No. 27 UC Irvine Travels to USC, Hosts Hawai'i

Apr. 2: UC Irvine (16-8) at USC (11-16) - Dedeaux Field
Apr. 5-7: UC Irvine (16-8, 0-3) vs. Hawai'i  (7-18, 2-1) - Anteater Ballpark

Game 25: RHP Evan Brock (1-0, 2.70) vs. RHP Nigel Nootbaar (1-2, 6.50)
6:00 PM - KUCI 88.9 FM/Mark Roberts

Game 26:  RHP Andrew Thurman (2-3, 2.70) vs. RHP Connor Little (1-3, 4.43)
6:30 PM - KUCI 88.9 FM/Mark Roberts

Game 27:  LHP Matt Whitehouse (2-2, 3.10) vs. RHP Corey MacDonald (3-2, 3.27)
1:00 PM - KUCI 88.9 FM/Mark Roberts

Game 28:  RHP Andrew Morales (6-0, 2.15) vs. RHP Matt Cooper (2-2, 2.13)
1:00 PM - Internet Only/Mark Roberts

Game Notes: UC Irvine suffered its second series loss on the road after being swept by UC Riverside in the Big West Conference opener. The Anteaters dropped to 3-5 in away games and fell from the top 25 but remain in the top 30 at No. 27 (NCBWA). UCI looks to snap a three-game losing streak at USC Tuesday before resuming conference action against Hawai'i at Anteater Ballpark this weekend.

  • Eight of the last 10 games have been decided by two runs or less with the Anteaters posting a 4-4 record in those contests.
  • Andrew Morales, who registered a winning decision in six straight appearances, had that streak come to an end after UCI's loss Sunday. Morales, who struck out nine in six innings, did not factor in the decision and remains undefeated at 6-0.
  • UCI has out-scored the opposition in every inning through the first six but has been bested in the seventh inning with opponents out-scoring the Anteaters 20-9 in that frame.
  • The Anteaters are 5-1 when scoring in the first inning but 2-3 when opponents score in the first frame.
  • UCI is hitting .299 to share the Big West lead with Cal Poly but is seventh in runs scored with 123.
  • The pitching staff is second in the conference with a team ERA of 2.92 and has yielded just 74 runs to top the Big West member schools.
  • UCI dropped two one-run games last week to mar its 4-0 record and fall to 4-2 in such situations.

CONNOR CONTINUES WITH CONSISTENCY: Connor Spencer batted .467, posting at least two hits in three of the last four games.

  • Spencer drove in a pair of runs and scored three times in four games last week.
  • He tops the team in hits (37), doubles (8) and paces the Big West in batting average (.416) and on-base percentage (.481).
  • Spencer currently leads the team with an 11-game hitting streak.

BROCK TACKLES TROJANS: Evan Brock will get the ball Tuesday against USC.

  • The right-hander has been solid in his last two starts, logging nine innings and holding opposing teams to one earned run while striking out nine.
  • Brock has not come away with a decision since posting his first win in relief against CSU Bakersfield in March.
  • He is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA  and has struck out 16 in 20 innings while walking just two.

PARMENTER EARNS WIN:  Right-hander Race Parmenter blew a save opportunity against Bakersfield last Tuesday but came out with the win after the Anteaters struck with a run in the 10th.

  • With the win, Parmenter improved to 1-1 and has made nine appearances for the team with nine strikeouts in nine innings.
  • A wild pitch came back to hurt Parmenter, as the Roadrunners plated the game-tying run in the ninth on an eventual sacrifice fly.
  • The run by Bakersfield snapped a 4.2 scoreless inning streak for the senior.

SHAEFFER BRINGS BAT TO RIVERSIDE: After being held to two hits against Nebraska, Ronnie Shaeffer batted 6 for 13 in the series against the Highlanders.

