Friday, April 2
Northridge, Calif.
3:00 PM
UC Irvine
at
CSUN
Photo by: Matt Brown
Baseball Faces Former Coach This Weekend at CSUN
March 31, 2021 | Baseball
IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball returns to the road for a four-game series at CSUN, April 2-4, to begin the month. UCI is coming off another Big West sweep last week at home vs. Hawai'i. CSUN began its conference-only schedule two weeks ago, and returns home where it lost three of four to open after splitting at Long Beach State. Fans are not permitted at any CSUN athletics events this week or season.
Around The Horn
34 - Head Coach Ben Orloff is the youngest coach on the West Coast, 1 of 10 coaches in the nation under the age of 34
8-11 - UCI has met their former coach in six previous series, with neither team sweeping, and an 8-11 record vs. him
23 - The Anteaters have laid down the most sacrifice bunts in the nation with 23 and at least 1 in 14 games
11 - UCI has hit 11 triples ranking them 2nd nationally. Nathan Church leads NCAA hitters with 5 triples this season
LEADING OFF
+ UC Irvine baseball has won its first two Big West series via sweeps. It's the first two four-game sweeps in program history. The series featured a shutout Friday, a come-from-behind rout Saturday in Game 1, a tight affair in Game 2 that needed a save, and an offense barrage Sunday that featured the first run-rule victory in Anteater Ballpark.
+ Nathan Church was named Big West Field Player of the Week a week after Nick Pinto also won his first and the claimed the team's first in 2021. Church had a hit, run, and RBI in each of the four games extending streaks of 10 straight games with a hit and nine straight with a run. He homered in Game 1 Saturday to tie the game after UCI trailed 4-0, his first at Anteater Ballpark. He added a triple Sunday to preserve his NCAA lead this season with five, and scored the decisive 20th run in the game.
+ The four-game sweep featured plenty of offense with the team hitting .368. Jacob Castro hit .571 playing in just three games, and he scored a career high four runs Sunday. Mike Peabody had a career-best five RBIs Sunday to lead the team with seven on the series. He tied Castro for the club high of eight hits including three extra-base hits Sunday. He led all players slugging .800 with a .611 on-base percentage. Connor McGuire was one of three Anteaters with four hits Sunday part of seven he had in the series. Taishi Nakawake had a three-game double streak as part of six hits and three runs. Dillon Tatum hit a massive home run Friday propelling towards a win and gave him a brief three-game home run streak. His Sunday triple scored the go-ahead runs.
+ Pitching ended the weekend with a 4.76 ERA following Hawai'i's 10-run Sunday. The weekend featured quality starts from Trenton Denholm and Michael Frias. Frias added nine strikeouts to tie a career high and continue to lead the club with 36. Nick Pinto held tough after a rough first inning to go seven and get a win with a career high eight strikeouts. Peter Van Loon faltered, but still struck out seven to give him a conference-best 12.88 strikeouts per nine innings this year. Jacob King was called upon twice to secure wins and scored his first career save Saturday in Game 2 as part of 3.2 scoreless innings on the weekend. Tanner Brooks added 2.1 spotless innings in two appearances, and scored his first career win Sunday.
+ Sunday's 20-10 win deserves a breakdown of its own. The game ended on Mike Peabody's single to RF activating the 10-run rule, the first instance for the 'Eaters since 2002. UCI had a game end in eight innings in 2017 on a walk-off to Coach Serrano's Tennessee team due to curfew. The 20 runs ties an Anteater Ballpark record matched twice before by UCI. The 30 combined runs are an Anteater Ballpark record. It's the 15th time an Anteater baseball game has totaled 30 or more runs, fifth time since 2002. In the game, UCI held an 8-1 lead until a seven-run Hawai'i fifth inning. UH took the lead in the sixth before the Anteaters came back and finished the game with an eight-run seventh.
+ Nationally, the 'Eaters have infiltrated some rankings starting with their 23 sac bunts that UCI is tied for the national lead. Elsewhere, UCI has the second-most triples (11), fourth-most hit by pitch (44), and turned the 18th-most double plays (18) which all lead the Big West. UCI is also top 50 in shutouts (33rd), strikeout-to-walk ratio (41st), stolen bases (46th), and fielding (49th)
+ Anteaters themselves have earned national attention led by Nathan Church now with five triples to lead the NCAA four a second week. Michael Frias holds the 19th-best WHIP at 0.73 and stands top 50 in stats like least hits allowed per nine innings (46th), ERA (47th), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (54th). His three wins are second in the Big West and 69th nationally.
