UC Irvine Second In Big West Coaches Poll, Receives Three First-Place Votes
IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine was picked to finish in the Big West Conference coaches poll and received three first-place votes to garner 70 points.
Cal State Fullerton, which came in first in the poll, received six first-place votes for 76 points while Long Beach State picked up the third spot with 58 points.
UC Irvine posted a 43-18 record last season and advanced to the NCAA Charlottesville Super Regional, making its sixth consecutive post-season appearance. The Anteaters bested three conference champions in the Los Angeles Regional before falling to top-ranked Virginia to conclude the season.
UCI returns 16 letterwinners, including three All-Big West selections. Ronnie Shaeffer (Garden Grove/Pacifica HS), a 2011 American Baseball Coaches Association Gold Glove winner returns to anchor the defense behind the plate. Shaeffer was one of the top defensive catchers in the country, holding opposing teams to 43-percent success rate. He hit .368 in the postseason with six RBI and totaled 31 runs batted in to go along with a .264 batting average in 61 games starts for the team.
D.J. Crumlich (Irvine/HS), who has been a mainstay in the infield for the team also returns for his senior campaign. The slick-fielding shortstop was an All-Big West second-team choice after hitting .300 with 70 hits and a Big West-leading 51 runs scored. In the post-season Crumlich tied for first on the team with a .476 average, totaling 10 hits and two RBI.
Jordan Fox (Hacienda Heights/Bishop Amat HS) was an all-conference honorable mention in 2011 after recording a .323 average with 60 hits and 25 RBI. The senior first baseman ranked fourth in the nation in the NCAA's "Toughest to Strikeout" category and was set down just six times in 186 at-bats. Fox also tied for first on the team with nine stolen bases.
UCI welcomes back the majority of its pitching staff, led by Matt Whitehouse (Diamond Bar/Damien HS), who was owned a 2.12 ERA and was undefeated on the mound at 4-0. The lefty struck out 63 in 72.1 innings while holding the opposition to a .207 batting average and 17 earned runs.
Veteran Crosby Slaught (Santa Barbara/HS) also returns after having posted a 7-2 win-loss record on the mound in 2011. The senior right-hander pitched 68.2 innings and struck out 47 and logged a 3.93 ERA. Slaught made 14 starts for UCI and enters the year second in career winning percentage at .842 (16-3).
UC Irvine is led by Hall of Fame coach, Mike Gillespie who is in his fifth season at the helm of the UCI program. The Anteaters open the season at the MLB Urban Invitational in Houston, Tex., Feb. 17-19.
2012 Big West Coaches Poll
1. Cal State Fullerton (6) 76
2. UC Irvine (3) 70
3. Long Beach State 58
4. Cal Poly 54
5. UC Riverside 44
6. UC Santa Barbara 37
7. Pacific 25
8. UC Davis 23
9. Cal State Northridge 18
( ) First-place vote
______________________________________________________________________
For UC Irvine Athletics ticket information, please call (949) 824-5000 or e-mail athletics.tickets@uci.edu. For more information click here.
For information on how you can help support UC Irvine Athletics, please call (949) 824-6933 or e-mail aaf@uci.edu. For additional information, click here.
