Weekend Information
 
Radio - KUCI 88.9 FM with Mark Roberts and Tim Becwar All games also available live on the internet at kuci.org and ucirvinesports.com
 
Events on Campus
Fans should plan ahead this weekend with parking likely to be impacted. The Bren Events Center will be hosting a graduation ceremony Saturday, May 5, followed by a mixed martial arts on Sunday, May 6. Fans will be redirected to the Student Center parking structure should the Mesa Structure fill up
 
Around The Horn
 
89 - UC Irvine's RPI entering the week is 89 with a 10-7 record against top 100 RPI teams. UCLA (25) and Oregon (73) represent the only top 100 RPI teams remaining on UCI's schedule. Historically, at-large bids have gone to teams rated no higher than 50. The 'Eaters remain 4 games back in the loss column to CSF for the NCAA automatic bid

8-0 - UC Irvine has won all eight midweek matchups in 2018. Its 8-0 mark has bested its 6-0 run to begin the 2013 season. The Anteaters' best midweek win total since 2002 is nine in a season set five times (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011)

12pm -  A reminder that Sunday's game vs. Oregon will start at 12pm. The 'Eaters have also moved up their start time of the season finale - May 26 at UC Davis - also to 12pm. Overall, the 'Eaters are 10-14 in day games this season and 2-4 in games that have started at or before 12pm Pacific time
 
UC Irvine fell into a tie for second in the Big West following their first sweep of the season in a weekend series. The 'Eaters remain 8-7 in Big West play, even with Hawai'i, and now four games back in the loss column of Cal State Fullerton for first.

The Anteater postseason chances took at hit over the weekend with a lot of ground to make up to catch CSF. UC Irvine's at-large chances are slim as well with the team sitting with an RPI of 89. At-large selections historically have fallen within the top 50. UC Irvine has gone 10-7 against the nation's top 100 in RPI including 3-3 against the top 50. The remaining top 100 RPI schools on UC Irvine's schedule show up this week in UCLA (25) and Oregon (73)

The Anteaters had their win streak snapped at six games, the longest streak of any nature for the Anteaters this season and matching their longest from 2017 when the squad won six in a row in March. UCI's current three-game losing streak is its longest of the 2018.

UC Irvine finished April with a record of 11-5, the first 10-win month since April of 2015 and 17th time the 'Eaters have won 10+ games in April.

The Anteaters match up with No. 7 UCLA on Tuesday, its fifth game against a ranked squad. UCI is 2-2 on the season against ranked teams - 1-2 vs. No. 7 TCU and a win against No. 13 UCLA. UCI is 3-9 all-time against ranked UCLA squads.

The 'Eaters also try to extend its win streak in midweek contests so far with an 8-0 record in them this season. Since 2002, the previous high was six straight midweek wins to start the 2013 season. The 'Eaters are 115-80 in midweek games since 2002 and have won as many as nine games five times (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011).

Cole Kreuter paced the offense last week hitting .412 for the week to lead the team. His five RBI tied him with Matt Reitano for the high on the week. Kreuter also clubbed two home runs on Sunday in a losing effort for his first career two-HR game and first since May of 2017 when Evan Cassolato did it at UC Riverside. It was just the 15th occurrence at Anteater Ballpark, ninth since 2002, and first two-HR game at Anteater Ballpark since March 25, 2015 when Cameron Bishop homered twice vs. San Jose State

Among the Big West ranks, UC Irvine's offense is tops in sacrifice flies with 25. It's also top three in on-base (T3rd - .364), runs (2nd - 234), HR (T3rd - 24), walks (T3rd - 150), hits (3rd - 401), and hit by pitch (2nd - 55)

UC Irvine's pitching staff is on top of the Big West in ERA (3.52) and has allowed the least amount of home runs (14). Its also among the leaders in opposing batting average (3rd - .261), innings pitched (3rd - 378.2), strikeouts (3rd - 324), and saves (T3rd - 10)

The 'Eaters remain first in the Big West with a .974 fielding percentage tied with LBSU and CSUN after committing nine errors last week. Overall the team is 62nd nationally, and its 42 total errors is one off the Big West's best. UCI's catchers have caught 16 basestealers, fourth in the conference, with eight from Castro which is fifth

Anteater individuals among the Big West leaders include:

Ryan Fitzpatrick who is the conference leader in on-base (.481) and walks (29), and also among the leaders in hitting (.340 - 4th), slugging (.597 - 2nd), hits (49 - T7th), RBI (38 - 2nd), doubles (T5th - 12), HR (T2nd - 7), and hit by pitch (3rd - 12)
Brendan Brooks remained 10th in hitting at .315 (10th) despite missing the weekend with an injury

Cole Kreuter burst into the Big West ranks now slugging .513 (6th) with seven HRs (T2nd), 11 doubles (T7th), and 30 RBI (5th)

Jake Palmer remains a Big West leader scoring 31 runs (T5th), hitting .317 (6th), a .436 on-base percentage (4th), and tied a UCI freshman record set by Keston Hiura in 2015 being hit by his 10th pitch over the weekend, ranking him tied for fifth in the Big West

Nick Anderson hit his seventh sacrifice fly of the season which tops the Big West and is seventh in the nation

Andre Pallante has the conference's best ERA (1.31) which also ranks eighth nationally in addition to his Big West leading 85

strikeouts. His six wins are second, he's allowed a .204 batting average (2nd), struck out 22 batters looking (2nd), and sits third in innings with 75.1, 3.2 innings off the leader.