+ Some notable streaks continue this weekend starting with Nathan Church's team-high 10-game hitting streak, nine-game run-scoring streak, and four-game RBI streak. Connor McGuire has scored in five straight, and is one of six 'Eaters to reach base in at least eight led by Peabody's 14 straight. Top scoreless streaks are Jacob King at nine innings and Trenton Denholm with seven.
+ Adrian Damla, one of the team's most seasoned veterans, is entering rarified air for the 'Eaters in all-time records. He recorded hits 500th career at-bat over the weekend, and is approaching 180 career games with 171 under his belt. He also tops active Anteaters with 137 career hits, 25 doubles, and 84 RBIs. Damla, Peabody, and Jake Palmer all are rising up the Anteater hit by pitch ranks. Peabody was hit by his 30th career pitch to become the ninth to do so all-time.
+ Trenton Denholm has also raised his game up and is scheduled to start his 40th game this weekend which would make him the 14th Anteater to do so. He recently surpassed 200 career innings, and from consecutive quality starts has dropped his career ERA back down to 2.96. Denholm is approached 200 career strikeouts with 191 currently which would make him the 16th 'Eater with 200. His next win will be his 18th and tie him for the 20th-most in program history.
THIS WEEKEND
Big West play continues between two programs that have both been coached by Dave Serrano. Serrano assumed the helm for the 2020 shortened season where they went 10-5. CSUN is playing just a conference-only schedule in 2021 which has started with a home series loss vs. Cal Poly and series split last weekend at LBSU.
UCI has swept the last two series against CSUN, 2019 at home and 2018 at Matador Field. All-time CSUN is 23-18 when hosting the 'Eaters, but UCI has the all-time series lead at 46-32 and 37-17 since 2002.
UC Irvine baseball is approaching 1,300 career wins as a program with 1,297 to begin the month of April.
Sunday will be an Easter matchup between the programs. UCI has played on Easter three times, all three on the road, and all three losses. The 'Eaters fell in a tournament to Cal State Fullerton in 1980, then playing at LMU lost to Minnesota in 1989. The most recent came in 2008 falling 11-3 at Arizona State.
For every Big West series this season, UCI's opponent will play UC Santa Barbara the following week. UC Irvine's opponent the next week will always be fresh off a series against Long Beach State.
PROGRAMMING NOTES
In accordance with the State of California's decision to allow fans to return to outdoor sporting events starting April 1, 2021, UC Irvine Athletics will be allowing a limited number of patrons into Anteater Ballpark for the remainder of the collegiate baseball season. Priority will be given to UC Irvine student-athlete families, donors and season ticket holders who will receive communication on how to gain access. Single game tickets are not available at this time.
The program is upping their coverage of games with a live stream of all home games, and beginning April 23, will be upgraded to an ESPN3 production. Mark Roberts is on the play-by-play simulcast all year on the live stream and KUCI 88.9 FM radio broadcasts. Live tweet updates and live stats will also continue to keep fans tuned in to all Anteater games to give the experience of being at the game all season.
Big West announced last week that ESPNU will broadcast UC Irvine's Saturday matchup at UC Santa Barbara on May 8. It will be only for Game 2 of the doubleheader moving that start time to 7:00 p.m. Game One will now be at 3:00 p.m. with Friday at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
The 2021 season represents one significant anniversary as it marks the 20th season of Anteater Ballpark. January 25, 2001 was the date of the groundbreaking of the new ballpark and the return of the program. While the 20th anniversary of that date passed last month, the 2021 season marks the 20th season UCI baseball. Since its erection in 2002, the 'Eaters hold a record of 356-183.
Thoughts from Head Coach Ben Orloff
Ben Postgame Friday, March 26 - "It starts on the mound, and Trenton was really good. We talked about it before the game, that was the type of pitching performance that was needed to win tonight, and he was great. We saw some of this last week at UCD and we've been spoiled by this for 3 1/2 years. We made some big-time plays on defense behind him, Tatum hits a home run, we get a 2-out hit, and we win 4-0."
"Spillane's play was a big-time play to go as far as he did, backhand side, full count, nobody out with their best guy, that changed potentially the game. McGuire has played really good defense all year, and he made a big play with that double play and other ones, going to the line. He makes it look easy and its not, and it's a big reason why we're winning is playing defense."
