on four hits. This performance secured Robello his second consecutive win for Hawai’i and lowered his ERA to 1.50 across two starts.
After Robello exited the game, relievers Tsubasa Tomii, Saul Soto, and John Alkire II each pitched a scoreless inning to preserve the win.
Hawai’i took control early in the game by scoring four runs in the first inning. The rally began when Kody Watanabe was hit by a pitch with bases loaded to bring home the first run. Evan Rolbiecki followed with an RBI groundout before Kamana Nahaku capped off the inning with a two-out, two-run single.
Wichita State responded with two runs in the top of the second inning but was unable to score again as Robello stranded runners and kept their offense contained.
A full video of the pregame ceremony honoring Murakami is available HERE.
The series between Hawai’i and Wichita State will continue Saturday at 3:05 p.m., with Brody Martin-Grudzielanek scheduled to pitch for Hawai’i and Johnny Nuanez for Wichita State.