Taylor Rashi's 2.83 ERA and .225 batting average against both rank fifth in the Big West. He's allowed just five doubles, lowest among qualified Big West pitchers

Jordan Bocko has three Big West saves. His six on the season is fourth in the conference, and he's appeared in 19 games, tied for eighth

Trenton Denholm is 1 of 2 qualified Big West pitchers (Rees - UH) to not allow a HR. He does lead with 15 hit batters (7th in NCAA)

The Anteaters have won five Big West weekly awards this season, three times taking home Pitcher of the Week honors from Trenton Denholm (April 16) and twice by Andre Pallante (February 26, March 12). Ryan Fitzpatrick (April 16) and Cole Kreuter (April 23) won the 'Eaters' two Field Player of the Week awards in consecutive weeks.

The team hit .274 a year ago, second-highest in the Big West, and posted the conference's best on-base percentage of .364, but had a .371 slugging percentage that ranked as the lowest. The Anteaters finished near the top in many offensive categories placing top three in runs, hits, walks, sacrifice flies, and hit by pitch recording the most plate appearances of any Big West squad.

On the pitching end, UCI struggled with the highest ERA in the conference at 5.35 in 2017 and opponent batting average of .299 while issuing 253 walks, highest in the Big West and the program's third-most in a single season.

The defense did stand out committing just 48 errors, the second season in program history where the 'Eaters were charged with less than 50 errors, while leading the conference in putouts and chances finishing with a .978 fielding percentage. The team also turned 55 double plays, second-most in the conference and in program history, and had the second-best percentage of throwing out basestealers throwing out a Big West-best 29 runners.

The Anteaters finished 2017 seventh in the Big West Conference going 9-15, and a 23-33 overall record marks just the second losing season since the program returned in 2002.

Head Coach Mike Gillespie returns for his 31st and final Division I season and 11th with the Anteaters where he is currently the program's winningest coach holding at 386 UCI wins, 1,149 overall

The Anteaters were picked to finish sixth in the Big West according to the preseason coaches' poll, however they did land a first-place vote.

The 2017 Anteater schedule included six NCAA Tournament teams and two programs to reach the College World Series. The 2018 schedule has five tournament teams from a year ago on the slate as well as four conference champions overall. Three schools show up in the Baseball America Top 25 to start out the season including perennial midweek foe UCLA at 13, No. 11 Cal State Fullerton who will visit Anteater Ballpark for a series, and TCU at No. 7 that UC Irvine will travel to after winning their series in 2017 with TCU ranked No. 1 in the nation.

The Anteaters are 13-7 in Anteater Ballpark against non-conference ranked opponents winning two of three against No. 1 TCU last year adding to the series win over No. 25 Cal in 2006 and sweeps of No. 23 Baylor in 2013 and No. 8 Washington in 2005.

Since Head Coach Mike Gillespie took over in 2008, UCI has played 107 games against ranked opponents, 85 coming during the regular season, and the 'Eaters have won 49 of those games. Since 2002, UC Irvine is 32-41 overall against ranked Big West programs

UC Irvine took the series at Long Beach State giving the Anteaters four points toward the Black and Blue Rivalry Series this season, and taking back the lead from LBSU now up 20-19 on the season series. Remaining sports left to tangle in the series include Big West Championship matchups for men's golf (Apr. 29-May 1), women's golf (Apr. 15-17), men's and women's track and field (May 11-12), and women's tennis (Apr. 26-29), and the women's water polo (April 28-30).
 
UCLA BRUINS
UCLA hasn't missed a beat since it met up with the Anteaters toward the middle of April. The 'Eaters took the game on the road, 8-1, against then No. 13 UCLA, but the Bruins have jumped to No. 7 winning seven in a row since with three against USC, a midweek shellacking of Cal State Fullerton, and a three-game road set at Cal Poly last weekend.

UCLA is 29-10 on the season and tied for first with No. 1 Stanford in the Pac-12 at 14-4. They also hold the all-time series lead over the Anteaters at 53-32-1 including a 14-11 mark over the 'Eaters under Mike Gillespie's tutelage and 24-20-1 in Irvine.
The 'Eaters got the best of them last season winning 12-4 which included a 10-run inning against the Bruins, a first in Anteater Ballpark, and now UCI has built a three-game winning streak against its midweek rival. Not to mention the 'Eaters are looking to extend their streak of midweek wins entering Tuesday with an 8-0 mark in those games with two remaining on the year
 
OREGON DUCKS
The 'Eaters venture a little more into the non-conference realm with its final weekend series outside the Big West welcoming Oregon into Anteater Ballpark. The Ducks put the hurt on the Anteaters in 2017 sweeping them at home by a total score of 23-6.
The 2018 Ducks have ebbed and flowed to a 21-20 record standing eighth in the Pac-12 at 8-3 where they went 6-9 in the month of April. The Ducks have taken home series against Cal, Washington State, and USC, but have struggled on the road losing at Arizona State, Washington, Stanford, and Oregon State. They've also gone winless in midweeks against Portland while picking up series wins against LMU and UC Davis and a midweek over Gonzaga.

Oregon builds itself around pitching and defense with a staff ERA of 3.85 striking out 2.6 hitters to every walk (35th in the NCAA) while keeping their WHIP and fielding percentage within the nation's top 50. Matt Mercer has been a big cog in that rotation with a 3.31 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 68 innings on Friday nights. Closer Kenyon Yovan has stepped up as the starter in his last six appearances topped off by a career high eight innings over the weekend walking zero and striking out 15 in a win over USC.

The offense is hitting just .244 against the challenging Pac-12 with two hitters over .300 led by Jakob Goldfarb leading the squad in runs, doubles, triples, and home runs. Kyle Kasser is one of the nation's toughest to strikeout in addition to his .302 average. A majority of the Ducks' lineup returns from last season which terrorized the 'Eaters last season, but ranks among the nation's bottom third in batting, home runs, scoring, on-base percentage, and slugging.