Galena High graduate and current Hawai'i player Joshua Green had the best day of his life on Friday. Green and his fiancee, Jennifer Peterson, welcomed into the world a new baby girl. They named her Madison. She weighed 6 lbs.
"It's unbelievable," said Green, who went 3-for-4 in the Rainbows' 10-5 loss to Nevada on Saturday at Peccole Park. "It's one of those things you can never describe to anybody until they have been through it. I wasn't even thinking about the game (today), just going back to my baby."
Green missed Friday's game, which the Wolf Pack won 3-1. Peterson's water broke at 4:15 a.m. early Friday morning, Green said, and was in labor until almost 5 p.m.
Coming into the three-game series with Nevada, Green was hitting .257 with 17 RBI and had started 36-of-40 games for Hawai'i. The Rainbows are 26-22 overall and tied for last place in the Western Athletic Conference with a 7-16 record.
"It's been a tough year," Green said. "We've had our ups and downs as a team."
Green was the ineligible player on Galena's 2000 team, which had to forfeit a several games and missed the entire postseason. After Galena, he played at Feather River where he was two-time all Golden Valley Conference player and a first team junior college All-American in 2002.
HAYES, KOUZMANOFF LOOKING FOR ACCOLADES
Freshman catcher Brett Hayes could be a lock for WAC Freshman of the Year honors. His .385 average is second in the conference and he leads Nevada with 51 RBI and is second on the team in doubles (12). Senior Kevin Kouzmanoff hit his WAC-leading 13th homer in Saturday's win. Although Rice's Vincent Sinisi, who leads the conference in hitting, is the most likely candidate for WAC Player of the Year, Kouzmanoff should get several votes.
RAINBOWS AREN'T THAT BAD?
Despite being at the bottom of the WAC standings with a 7-16 record, Hawai'i has played a decent schedule and has a respectable 26-22 overall record. The Rainbows won a series against UCLA earlier this season and have won four game against Sacramento State, a team that split with the Wolf Pack this season. Hawai'i has also beaten perennial power Wichita State, 7-3.
MIRAMONTES SECOND IN WINS
Nevada ace Mateo Miramontes is second in the WAC in total wins this season. His 9-2 record is just behind Rice's Jeff Nieman, who leads the conference with an 11-0 record and a 1.61 ERA. Miramontes ranks fifth in the WAC in strikeouts with 71.
BRYAN JOHNSON STEPPING UP
Sophomore reliever Bryan Johnson pitched two scoreless innings. He lowered his 7.71 ERA to 6.96 after Saturday's outing.
"The last four outings I've felt real good. I've kind of changed my angles a little bit."