"We know Dillon had power, but it seems like every night he's hitting one over the fence. He missed that one a little bit and it goes over the 408. We're good if he keeps hittin' them."
"Time after time the consistency that King has shown. He comes out in a big spot, 2nd and 3rd to Fogel for a strikeout, and then comes out and gets their 3-4-5 guys in the 9th, he's been great."
Ben Postgame Saturday, March 27 - "We've got a good feeling going right now. Our guys believe that regardless of the circumstances, we're going to win. We faced a couple different ones today. Game 1, we go down 4-0 in the top of the 1st, we win 12-5. We got ahead, they tie it, go back ahead, 2nd and 3rd 1 out for their 3-hole guy in the ninth and we find a way to win, so I think we've got that belief, and its a lot of fun right now."
"It's more of what he's been all year for Frias. It's borderline domination from him. Six innings, they score late off him, struck out nine, no walks, multiple pitches. He's been as good as anybody we have. And can't say enough about Jacob King. What he did last night to get four outs. He came in again today in the seventh inning and got the middle of their lineup with guys on base. He's tough, he wants to pitch, he's not going to crack. You've got to beat him and he's pretty tough."
"Taishi has been one of our better offensive players. Hit with two strikes, hit with runners in scoring position, hitting the double, he's been huge. And then with Peabody all he cares about is winning, he's a complete player. He won a game at Davis, he had a push bunt for us, went second on ball in dirt and then on to third, gets down a safety squeeze. He's all about winning, and he can help us win in a lot of different ways."
Ben Postgame Sunday, March 28 - "I've never seen one like that. We've talked about our guys' willingness to just continue to play regardless of circumstances and their will to win. A couple different games yesterday. Today you're up 8-1 and its easy to think the game's over and you blink and its 8-8 and then we're chasing runs, so just our guys' commitment to just play."
"Peabody and Church could hit 1-2 for anyone in America. They're smart, they're tough, they can homer, they can steal a base, they're really good and we're getting to see it everyday."
"Tanner was huge. We needed to get it stopped. We were unsure how the pen was going to go. Antone was going to be behind Brooks, but we needed to get him earlier then we liked to to get it stopped and a chance to score. He was huge, and if he didn't do what he did we may still be playing."
On the 2020 cancelation - "I can remember the day the announcement came out and having to address the team. We were getting conflicting reports that week, but when it finally came out that the season got canceled and you have to tell the team, you see the hurt in guys' faces who may have played their last game at Irvine or last game ever."
On the UCI 2021 roster - "You just know over the course of the season, somebody is going to be unavailable or a group will need to be shut down, it's just inevitable. We will need lots of players with all the challenges, and we have a smaller roster in the Big West with 38. This year is also unique in the sense that there's so many guys that normally would not be here either from the draft or graduation."
On games without spectators in 2021 - "For the fans, I hope they continue to follow us. We're really excited about the schedule that we have. No midweeks, we still have 10 Pac-12 games, all the sacrifice that the kids have made to get to this point, we're looking forward to being one of those teams with players that are going to be a lot better from February to April."
On the 2021 Schedule - "We came out with a 56-game schedule, which, in a pandemic, has taken a lot of work and rework. We're not leaving the state and not getting on an airplane. Our league deciding to do four-game weekends is something I wanted a lot. Throughout this, I've wanted to play the most games and the most innings, and that's what we got. 56 games has a big significance because it could get canceled like we've seen with other sports. I think that's important for me, for our kids, and for the team. The quality of opponents is still really good. Especially during the pandemic, I'm really proud of the schedule that we have. We're looking forward to a lot of baseball. We're excited for the challenge, and we all want and love to play. I don't think we can have enough games or innings. Let's play."
On practicing in the fall and prior to the season - "In the fall, we had 18 days with small groups. We played no inter-squad games, just eight 4-to-5 person pods. It was very skill-based, not much team stuff. In January, we were in small groups until we pulled the tarp off the field on January 28. That was the first time the whole team has been on the same field together, before that we had to try and get creative. Since the 30th, we've been as a team having normal-ish practices. We've played eight inter-squads, and they have been telling for the stuff we haven't practiced and game-type stuff that comes up. We still have a lot of ground to cover before opening day, and once we get playing, keep learning and trying to get better."
