Broadcast Information
 
Radio - KUCI 88.9 FM with Mark Roberts. All games also available live on the internet at kuci.org and ucirvinesports.com

Online Stream - Tuesday night's game will be broadcasted online via Pac-12.com on the Pac-12 Network Links can be found at ucirvinesports.com

Around The Horn
2 - The Big West unveiled their ESPN Spring schedule on Wednesday revealing 2 ESPN broadcasts coming to Anteater Ballpark. UCI's Sunday finale with Hawai'i, April 26, will be shown on ESPN3 with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch. The season finale, May 23, has also been picked up as UCI and UC Santa Barbara will now start at 5:00 p.m. broadcasted nationwide on ESPNU

2nd - The Anteater offense is one of the best in the Big West despite the 5-6 record and 1-run performances. UCI is 2nd in many categories including walks, batting average, doubles, hits, and hit by pitch. Jake Palmer leads the 'Eaters with a .527 on-base percentage which is fourth in the conference, but he tops the Big West with 10 walks and is 2nd with a .405 average

538 - This weekend's series pits two of the top West Coast programs against each other. Since 2012, UCI and Sac State have combined for 538 wins and one losing season between them. Sac State ranks 5th in California over that stretch with 276 wins with UCI close behind with the 8th-most at 262. The programs have not faced off since 2011 when the 'Eaters swept the Hornets at home
 
UC Irvine scuffled winning once last week and dropping two of three at Washington over the weekend. The 'Eaters are 5-6 so far with a 2-5 mark on the road where they play against Tuesday night at USC. UCI finished February at 5-5.
The offense hit 35 points better than the opposition in Washington at .272 led by breakout stars Josh Sheck and Luke Spillane. Each had three RBIs, the first of their careers, and hit over .400.

Sheck shared the team lead in hits with Mike Peabody who went 5-for-14 lifting his season average to .268 while producing two of the team's six extra base hits and UCI's first triple of 2020. He continued his on base streak now at 25 games followed closely behind by Jake Palmer now with 18 straight. Sam Ireland had a hit in each game now with a five-game hit streak to match Sheck.

Adrian Damla was productive despite just one hit bringing in three RBI to vault atop the team with 10 this season, and he busted out for a home run Saturday, the third of his career. Off the bench were positives from John Jensen who reached in all three games capped by a double and run scored Sunday, and Konnor Zickefoose who got his third hit and second RBI of the year

Pitching was spearheaded by Peter Van Loon who earned his first victory behind seven shutout innings allowing five hits and striking out five. Along with shutout innings from Gordon Ingebritson and John Vergara, UCI tossed its first shutout of 2020 after the team registered eight a year ago.

Trenton Denholm was a tough-luck loser allowing three runs in five innings. His eight strikeouts matched Cole van den Helder for the team high on the year. Van den Helder allowed six runs in limited action and drew the other loss, however four of the runs were unearned.

Bullpen accolades go to Michael Frias who has tossed 5.1 scoreless innings so far this year along with earned runs over his last seven outings totaling 13.1 innings. Vergara went a scoreless frame and has earned nine of his last 13 outs by way of strikeout. Dylan Riddle appeared twice over the weekend allowing his first earned runs, but his seven total games leads the Big West. Troy Wentworth had his best outings as an Anteater nearly completing a four-strikeout inning on Sunday

Early numbers for UCI breakdown as follows:

On the road, UCI is 2-5 with a .268 average led by Jake Palmer's .345 average. The staff has a 5.90 road ERA with Van Loon atop ERA (2.92) and Denholm recording the most strikeouts (14)

For the month of February, UCI finished 5-5 averaging 5.6 runs a game. The staff had a 3.98 ERA allowing nine home runs, and starters had a record of 3-4

UCI has yet to win a midweek game dropping a road contest at USD and losing narrowly at home to SDSU. Nick Pinto has started each game registering seven earned runs in 7.1 innings of work

Anteater baseball is back for its 42nd season of existence. Friday night's season opener will mark 50 years to the day of the first UCI baseball game played in 1970. The Anteater 50th Anniversary will be celebrated all season highlighted by an Alumni Reunion Weekend Game on May 9 in Anteater Ballpark when UCI will host Cal State Fullerton and honor their 1970 squad and the entire "Golden Era" of UC Irvine Baseball from the 1970s.

The team is projected to finish 5th according to the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll gathering one first-place vote. UCI was projected to finish second last you and did, and hauled in the most first-place votes with four. Finishing atop the preseason poll is Cal State Fullerton with Cal Poly and Long Beach State tied for second and UC Santa Barbara settled in fourth. Hawai'i was one vote behind UCI projected to finish sixth. CSUN stands in seventh with UC Riverside just edging out UC Davis for eight at the bottom of the preseason Big West projections

USC TROJANS
USC struggled again to a 25-29-1 record in a competitive Pac-12 Conference in 2019 leading to a coaching change where they brought in former Anteater assistant and LMU head coach, Jason Gill. He has the Trojans off to a 7-3 start thus far taking two of three in their home weekend series, two wins at the competitive Tony Gwynn Legacy including one over San Diego State, and a midweek win at Cal State Fullerton

The Trojans and 'Eaters continue their yearly home-and-home midweeks which UCI won both of in 2019 to take the slim series lead, 35-34.

The hitting has started well with a .305 average led by Ben Wanger, Jamal O'Guinn, and Rhylan Thomas all hitting over .400, and Clay Owens hitting .382 with 2 HR and 12 RBI for a squad that's outscored its opponents 76-31

The pitching has shone with a 2.33 ERA and opposing hitters batting .223. The bullpen has allowed nine earned runs led by the likes of Ethan Hoopingarner (8 IP, ER, 14 K) and four scoreless innings each from Ben Wanger and Brian Gursky
 
SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS
Sacramento State enjoyed one of its more thrilling and productive seasons in 2019 winning 40 games and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament after a remarkable run through its WAC Conference Tournament to secure a bid. Head Coach Reggie Christiansen has one of the winningest programs on the West Coast since joining the program in 2011

In 2020, Sac State started with a series win over UC Santa Barbara and a four-game sweep of Milwaukee before splitting four games against Santa Clara to sit at 7-4. This weekend's trip to UCI will be the squad's first road games of the season
The Hornets and Anteaters haven't met since that 2011 series when Sac State visited Irvine and was swept by coach Gillespie's crew. The programs have met six times for weekend series, five times between 2002 and 2011. UCI has a 15-7 lead in the series including an 8-4 mark in Anteater Ballpark

The 2020 Hornets return a lot from what got them to the postseason a year ago. Eight of the nine starters are back on offense with OF Matt Smith leading the charge so far hitting .325 with 3 HR and 9 RBIs. Other team leaders are Jr. Keith Torres (10 R, 10 BB) and Sr. Ryan Walstad (2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB) along with Chris Gonzalez and Stephen Moretto who are contributing to the team's .215 average by each hitting .108

A majority of the staff returns including all three starters - Scott Randall (0.95, 1 BB, 19 IP), Parker Brahms (0.51, 0 BB, 25 K, 17.2 IP), and Travis Adams (2.25, 2 BB, 17.2 IP) on a staff that will not give up free passes (16 BB, 101 IP). A staff ERA of 2.14 has been boosted by Stone Churby (8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 K) who has 1 of their 2 saves