Hawai'i will try to rebound from its first series loss since the opening weekend against nationally ranked UC Irvine with a four-game Western Athletic Conference series against Sacramento State starting tonight.

The Rainbows (21-12 overall, 4-3 WAC) are home after dropping two of three at Nevada in a series abbreviated by weather. The canceled game will not be made up. The Hornets (20-14, 1-3) took 3 of 4 in a nonconference series from future UH opponent Utah Valley. They also lost to San Francisco on Tuesday.

Hawai'i has issues to resolve to win the series. For starters, the pitching staff needs to forget last week, when it allowed 35 runs in three games. And even though the series will be played in pitcher-friendly Les Murakami Stadium rather than the light-aired Peccole Park, UH pitchers need to get back to form of keeping their pitches down in the strike zone.

The Rainbows' rotation will have a new look this weekend. Jayson Kramer will again open the series tonight, but freshman Matt Sisto is being bumped up to No. 2, or tomorrow's first game of the doubleheader that is scheduled for nine innings. Nate Klein, who returned last week to start the third game of the Nevada series after missing two series with elbow tenderness, is penciled in as tomorrow's second game starter. He went three innings, throwing 58 pitches, against Nevada. Because his period of non-pitching wasn't as long as Jared Alexander's (end of last season to entering this season), Klein won't necessarily be on a strict pitch count.

"We'll kind of see where he's going," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "He hasn't been out long enough to put a certain pitch count on. It will depend how he's throwing, how he's feeling."

Sunday's starter has yet to be named.

Alexander's role will be determined as the series goes. He hasn't been able to find the effectiveness recently that he had shown in his first three, pitch-count limited starts in which he totaled 13 scoreless innings, allowing seven hits and two walks. In his last three starts, he has allowed 14 runs and 20 hits in 7 2/3 innings

"It's about winning games now," Trapasso said."We saw some things on Saturday, even though the numbers don't reflect it, that showed he started to make some adjustments. We'll take each game as it comes. If we need him in relief on Friday or Saturday, we'll do that. But Sunday's a game-time decision."

Shortstop Greg Garcia's right thumb (throwing hand) still isn't 100 percent, but he said the warm weather has made it feel a lot better. He injured the thumb fielding grounders in pregame the first day of the Nevada series. He committed two errors in that game and was replaced by Shane Hoey. Garcia returned the next day and homered in his first at-bat.

Also of concern last weekend was relief pitcher Sam Spangler, who had some tightness in his back. But he threw a pain-free bullpen session Wednesday, so Trapasso said he should be ready to go.

The Hornets are third in the WAC with 39 homers, with junior outfielder Tim Wheeler hitting 12 and batting .391.