On leadership roles - "It's been really hard these past months because we've only been a team for two weeks, but you see some of the older players really trying to help some of the new guys get stuff. Position players like Palmer and Peabody are trying to help the new guys get it, and Denholm on the pitching side. It's been much needed because of how little we've been on the field. In a year like this, the smart teams that know what they're supposed to do and can handle the situations even with a lack of practice time, those are the teams that do well. The teams that get better once the season starts, you'll look up in April and they'll have a better record than the other guys."
On the rotation - "The first weekend will be how we planned to finish last year – Denholm-Van Loon-Pinto. They've been the best guys, especially Van Loon has taken the biggest jump forward. He's a lot more physical, his stuff has ticked up a bit. He had an arm injury that ended his sophomore year at junior college so he's just kind of continued to distance himself from that. He's been really good, and probably on the whole team has taken the biggest improvement from last year."
On bullpen depth - "It Takes All Of Us - I joke with our guys about that NFL slogan, but we're going to need that depth once we get to four-game weekends. The guys at the end of the game will be the same in John Vergara and Josh Ibarra. One of the guys that's emerged that will pitch a lot is Jacob King. He's developed a slider that's made him a lot better and will be one of the best guys out of the bullpen and pitch a lot. Gordon Ingebritson is in the mix, Troy Wentworth is improved, Michael Frias has looked good the last few weeks after missing the fall. Andre Antone is now a pitcher-only. He went through Tommy John in high school right when he was starting to get good, but still never got to focus on pitching being a two-way guy. Now, that's all he's focusing on, and he's thrown the ball decent. In terms of pitching, what's different about the schedule is no Tuesday games so I think the lack of opportunity that some guys might get in the first three weeks of the season will be there."
CSUN MATADORS
CSUN started their season a little later than most sticking to a conference-only schedule of 40 games in 2021. It got started with a home series March 20 against Cal Poly winning the opener before dropping the next three. The Matadors traveled to Long Beach State last week and split with them again winning the opener and then taking a Sunday victory to sit at 3-5 thus far.
In 2020, CSUN was off to a hot start under new head coach and former UCI skipper, Dave Serrano. They were 7-0 beat teams like San Francisco, Washington State, and Grand Canyon before dropping five of their final eight at UCF and Gonzaga before the shut down. Serrano, who has bounced around between CSF, Tennessee, and West Virginia, is back in the Big West along with fellow 'Eater alum, Elliot Surrey, on staff. All-time, UCI is 8-11 against Serrano-coached teams. In the six three-game series they've matched up in, none have seen either team finish with a sweep
The Matadors were picked to finish sixth and even garnered a first-place preseason vote. The 'Eaters have the all-time series lead at 46-32, 37-17 since 2002 including wins in the last six and four straight at Matador Field.
The offense has swung it early on batting .282 averaging over five runs a game with 15 doubles. Senior Kai Moody is on fire hitting .483, .605 on-base percentage, and team-high seven runs. Others to produce have been Sean Skelly (.350, 2 HR, 7 RBI), highly-touted Denzel Clarke (2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 runs, 3 SB), and a host of others with four players with at least eight hits or five RBIs.
Pitching is still finding its feet with a 7.01 ERA in a hitter-friendly park. Junior Blaine Traxel allowed an unearned run Sunday in seven IP to win at LBSU. He has 13.1 IP this year, and Zuko Tillman and Blake Sodersten have also started twice, but Blake Schriever has been nearly unhittable in 4.2 IP with one hit, one walk, six strikeouts, a win, and two saves in his four games.
