March 1, 2010

UCI TRAVELS TO PEPPERDINE; HOSTS SAINT MARY'S: The No. 11 UC Irvine Baseball team travels to Pepperdine (2-4) for a midweek contest Tuesday (Mar. 2) and then hosts Saint Mary's (2-4) at Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark Friday through Sunday (Mar. 5-7). First pitch against the Waves is set for 2:00 p.m. while Friday's game is slated for a 6:00 p.m. start. Saturday and Sunday's contests will be matinees with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

LARSON NAMED TO JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST: Senior Francis Larson (Yorba Linda/Esperanza HS) has been named to the watch list for the 2010 Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award delivered by Papa John's Pizza. The award is given annually to the top Division I catcher.

The watch list will be narrowed to ten semifinalists in mid-May and the finalist will be announced June 2 prior to the NCAA Regionals and Major League Draft. The finalists will be brought to Wichita, Kansas and the winner will be named at the 13th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on July 1.

The award is named for Johnny Bench, who is remembered for his offense and for his impact behind the plate. He was the first catcher to use a protective helmet in the field, popularized catching one-handed and kept his throwing hand behind his back to protect it from foul tips.

Larson was a Johnny Bench Award semifinalist in 2009.

NECKE SET TO START AGAINST WAVES: Senior Kyle Necke (Walnut/HS) will make the start for UCI on the mound Tuesday. Necke has made three appearances and is 0-1 in the season. The right-hander allowed seven earned runs in .2 innings over the weekend and fell to 0-1 after yielding five earned runs in .1 innings in the loss to North Carolina State.

BELL RINGS IN GAME-WINNER: Senior Dillon Bell (Bakersfield/HS) drove in the eventual game-winning run against James Madison as UCI recorded an eventual 15-9 victory Sunday. Bell, pinch-hitting for Drew Hillman (Lake Forest/Orange Coast College), singled in Jordan Fox (Hacienda Heights/Bishop Amat HS) from second base to give the team the 10-9 lead. Bell is currently hitting .429 in five games and has three hits, including a pair of doubles and an RBI for the `Eaters.

BROCK EARNS FIRST COLLEGIATE WIN: Freshman Evan Brock (Chino Hills/Ayala HS) gave UCI 4.1 strong innings in relief Sunday to earn his first collegiate win. Brock, entering the game in relief for Kyle Hooper (Saugus/HS), held James Madison at bay, yielding just one run on two hits while striking out five. All of Brock's strikeouts were looking and he currently leads the Big West in the category. On the season, Brock is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA. The right-hander has pitched 5.1 innings, striking out seven while walking two.

ANTEATERS LOSE THREE STRAIGHT FOR FIRST TIME SINCE `06: UC Irvine lost three straight over the weekend for the first time since 2006 when the Anteaters dropped the series finale against UC Riverside and then went 0-2 at the Pepperdine Regional. The last time UCI lost three in a row in the same weekend was also in 2006 when Long Beach State swept UCI in Big West action.

HERNANDEZ, LARSON TOP `EATERS IN TOURNEY ACTION: Infielder Brian Hernandez (Sylmar/College of the Canyons) and Francis Larson (Yorba Linda/Esperanza HS) led UCI with five RBI apiece over four tournament games last week.

Hernandez was 7 for 18 (.389) with two doubles while Larson posted three doubles while hitting 5 for 14 (.313). Hernandez registered a career-high four RBI in the win against James Madison as the redshirt junior was 3 for 6 with a run scored.

Hernandez is currently hitting .389 with seven hits, including a pair of doubles and five RBI.

Larson tops the team with 10 hits, four doubles and seven RBI and is hitting .357.

CUSICK DRIVES IN SEASON BEST: First baseman Jeff Cusick (Mission Viejo/Santa Margarita HS) posted a season-high four RBI against JMU while hitting 3 for 5. The senior singled and doubled twice while drawing a walk.

Cusick hit .412 at the Baseball at the Beach Tournament, posting seven hits (7 for 17) with two doubles and four RBI. On the season he is hitting .360 and is second on the team with nine hits and tied for second with six RBI.

`EATER ROTATION: The senior trio of Daniel Bibona (Lake Forest/Santa Margarita HS), Christian Bergman (Altadena/St. Francis HS) and Eric Pettis (West Hills/El Camino Real HS) is scheduled to start this weekend against Saint Mary's.

Bibona suffered his first loss, ending an eight-game win streak, after falling to No. 12 Coastal Carolina in the first game of the double-header Saturday. Bibona lasted just 5.1 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits while striking out two and walking two. The last time Bibona allowed six earned runs was at UC Santa Barbara last season where the lefty gave up six earned runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings.

On the season Bibona is 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA and has struck out 12 in 12.1 innings.

Bergman earned his second no-decision after pitching six innings against North Carolina State last Friday. The right-hander struck out five and held the Wolfpack to two runs on six hits but saw NC State tie the game and then win in extra innings.

Bergman has pitched 10.1 innings in two games and struck out seven while allowing seven earned runs.

Pettis also did not earn a decision Sunday as UCI and James Madison engaged in a see-saw battle. Pettis pitched 6.2 innings, striking out four and allowing four runs on 10 hits.

