iStockphoto
Hawaii baseball coach Rich Hill is already on his way to becoming one of the program’s most accomplished. Over his first two seasons, he’s won 57 games while leading the Rainbow Warriors to their two best finishes since joining the Big West Conference.
Last season, UH went 29-20 while leading the league in ERA. They also saw an uptick in offensive production, averaging 6.3 runs per game.
He was introduced as the program’s leader in June of 2021, first donning that uniform in the Rainbow Warrior dugout during the ’22 campaign.
While unable to make the postseason over those first two years, Hill has Hawaii headed in the right direction.
That’s no surprise given his history of success. Prior to joining the program, the head coach led San Diego to 747 wins across 23 seasons. He also led a successful stint at his alma mater Cal Lutheran before spending five years at San Francisco.
A known commodity in college baseball coaching circles on the West Coast, he’s off to a positive start on his next project.
And he seems to have landed in the perfect place given his off-the-field passion.
An avid surfer according to his athletics page bio, he says he catches waves daily – an activity that’s continued from his days in San Diego.
The baseball coach was filmed riding a monster wave in a Hawaii storm.
The program’s social media team posted about the instance this week, showing Hill atop a breaking wave in less than ideal conditions.
Coach first, but a waterman a close second.#GoBows pic.twitter.com/LipjY2mRJ9
— Hawaii Baseball (@HawaiiBaseball) March 7, 2024
“It was a Saturday,” he explained while describing the ride. “It was very lully, but those sets were coming in… It got really windy, and everybody went in.
“I said, ‘I’m just gonna wait.’ And that one, as it does, just kinda came to me and spun around… I just kinda let that big board do the work and was fortunate to get down before the lip got me there.”
Challenge accepted!
Rich Hill says he loves surfing because it allows him to test the limits and gives him a way to ‘get on the field’ as opposed to being a coach. It looks like he’s excelling at both.