Baseball Senior Day
5/28/2020
Every year at the final game of the final home weekend series, the baseball seniors are honored in front of their friends and family. Unfortunately, that did not get to happen for our 2020 graduating class, but we would still like to celebrate their careers and wish them the best in all of their future endeavors.
Griffin Mazur
“Griffin is everything that a coach could ever want in a player. He is all about the team and is a leader in every sense of the word. His first couple years he dealt with some injuries and his attitude never changed. He turned himself into a starter the last few years and the true leader on some very good teams.Head Coach Ben Orloff
Griffin holds his teammates to the same high standards that he holds himself. His impact on the team goes far beyond the box score. We do not have the season that we had in 2019 without him. His personality and selflessness will be sorely missed. I leaned on Griffin a lot during his time here and he will be sorely missed.”
Griff has been with the program since 2016 coming from Moorpark and Moorpark High School. He made an impact as a freshman playing half of the team's games, but needed to utilize his redshirt year the next season. He came back in 2018 slowly, but gained some steam down the latter half of the season and built that into a strong junior season in 2019. Providing a big boost to the program's second-place finish in the Big West, he hit .297 grabbing the starting reins at catcher midseason posting six multi-hit games, five games driving in multiple runs, and launching his first career HR in the final home game, a win over USC finishing the year with two-thirds of his career hits and RBI.
Mazur started his senior season the team's starting catcher in the lineup in nine games collecting six hits and a pair of RBI. Griff had already worked through both of his degrees - Criminology, Law, and Society in addition to Education Sciences - helping him graduate in the Winter. His next goal is grad school to pursue a Master's in Sport Management and a career in coaching down the line.
I would like to thank everyone at UCI who made the last five years very special for me. From the athletic training staff, strength coach Mike Nagler, academic advising staff, team managers, and field crew, to my many teammates and coaches; every one of them made UC Irvine an awesome experience for me. A very special thanks to Coach Ben Orloff and Coach Dan Bibona who both taught me so much not only about the game of baseball, but what being a successful person and leader looks like. They, along with the rest of the coaching staff, will take the Eaters baseball program to a new level of success in the near future! Lastly, I would like to thank my parents who supported me and stuck by my side through every step of this crazy journey. Without them, I would not be the person I am today.Senior Catcher Griffin Mazur
I will remember my time at UCI very fondly and I will miss the small things. It was such an honor to be apart of this program for the last few years and play alongside some of the best people there are. Each one of my teammates and coaches along the way has given me memories that will last a lifetime. Five years went by so fast and my advice to the teammates I leave behind and future Eaters would be to not take any day for granted. Every day is an opportunity to grow together and make people around better in every way!
Konnor Zickefoose
“Konnor has been a key member of the UC Irvine baseball team since his first day on campus here. Konnor transferred in and had to sit out his first year. During that year it was so evident what a team player he was and his ability to work. He showed up every day and worked to improve himself when he knew he couldn’t play in a game. That type of mentality is what helped him have a great playing career at UCI.Head Coach Ben Orloff
Konnor will be leaving UCI with not only a Bachelor’s Degree, but also a Master's. His left handed bat will be missed.”
Konnor returned to the squad for a fourth season in 2020 and second senior day as a graduate student. He became an Anteater after transferring from down the road at Chapman. After a redshirt season, he busted out for a team-best 60 hits in 2018 with 5 home runs, 27 RBI, and a .306 batting average primarily in the outfield where he’s also registered 3 outfield assists to place him on an All-Big West Second Team. He found his groove midway through the 2019 season for 29 hits including 10 doubles and a home run. All of this while officially graduating in March with a degree in Sociology. In his grad senior year, he's finishing up his Master's in Finance with a vision to enter the field of law enforcement all while collecting five hits and three RBI in his 10 games before the season was shortened which included his Division I debut at third base.
Konnor thanks all of his family and friends, notably his parents Dave and Patty, and his brother Kyle
Thank you to my family, teammates, coaches, and everyone who has had a positive impact on my baseball career. I couldn’t have done it without your love and support.Grad Senior OF Konnor Zickefoose
