If ever there was a time for seldom-used Hawai'i pitchers to step up their game, this is it.

The Rainbows will play nine games in nine days — a pair of doubleheaders give them two off days — beginning today with the Rose City Invitational at PGE Park in Portland, Ore.

Hawai'i (10-6) meets Washington (6-9) at 9 a.m. and tournament host Portland (11-7) at 12:30 p.m. today, both Hawai'i times. The Rainbows take on Oregon (8-8) at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow, then play for either the consolation or tournament title on Sunday. On Monday, they head south to Corvallis to play a single game against Oregon State at 1 p.m.

The Rainbows return home Tuesday before opening a four-game series with No. 15 Coastal Carolina March 26. They play a doubleheader March 27 before closing out the series March 28.

If anything, the compact schedule means opportunities for pitchers like Alex Capaul (4 innings), Alex Myers (1 1/3), Lenny Linsky (1 1/3) and Jesse Moore (hasn't pitched yet). They need the work or the chance to prove they should be used more often. Besides the tight schedule, UH is without Nate Klein (forearm injury) this week and probably the next. Connor Little moves from the bullpen into the rotation, leaving a vacancy in relief.

"Frankly, it's going to turn out to be a good thing," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "We get to see these guys going. I've been wanting to get them out there the past few weeks, but the games we've been playing have been tight. In the long run, I hope it will be a good thing for us. We're definitely up (against the wall) with Klein out, but when guys go down, that creates opportunity."

The Rainbows will open with Jayson Kramer (1-2, 3.54) against Washington, which is scheduled to start left-hander Adrian Gomez (1-2, 5.00). Against Portland, UH will start Jared Alexander (0-0), who has been on incremental increased pitch counts with each start as he builds stamina after being out with elbow pain toward the end of last season. Alexander has yet to allow an earned run in 13 innings from three starts. The Pilots are scheduled to start right-hander Mark Triolo (2-2 4.05).

Freshman Matt Sisto (1-1) starts tomorrow against Oregon left-hander Bennett Whitmore (1-2), 4.94), a JC transfer.

Little (1-0, 2.16) will make his starting debut Sunday.

Before this trip, regulars out of the bullpen were left-handers Sam Spangler and Ryan Davis, and right-handers Harrison Kuroda, Josh Slaats and Little. Their availability to pitch beyond today is dependent on the numbers of pitches they might have to throw today, thus the need to press pitchers like Capaul, Myers, Linsky and Moore.

Moore, a freshman right-hander, was only cleared to play last weekend as he recovered from a thumb injury, Trapasso said.

The intriguing entry in the tournament is Oregon, which is resurrecting a sport it dropped in 1981. The Ducks aren't your typical reclamation project. For openers, they hired George Horton, a two-time National Coach of the Year who guided Cal State Fullerton to the 2004 College World Series title. Horton's first recruiting class has already been rated in the top 10 by Collegiate Baseball (No. 2) and Baseball America (No. 10).

"They've gone at it with both barrels," Trapasso said of OU's baseball commitment. "It starts with getting the best coach in college baseball and having resources. They had a great recruiting class. They're young, but very talented. They're going to be just fine."