Los Angeles, Calif. / Lincoln, Neb.
QUICK HITS
- UC Irvine enters the polls this week at No. 25 (Collegiate Baseball).
- Three Anteaters can be found at the top among the national leaders. Andrew Morales is tied for first in ERA (0.00), Sam Moore is first in saves (8) and Evan Manarino is first in walks allowed per nine innings (0.00).
- UCI has won 10 straight, setting a Division I program mark for longest win streak. The previous best was a nine-game winning streak posted in 1990 and 2008.
- As a team, UCI is ranked fifth in walks allowed per nine innings at 1.83, sixth in ERA and sixth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.33).
- Morales and Sam Moore combined for 15 strikeouts in the 1-0 shutout of Gonzaga for a season-high.
SPARKS NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Taylor Sparks came away with UCI's first conference Player of the Week honor in 2014 after batting .600 and slugging 1.000 in three games.
- Sparks added a hit and an RBI in the series finale against Gonzaga and leads the team with a .399 average, 19 hits and four doubles.
- He figured in the scoring twice, plating the tying run in the fourth and then driving in the game-winner in the fifth, drawing a bases-loaded walk.
- Sparks is tied for second in the Big West in triples.
MANARINO TO TAKE ON BRUINS
- The Anteaters will hand the ball to lefty Evan Manarino tonight against the Bruins.
- Manarino pitched three innings in the start against USC last week, surrendering three runs on five hits in a no-decision.
- Manarino is 1-0 with a solid 2.76 earned run average. He has struck out 14 batters in 16.1 innings.
BROCK WINS AGAIN
- Evan Brock tied a season-high with seven innings in Monday's win over Gonzaga.
- The right-hander, who earned his fourth win of the year (4-0), held the Bulldogs to one run on six hits and struck out four.
- Brock owns a 2.05 ERA and has fanned 17 in 26.1 innings.
MORALES WITH CAREER-BEST KOs
- Andrew Morales struck out a career-high 12 batters in a 1-0 shutout of Gonzaga last week.
- The lone bump in the road for the right-hander was a bases-loaded jam in the first but he went on to strikeout the side and keep the 'Zags off the board.
- With the win, Morales improves to 13-0 in his Anteater career and 34-1 in his collegiate career. He was 21-1 in two seasons at Rio Hondo Community College.
- Morales has struck out 30 in 30 innings and walked just six.
SPENCER GETS HOT
- Connor Spencer hit .462 in the last four games for UCI, batting 6 for 13 with five RBI.
- He drove in a run against USC and reached safely in three of four plate appearances in the series opener over Gonzaga.
- Spencer drove in the game-winning run to clinch the series against the 'Zags and drove in the tying run in the series finale.
- The first baseman is tied for second with 16 hits and tied for first in triples (3) and RBI (12).
McCLANAHAN MAKING A MOVE UP THE CHARTS
- Catcher Jerry McClanahan had his most productive week at the plate, batting .417 in the last four games.
- McClanahan had five hits, including a double and scored twice and now has 11 hits on the year.
MOORE LOCKS UP ANOTHER SAVE
- Sam Moore went 3 for 3 last week, making three appearances and emerging with a save in each to up his total to a national-leading eight on the year.
- The right-hander is 0-1 with a sparkling 0.93 ERA and has struck out 22 in 19.1 innings. He has allowed just two earned runs this year and held opposing teams to a .127 average.
- Moore closed the door on USC with two hitless innings and then struck out the side in the 1-0 win over Gonzaga.
- He then struck out one and yielded a hit in 1.1 innings in the series finale against the 'Zags.
MUNOZ, CASSOLATO COOL UNDER PRESSURE
- Jonathan Munoz and Evan Cassolato have been productive for the 'Eaters handling pressure situations with aplomb.
- Munoz is batting .429 in pinch-hitting situations and .333 with runners in scoring position.
- Munoz made his first start for UCI in the series finale against Gonzaga and drove in a run and scored once
- Cassolato, who is hitting .333 in his first year, has been solid in centerfield.
- The redshirt freshman is also hitting .444 with runners in scoring position and .500 with a runner on third and less than two outs.
SURREY GETS FIRST WIN
- Elliot Surrey earned his first win of the year after pitching five solid innings to help clinch the series against Gonzaga.
- The lefty struck out three and gave up two runs on seven hits to improve to 1-1.
- Surrey has allowed seven earned runs in 19.1 innings of work while striking out 16 and hold a 3.26 earned run average.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
- UCLA, ranked in three polls (15th/NCBWA, 24th/Collegiate Baseball, 25th Baseball America), is 8-7 after coming off a 6-5 win over USC.
- The team is led by Shane Zeile, who holds the hot bat with a .431 average and leads the Bruins with 22 hits and 11 runs batted in.
- Five of the starting nine are batting above average with six in double-digit hits.
- The pitching staff holds a 2.82 ERA and scheduled to oppose Evan Manarino is right-hander Grant Dyer.
- The freshman is 1-2 and makes his fourth start. He has struck out 10 in 17 innings and is holding opposing teams to a .190 batting average.
- UCI trails in the series, 27-48-1 and will look to halt a four-game losing streak against UCLA.
ABOUT THE CORNHUSKERS
- Nebraska is 8-5 overall and undefeated at home at 3-0.
- The team is led by Michael Pritchard, who leads the starters with a .352 batting average, 19 hits and 14 RBI.
- Pritchard also tops the team in hits for extra bases (8).
- The pitching staff holds a 4.38 ERA. Starter Sinclair Chance is undefeated at 3-0 and boasts a 0.42 ERA.
- Starter Christian DeLeon is 1-1 with a 3.70 ERA and has 17 strikeouts in 24.1 innings.
- UCI holds the 3-2 edge against the Cornhuskers after grabbing two of three wins in 2013 at Anteater Ballpark.
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