  • The catcher was 1 for 5 in the series opener and then added two hits and an RBI  in the middle game.
  • Filling the designated hitter's role Saturday, Shaeffer keyed the offense with three hits, batting 3 for 4 with a run scored.
  • Shaeffer bumped up his average to .364 and is second in hits with 36. He shares the team-lead in RBI with 20.
  • Defensively, the senior snuffed out two steal attempts last weekend and is holding opposing teams to a .385 average in stolen bases.

MERTEN, MOORE MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Mitch Merten and Sam Moore provided some needed reinforcement to the Anteater pen last weekend.

  • Merten made three appearances and struck out four in 4.2 innings while giving up a run on four hits.
  • The right-hander made his first appearance of the year against Bakersfield and pitched a scoreless 10th inning to log the save.
  • He then entered in relief in the series opener against UCR and struck out two in two hitless innings.
  • In the series finale, Merten yielded the go-ahead run in relief to fall to 0-1. Merten sports a 1.93 ERA.
  • Moore had one lone appearance Friday and halted Riverside's seventh-inning rally by retiring the final two batters of the frame. He then finished up the game by shutting out the Highlanders in the eighth.
  • Moore has struck out three and walked one in four innings of work.

MORALES PROVIDES ANOTHER STELLAR EFFORT: Andrew Morales struck out nine in 6.1 innings and held UCR to two runs while walking just one but came away without a win for the first time in five starts.

  • The right-hander has given up two runs or less in seven consecutive appearances and owns a 2.15 ERA to sit sixth in the Big West.
  • Morales is tied for first in the conference in wins.
  • He has struck out 30 in 37.2 innings.

RABAGO REBOUNDS AT THE PLATE: Chris Rabago, who had been struggling at the plate, was an offensive spark last weekend.

  • The shortstop had five hits, including a double, and batted .294 with two RBI.
  • Rabago had a hit in each of the first two games and drove in a run to give UCI a 5-3 lead Friday.
  • In the final game of the series, the sophomore had a season-best three hits as he went 3 for 4 with an RBI.
  • Rabago has 21 hits and nine runs batted in this season.

HERKINS MAKES FIRST START: Jonathan Herkins made his collegiate debut last week, starting in left field in all four Anteater contests.

  • Herkins singled in a run in his first at-bat against Bakersfield to give UCI a 1-0 lead.
  • He then added a pair of hits in the series opener at UC Riverside
  • He executed three sacrifice bunts in three games and came around to score twice.

HEADING INTO TROJAN TERRITORY: USC is 11-16 overall and 4-5 in Pac-12 play.

  • USC is led by Blake Lacey, who is batting .359 with six doubles.
  • James Roberts tops the team with 36 hits and 17 RBI and is second in hitting at .356.
  • Right-hander Nigel Nootbaar will face Evan Brock on the mound. Nootbaar is 1-2 with a 6.50 ERA. He has struck out 20 in 18 innings while walking 10 and allowing 13 earned runs.
  • USC holds a 30-25 series lead against UCI after claiming a 5-4 win at Anteater Ballpark last year.

WARRING WITH THE WARRIORS: Hawai'i is 7-18 overall and sits in fifth in the Big West after the opening weekend.

  • Conner George leads the team with a .333 average and 13 RBI.
  • Marc Flores is tied for third in the Big West in doubles with eight while Kaeo Aliviado has a team-high 24 hits.
  • The Warriors have slated three right-handers to start on the mound with Connor Little a tentatively slated for the series opener.
  • Little is 1-3 with a 4.43 ERA and has 20 strikeouts in 40.2 innings.
  • Corey MacDonald will square off against Matt Whitehouse and is 3-2 with a 3.27 ERA. He has fanned 27 in 44 innings.
  • Matt Cooper, the Sunday starter, leads UH with a 2.13 ERA and is 2-2 on the mound. He has 41 strikeouts in 42.1 innings and is holding opposing teams to a .212 batting average. He also leads the starting pitchers with just nine walks allowed.
  • UCI is 15-6 all-time against Hawai'i. The two teams last met in 2009 with UCI winning three of four games in Honolulu. UH makes its first trip to Anteater Ballpark since 2008.

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