No question the Hawai'i baseball team is in Sun Devils country.

"It's hot," Rainbows coach Mike Trapasso said in a telephone interview from the home of the Arizona State Sun Devils.

The Rainbows (24-13) will meet the Sun Devils (28-8) at 3:30 p.m., HST, today at — take a deep breath — Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark in Tempe, Ariz.

But the climate isn't the only hot item. The game is a battle of nationally ranked teams. The Rainbows returned to Baseball America's Top 25 yesterday, pulling in at No. 20 after taking 3 of 4 from Sacramento State over the weekend. They were ranked 23rd two weeks ago, but dropped out after losing 2 of 3 in an abbreviated, rain-shortened series at Nevada. The Sun Devils are No. 3 in Baseball America's rankings.

While Trapasso usually frowns upon rankings, he couldn't help but be a little pleased.

"It's all nice," Trapasso said. "I don't care about anything other than where we are in league and what our RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) is. But at the same time, it's nice to be recognized, especially by Baseball America. That's a tough poll to crack. Those guys have high standards and really do their homework. It means a lot to me when we're ranked in that poll."

Hawai'i did not crack the rankings in Collegiate Baseball newspaper, USA Today/ESPN or the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

According to www.boydsworld.com, Hawai'i's RPI is 15. Though not recognized as the official RPI, the Web site said they "are extremely close to the officials ones."

Hawai'i's season-opening opponent, UC Irvine, is ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America. The Anteaters' RPI is 4.

Past UH opponent Coastal Carolina has a 12 RPI, followed by Arizona State at 13.

The closest WAC team to UH in RPI is San Jose State at 57.

Trapasso added that the rankings also help in recruiting. He can tell players they can play in the middle of the Pacific and still get recognition.

But the Rainbows have more pressing issues in dealing with a perennial national power. The Sun Devils come in with a team batting average of .310 and average 8.0 runs per game. They have 41 home runs as a team.

The Sun Devils have one of the top prospects in the country in center fielder Jason Kipnis (.410, 10 HR, 50 RBI). His walks-to-strikeouts ratio is 29-15. He leads the team with 15 steals.

Catcher Carlos Ramirez leads ASU with 12 home runs and is second with 41 RBI. Third baseman Raoul Torrez (.278) has 10 stolen bases.

On the mound, ASU has a team earned run average of 2.47. It had not named a probable starter for today.

The Rainbows are deciding between starting Connor Little (2-0, 6.65) or Alex Capaul (1-1, 7.94).

Little has made three starts, but his last one against San Jose State lasted only 1 1/3 innings. He gave up four runs in getting a no-decision.

Capaul's only start was against UC Irvine in which he gave up four runs (one earned) in four innings.

Hawai'i isn't that far off the pace in offense from ASU. The Rainbows are hitting .263 and average 5.6 runs per game. But their 67 doubles is just three fewer than ASU and they have 36 home runs. Kevin Macdonald and Kolten Wong share the team lead with eight homers each, while Vinnie Catricala and Landon Hernandez are right behind with six each.

Catricala and Wong are the only Rainbows hitting over .300. Catricala has been steady all season and is at .364 with 10 doubles. Wong has been on a surge of late, raising his batting average to .349 with a team-leading 11 doubles.

Arizona State leads the series against Hawai'i, 26-18. The teams last met last season at ASU's Coca-Cola Classic in Surprise, Ariz. The Rainbows lost, 3-0.

Today's UH game can be heard on ESPN 1420 AM, but through the ASU radio feed.

The Rainbows will continue their road trip by resuming Western Athletic Conference play at New Mexico State (32-8 overall, 7-5 WAC). The Aggies' RPI is 137.

The Aggies play in a park that is conducive to high-scoring games. Last year, the Rainbows split a four-game series at Presley Askew Field, winning the last two games by scores of 17-10 and 15-14.