The University of Hawai'i baseball team called it a season last night.

At 32-26, it would be hard to call it a great season.

Especially when the Rainbows went 6-10 down the stretch to get there, skidding to the end with a 10-3 loss to Fresno State in the NAPA WAC Baseball Tournament yesterday.

So this will likely be a minority opinion, but head coach Mike Trapasso should be given one more season on a contract due to end June 30th.

One more shot to return the 'Bows to the NCAA Tournament. One more opportunity at a WAC championship.

What athletic director Jim Donovan did with men's basketball coach Bob Nash, mandating a hit-it-or-hit-the-highway goal, he should now do with Trapasso.

Nash was told he'd have to win 18 games or take UH to the postseason in 2009-'10 to be retained, both reasonable and necessary goals. Trapasso should have to take UH to the NCAA Tournament in 2010 — again realistic and required — to receive an extension.

Whether he does it by winning the WAC or as an at-large entry would not matter much, only that it is somehow accomplished. Six winning seasons in seven years in nice, but UH should have more than one NCAA appearance in that span.

To be sure it could — and probably should — have been reached this season. Though picked to finish fourth in the WAC this season, the 'Bows started 26-16 and, for a moment, reached No. 20 in the polls before finishing fifth.

Trapasso acknowledged it yesterday saying, "you've gotta finish the game; you've gotta finish the season."

Yesterday, the 'Bows were pau because they did neither.

But along the way two things Trapasso has shown improvement at — scheduling better quality opponents and recruiting more local players (finally) — should pay off next year and beyond. Fresno State coach Mike Batesole noted as much saying he was glad he got the 'Bows this year rather than next.

And it isn't hard to see why. The 'Bows are expected to return the heart of their pitching staff except Jared Alexander and Jayson Kramer and, depending upon the draft, could welcome back six to eight of the regulars from their starting lineup. Trapasso should be given a chance to see what he can do with them — and rise or fall accordingly.

Of course, this being UH, there is one more reason: Do we really want to see this school convene another search committee?