UC Irvine Earns At-Large Berth; Travels To Corvallis Regional

Corvallis, Ore. / Goss Stadium
May 30 - June 2

Fri: 2:00 PM
#3 UC Irvine vs. #2 UNLV
RHP Andrew Morales (9-2, 1.56) vs. RHP John Richy (11-3, 2.78)
ESPN3
KUCI 88.9 FM
Live stats 

QUICK HITS

  • UC Irvine returns to the postseason for the first time since 2011 and makes its eighth appearance in the last 11 years.
  • UCI is coached by Hall of Famer, Mike Gillespie, who makes his 20th postseason appearance in 27 years of coaching at the Division I level.
  • The Anteaters are led by pitchers Andrew Morales and Sam Moore, who are both vying for the National Pitcher of the Year award.
  • Topping the team offensively is Connor Spencer, who is batting .361 with a team-high 78 hits and 38 RBI. The first baseman is 80th in the country in batting average and was the 2013 Big West batting champion.
  • The Corvallis Regional will be aired on the ESPN family of networks with UCI's game aired on ESPN3 Friday.
  • All of UCI's games will also be broadcast on KUCI 88.9 FM with Mark Roberts calling the action.

ANTEATERS VERSUS THE REGIONAL FIELD

  • UCI and UNLV have a long history with their last match-up coming in 2012 at Anteater Ballpark.
  • UNLV has won the last three games against UCI but the 'Eaters are 41-35-2 all-time against the Rebels. Starting for UNLV will be right-hander John Richy.
  • UCI has only met the Beavers twice, winning 7-2 in 1972 and losing 7-1 in 2007 when the two teams met at the College World Series.
  • The Anteaters' loss to Oregon State capped an incredible run through the post-season for a UC Irvine team that went undefeated in regional (Texas) and super regional play. (Wichita State).
  • The Anteaters have never met North Dakota State.

MORALES VOTED GOLDEN SPIKES SEMIFINALIST

  • Andrew Morales, who will get the ball Friday against UNLV, has been named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
  • The right-hander remains on a list that has been narrowed to 21 athletes and will be cut to three finalists on June 3.
  • Morales, 9-2 on the year, has been a key figure in the team's success and looks to break a two-game losing streak.
  • The right-hander was undefeated at 9-0 before suffering losses to Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State.
  • With a career ERA of 1.71, Morales is currently UCI's career leader.
  • Morales did not allow an earned run in the first 34.1 innings he pitched. He then logged a 31.1 scoreless streak that included two complete-game shutouts of Grand Canyon and UC Riverside.
  • He is holding teams to a .183 batting average to lead the Big West and is second with 119 strikeouts.
  • Morales was recently named the UCI Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

McCLANAHAN COOL UNDER PRESSURE

  • Over the last 10 games, McClanahan has provided the most offense at the plate for the team, hitting .400 (12 for 30) with eight walks, a pair of RBI and two runs scored.
  • In three games last week, he led the team with a .556 average and five hits. 
  • The junior had two hits apiece in the first two games of the series against Long Beach State and then added a hit in the series finale. He also drew three base on balls.
  • Behind the plate, McClanahan has knocked off four of the last six steal attempts against him and has held the opponents to a .437 success rate.

SPENCER REMAINS THIRD IN THE BIG WEST

  • Connor Spencer is third in the Big West with a team-high .361 batting average.
  • The first baseman, who has a five-game hitting streak, leads UCI with 78 hits and 38 RBI.
  • He is second on the team with 30 runs scored, 12 doubles and five triples.

  BACK-TO-BACK SOLID STARTS FOR BROCK

  • Evan Brock posted two of his best outings this season, holding both Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State to two earned runs or less.
  • After yielding a run in the first against the Titans, Brock blanked Cal State Fullerton through the next six frames.
  • He returned in the series finale against the Dirtbags, and dealt seven scoreless innings before giving way to the Anteater bullpen with one out and the bases loaded in the eighth.
  • Brock is 8-5 with a 3.04 ERA and has 58 strikeouts in 81.2 innings of work.

ALCANTARA LOGS PERSONAL BEST IN START

  • Adam Alcantara batted 4 for 5 (.800) in two games for the 'Eaters last week.
  • The freshman outfielder came off the bench and posted a pinch-hit single Friday and then made the start Saturday and recorded a career-best three hits.
  • Alcantara has played in 22 games and is batting .378 with 14 hits, five RBI and four runs scored.

SURREY LOOKS TO REBOUND FROM LOSS

  • Elliot Surrey had a streak of nine quality starts broken in a five-inning stint against Long Beach State.
  • The southpaw, who ended the regular season with a 1.83 ERA in league games, did not get to the sixth inning for the first time since Mar. 15.
  • Surrey allowed six runs (four earned runs) on seven hits but still maintains in ERA of 2.12.
  • He has struck out 62 batters in 93.1 innings while giving up 22 earned runs.
  • He is holding teams to a .238 batting average.

MUSIC MAN MAKES IT EIGHT

  • Jonathan Munoz, also an accomplished musician, extended his hit streak to eight games after hitting .300 with three hits and a pair of RBI last week.
  • The redshirt sophomore currently has the highest active hitting streak for the 'Eaters.
  • Munoz is second among the starters with a .321 average and has recorded 15 RBI on 43 hits, including nine doubles.
  • Munoz plays classical piano, guitar and violin.

MOORE LOOKING TO RETURN TO FORM

  • Sam Moore, the national leader in saves with 23, is also looking to bounce back from a few rough stints.
  • In his first year as the team's closer, Moore is a candidate for the National Pitcher of the Year, the NCBWA Stopper of the Year and for the Gregg Olson "Breakout Player of the Year" awards.
  • Moore rewrote the UCI and Big West Conference's single-season records this year and has converted 23 of 27 save opportunities for the Anteaters this year.

ANTEATER ALUMS HELP BRIDGE GAP

  • UCI, which missed out on the NCAA postseason in 2012 and 2013, is back on the national stage. Connecting the current Anteaters to their recent NCAA past are three members of the coaching staff.
  • The Anteater arms are under the guidance of second-year pitching coach, Daniel Bibona (2007-10), a two-time Big West Pitcher of the Year. Bibona, who earned All-America honors, is UCI's record holder in strikeouts with 332 and lost just seven games in his four-year career.
  • All-American Ben Orloff (2006-09), is in his first season on the Anteater staff. Orloff was the first Anteater to be named Big West Player of the Year in 2009 and holds the top UCI marks in games played (241), at bats (877), runs scored (178) and hits (281).
  • Eric Deragisch, an all-conference performer at UCI from 2008-09, is the Director of Operations. Deragisch was an All-Big West first-team choice in '09 and was voted to the Irvine Regional All-Tournament Team that same year.
  • Both Bibona and Orloff helped the Anteaters to four NCAA post-season berths and were on the '07 team that went to the College World Series. Deragisch, a junior transfer, was a member of two NCAA regional teams.

 

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