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Baseball:
UC Irvine Picked to Finish Second in Big West
Jan. 19, 2010
IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine has been picked to finish second in the Big West according to the preseason coaches' poll. The Anteaters, the defending champions, picked up a pair of first-place votes and is slotted into the No. 2 spot for the second consecutive year. The Anteaters were 22-2 last season in league play, posting the second-best winning percentage in Big West history at .917 and was the first team to go undefeated at home at 12-0. UCI enjoyed another banner season, with a 45-15 mark and hosted its first-ever NCAA regional at Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark. The 2010 team returns seven All-Big West honorees, including the reigning Big West Pitcher of the Year, Daniel Bibona. Bibona was 12-1 on the mound with a 2.63 ERA and is joined by All-American Christian Bergman, who posted a 9-3 record. Also returning is junior Crosby Slaught, who was undefeated on the mound at 8-0. The trio combined for just four losses last season and will be bolstered again by All-American closer Eric Pettis, who totaled 17 saves while winning five games.
Leading the position players is All-Big West first-team selection Francis Larson, who topped the team with 43 RBI while hitting .309. Joining Larson are All-Big West second-team choices Casey Stevenson and Ronnie Shaeffer. Shaeffer posted a team-best .388 average with 12 doubles and 36 runs batted in and Stevenson hit .346 with a team-best 19 doubles while driving in 41 runs. Rounding out the list of all-conference selections is Tommy Reyes, who collected honorable mention honors after hitting .348 with 32 hits and 15 RBI.
Cal State Fullerton was tabbed to finish first in the standings after earning seven first-place votes and 79 points. Cal Poly was picked to finish third with 60 points while Long Beach State was voted to come in fourth with 50 points. UC Riverside grabbed the fifth spot with 48 points and is followed by UC Santa Barbara and Pacific, who collected 36 and 36 points, respectively. Cal State Northridge was selected eighth with 19 points with UC Davis rounding out the poll with 12 points. 2010 Coaches Poll Results 1. Cal State Fullerton (7) 79 2. UC Irvine (2) 71 3. Cal Poly 60 4. Long Beach State 50 5. UC Riverside 48 6. UC Santa Barbara 36 7. Pacific 30 8. Cal State Northridge 19 9. UC Davis 12 ( ) first-place votes |