On the season Pettis is 1-0 with a 4.97 ERA. He has struck out eight in 12.2 innings while allowing seven earned runs on the season.

STEVENSON HITS .400: Casey Stevenson (Saugus/College of the Canyons) hit .400 for the Anteaters over the weekend. The senior played in four games and batted 6 for 15 with a team-high six runs scored. Stevenson was a home run short of the hitting for the cycle in tournament action and drove in one run. In seven games for the Anteaters, Stevenson is hitting .348 and sit third on the team with eight hits.

FISHER WORKS HIS WAY INTO THE LINEUP: Ryan Fisher (Manteca/East Union HS) also had a solid weekend for UCI, hitting .357 in four games played. Fisher was 5 for 14 with a double and an RBI. On the season Fisher is hitting .421 (5 for 19) with two doubles, a home run and six RBI. He tops the team with a five-game hitting streak.

OROZCO SHUTS OUT JAMES MADISON IN RELIEF: Freshman Ruben Orozco (Anaheim/Mater Dei HS) gave UCI 2.1 innings of scoreless relief against Coastal Carolina Saturday. The lefty entered the game in the Chanticleer sixth and struck out two while scattering three hits and did not walk a batter in the outing.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE: Pepperdine is 2-4 on the season after losing three games last week.

The Waves dropped a midweek contest against Cal Poly, falling 12-4. Pepperdine then registered a pair of one-run losses against Cal State Northridge over the weekend with Saturday's game cancelled due to rain.

The team is led by Joe Sever, who is batting .464 with 13 hits (13 for 28). The infielder is also tied for first with three doubles and is the lone Wave to have recorded a triple thus far. The team's RBI leader is Torrey Jacoby, who has six RBI and is second with seven hits (7 for 22).

GATES ON THE MOUND: Sophomore lefty Aaron Gates is slated to make the start against UCI Tuesday.

Gates has made two appearances and will be making his first start of the season. He is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA on the season. Gates has struck out six in 3.2 innings and walked two while allowing just one earned run.

THE SERIES: Pepperdine leads the series 38-24-2. The last time the two teams met was in 2007 with each team capturing a win at Eddy D. Field.

ABOUT SAINT MARY'S: Saint Mary's is 2-4 on the season with both their wins coming on the road. The Gaels went 1-2 in action last week, defeating Cal State Bakersfield before falling to California and Central Michigan.

The team is led by Michael Cipolla, who is hitting .412 (7 for 17) . Ryan Mulligan tops the team in RBI with five and is hitting .350 (7 for 20).

THE SERIES: UC Irvine leads the series 9-3 against SMC. The two teams last met in 2002 when the Anteaters swept the Gaels.

THIRD INNING'S A CHARM: UCI, which has out-scored the opponent 61-52, has recorded its highest number of runs in the third inning with 14. The second-highest scoring inning for the `Eaters is the eighth with 11 runs.

PITCHING STAFF RECORDS SEASON HIGH: In the young 2010 season, the Anteater pitchers have hit double-digit strikeouts twice thus far. UCI opened the season with 13 strikeouts against Loyola Marymount, led by Bibona's 10. However, a trio of freshmen banded together to recorded a new season-high of 14 against James Madison.

Matt Whitehouse (Diamond Bar/Damien HS) started the game with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings while Kyle Hooper (Saugus/HS) fanned five straight in his 2.1-inning stint. Brock brought up the rear with five strikeouts of his own in 4.1 innings and emerged with his first win.

ANTEATER BATS POST SECOND-BEST OFFENSIVE GAME: UCI went on the offensive against James Madison, posting the second-highest RBI and hit numbers of the season with 14 and 18, respectively. Stevenson, Hernandez and Cusick combined for nine hits with Larson adding two.

UCI has reached double-figure hits in all but two games this season.

WEEKLY WRAPUP: UC Irvine went 1-3 at the Baseball the Beach Tournament hosted by Coastal Carolina.

The Anteaters opened the tournament against North Carolina State and took a 4-2 into the 10th but gave up five runs in the bottom half of the frame to lose 7-4.

Bergman gave the team a strong performance, holding the Wolfpack to two runs on six hits in six innings while Matt Summers (Scottsdale, AZ/Chaparral HS) and Andy Lines (Palos Verdes Estates/Palos Verdes HS) combined for three shutout innings.

UCI's offense was held to four runs on five hits in the loss.

Coastal Carolina struck early in the first game of the double-header and limited the `Eater offense to just three runs to win 7-3. Bibona suffered his first loss after giving up six runs in 5.1 innings. Cusick led the team with three hits while Larson drove in two runs.

In the second game of the day UCI led 6-4 until the Chanticleers scored runs in the eighth to go on and sweep the Anteaters with a 13-6 decision. Summers suffered the loss after giving up five earned runs in the eighth. D.J. Crumlich (Irvine/HS) led the team with two RBI while Stevenson added a team-best two hits.

In the final game of the tournament, the Anteaters battled James Madison in a see-saw battle. UCI came out on top after scoring six runs in the eighth to win 15-9. UCI struck out just twice and drew seven walks for a season-high. Hernandez, Cusick and Larson combined for 11 RBI and eight of the team's 18 hits. Brock picked up the win to improve to 1-0.

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