UH athletic director David Matlin announced Tuesday that Trapasso’s contract, which ends on Aug. 31, will not be renewed.

“We have decided to make a change in leadership with our baseball program,” Matlin said in a news release announcing the decision. “Mike has been a true ambassador for the Rainbow Warrior baseball program through his 20 seasons as head coach and we are proud of his accomplishments on and off the diamond. He is a true Rainbow Warrior and always tried to do what was best for the program. We will always appreciate Mike as a coach and a mentor to our student-athletes.”

The Rainbow Warriors finished 24-26 overall and 16-24 in Big West Conference play in 2021 — they lost 11 of their final 12 games after starting the season 11-3 and being ranked No. 30 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

“Trap’s been there for a while and I believe that his contract came up, maybe several times,” said Jamie Aloy, a Baldwin High School alum who graduated from UH in 2000, one year before Trapasso took over. “I know that the athletic department has been renewing his contract. From what I understand it’s probably more affordable to renew a contract than to go get a new one.

Trapasso

“Throughout his tenure there, I want to say he’s been somewhat successful. It may have took him a while to get the local kids on his rosters. Eventually at the end of the day, it happened, which is great.”

Aloy was the last player from the Valley Isle on the roster before Konnor Palmeira from Kamehameha Maui was part of the 2021 team.

“I was talking with a former teammate yesterday and we both were trying to define Hawaii baseball and to both of us, Hawaii baseball is the local talent here in Hawaii playing at the university,” Aloy said.

Lanai’s Naighel Calderon, who was on the 2020 and 2021 rosters, was the first player from Maui County to be part of the program since Molokai’s Keahi Rawlins graduated in 2007.

Trapasso, a native of St. Louis, Mo., accumulated a 536-531 record at UH and took the Rainbow Warriors to two NCAA tournaments, although the –‘Bows have not been to an NCAA regional since 2010.

“Oh wow, that’s a big surprise to me,” said Rawlins, who is the current Molokai High School head coach. “Coach Trap, I was part of his first recruiting class and you know from what I’ve seen he was trying to do, he was really trying to get local talent in and obviously he did fairly well.”

Rawlins added, “Just what he brought from Georgia Tech and his professional background, he really made my decision of going there. He was a coach that had some miles on him as far as experience.”

Rawlins was clearly caught off-guard by the news.

“I don’t know what to say, I just hope they get somebody in there that’s like-minded,” Rawlins said. “And hopefully they stay recruiting local strong. We do have a lot of baseball talent because obviously besides football in Hawaii, that’s a strongpoint.”

Since 1971, Les Murakami and Trapasso have been the program’s only head coaches.

“So, I know when Trap started there he went opposite the Murakami era, which is fine — I totally understand he’s trying to make a name for himself,” Aloy said. “But you know, at the end of the day, Hawaii baseball is Hawaii baseball. And just being a product of Hawaii baseball I believe it starts with the local talent and quite possibly a local coach.”

The program has yet to name Trapasso’s replacement, and a national search is expected to begin immediately.

Jon Viela, the current athletic director at Kamehameha Maui and former state champion player and coach for Baldwin, was a UH team Most Valuable Player under Murakami in the 1980s.

“I was kind of surprised because I was under the impression that he just got renewed not too long ago, that their longterm goal was to keep him there,” Viela said. “I was surprised, but I think in the other sense the expectation that by the Hawaii people is probably higher than what it is now. Meaning that they obviously would like to see winning teams, very successful teams. He had some tough shoes to fill following Coach Les as far as going to the (College) World Series and everything else.

“It was a different time in the game, but I think that’s what Hawaii people expected. And also not seeing too much local players on the team, on the roster and stuff like that –î that had to have some effect.”

Viela added, “I think a local person would be a really good choice, even along those lines an alumni would be a really good choice, people who know the UH baseball culture, the history. Not only baseball culture, but the Hawaii local culture as well.”

Longtime Maui resident Scott Teruya is a 1993 Hawaii graduate who played in the program.

“Coach Trap did a lot for the state, first and foremost,” Teruya said. “It’s been about two decades since he’s been there and like anything, I think a fresh start for the program is always good. I definitely would love to see more Maui people being recruited to the program.”

Kila Ka’aihue, a volunteer assistant coach who joined Trapasso’s staff this season, was a name that the Maui County UH alumni all mentioned as a strong candidate for the job.

“I think Kila would be a great addition because he gives some perspective of local people,” Teruya said. “He’s played at the highest level, he’s a local boy and I think he would bring back more of the locals like back in the day when I was playing.”

Ka’aihue coached at Kaiser High School for the past four seasons (2017-20) and played professionally in Major League Baseball, minor league baseball and Japan over 14 seasons. At Kaiser, Ka’aihue led the Cougars to three winning seasons.

The 2002 Iolani graduate was drafted in the 15th round straight out of high school by the Kansas City Royals and spent four seasons in the big leagues. He finished his playing career in Japan with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 2013-14.

Another name mentioned as a possible replacement was Kanekoa Texeira, a Mauian who attended Kamehameha Kapalama and Saddleback (Calif.) Junior College. He played two seasons in the majors — with Seattle in 2010 and Kansas City in 2010 and 2011 –î and is now the manager of the Rome Braves, the high Class A team in the Atlanta Braves organization.

Viela added his former teammate Todd Takayoshi as a possible candidate.

“I am excited –î I think as an alumni everybody still holds the program dear and holds it deep in their heart,” Viela said. “For me, I would really like to see UH baseball be successful. And to see hopefully an alumni or local coach, it would be fun to see, fun to experience.”

Aloy also mentioned Mike Lum, currently part of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, as another possible candidate. Aloy himself was mentioned by Teruya as a candidate to replace Trapasso or perhaps be part of the new staff.

“Being an alumni I still support, but it would be nice to see somebody local in there,” Aloy said. “If you can get somebody local in there, you’re going to get the local talent in there and put people in the stands. To me, I think that’s important, just for the culture here.”

Aloy said that has been a big missing piece of the UH baseball puzzle.

“It’s only been just recently that they’ve recruited the outer islands,” Aloy said. “So, I think it’s headed in the right direction. Good luck to coach Trap in his future endeavors, but I’m hoping for a local coach.

“I’ve been rooting for Kila Ka’aihue, he has a lot to offer, he has played at the highest level and he’s young. There’s some stability in going with a guy like him. … Baseball’s in his blood.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.