| UC Irvine Anteaters (14-7, Big West 8-0) at CSUN Matadors (3-5, Big West 3-5) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | April 2-4, 2021 | ||||||||
| Location | Northridge, Calif. - Matador Field (1,000) - Fans are not permitted for any games | ||||||||
| Times | Friday - 3:00 PM | Saturday Game 1 - 11:00 AM (DH) | Saturday Game 2 - 40 mins following | Sunday - 1:00 PM | |||||
| Live Stream | No games will be live streamed this weekend | ||||||||
| Radio | All games broadcasted on KUCI 88.9 FM and online at kuci.org with play-by-play from Mark Roberts | ||||||||
| Live Stats | UC Irvine Athletics | UC Irvine Athletics | UC Irvine Athletics | UC Irvine Athletics | |||||
| Game Notes | UC Irvine Baseball | ||||||||
| Social Media |  @UCIbsb  @UCIbsb  UC Irvine Baseball #RipEm #TogetherWeZot |
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| Probable Rotation | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Irvine | vs. | CSUN | ||||||
| Pitcher | Year | Stats | Day | Pitcher | Year | Stats | ||
| Trenton Denholm | Jr. | RHP | (2-1, 2.60) | Friday | Blake Sodersten | Jr. | RHP | (0-0, 4.82) |
| Nick Pinto | Fr. | LHP | (2-1, 3.51) | Sat. G1 | Zuko Tillman | Jr. | LHP | (0-1, 7.71) |
| Michael Frias | RS-So. | RHP | (3-0, 1.65) | Sat. G2 | TBD | - | - | - |
| Peter Van Loon | Jr. | RHP | (1-1, 7.06) | Sunday | Blaine Traxel | Jr. | RHP | (1-0, 5.40) |
Around The Horn
34 - Head Coach Ben Orloff is the youngest coach on the West Coast, 1 of 10 coaches in the nation under the age of 34
8-11 - UCI has met their former coach in six previous series, with neither team sweeping, and an 8-11 record vs. him
23 - The Anteaters have laid down the most sacrifice bunts in the nation with 23 and at least 1 in 14 games
11 - UCI has hit 11 triples ranking them 2nd nationally. Nathan Church leads NCAA hitters with 5 triples this season
LEADING OFF
+ UC Irvine baseball has won its first two Big West series via sweeps. It's the first two four-game sweeps in program history. The series featured a shutout Friday, a come-from-behind rout Saturday in Game 1, a tight affair in Game 2 that needed a save, and an offense barrage Sunday that featured the first run-rule victory in Anteater Ballpark.
+ Nathan Church was named Big West Field Player of the Week a week after Nick Pinto also won his first and the claimed the team's first in 2021. Church had a hit, run, and RBI in each of the four games extending streaks of 10 straight games with a hit and nine straight with a run. He homered in Game 1 Saturday to tie the game after UCI trailed 4-0, his first at Anteater Ballpark. He added a triple Sunday to preserve his NCAA lead this season with five, and scored the decisive 20th run in the game.
+ The four-game sweep featured plenty of offense with the team hitting .368. Jacob Castro hit .571 playing in just three games, and he scored a career high four runs Sunday. Mike Peabody had a career-best five RBIs Sunday to lead the team with seven on the series. He tied Castro for the club high of eight hits including three extra-base hits Sunday. He led all players slugging .800 with a .611 on-base percentage. Connor McGuire was one of three Anteaters with four hits Sunday part of seven he had in the series. Taishi Nakawake had a three-game double streak as part of six hits and three runs. Dillon Tatum hit a massive home run Friday propelling towards a win and gave him a brief three-game home run streak. His Sunday triple scored the go-ahead runs.
+ Pitching ended the weekend with a 4.76 ERA following Hawai'i's 10-run Sunday. The weekend featured quality starts from Trenton Denholm and Michael Frias. Frias added nine strikeouts to tie a career high and continue to lead the club with 36. Nick Pinto held tough after a rough first inning to go seven and get a win with a career high eight strikeouts. Peter Van Loon faltered, but still struck out seven to give him a conference-best 12.88 strikeouts per nine innings this year. Jacob King was called upon twice to secure wins and scored his first career save Saturday in Game 2 as part of 3.2 scoreless innings on the weekend. Tanner Brooks added 2.1 spotless innings in two appearances, and scored his first career win Sunday.
+ Sunday's 20-10 win deserves a breakdown of its own. The game ended on Mike Peabody's single to RF activating the 10-run rule, the first instance for the 'Eaters since 2002. UCI had a game end in eight innings in 2017 on a walk-off to Coach Serrano's Tennessee team due to curfew. The 20 runs ties an Anteater Ballpark record matched twice before by UCI. The 30 combined runs are an Anteater Ballpark record. It's the 15th time an Anteater baseball game has totaled 30 or more runs, fifth time since 2002. In the game, UCI held an 8-1 lead until a seven-run Hawai'i fifth inning. UH took the lead in the sixth before the Anteaters came back and finished the game with an eight-run seventh.
+ Nationally, the 'Eaters have infiltrated some rankings starting with their 23 sac bunts that UCI is tied for the national lead. Elsewhere, UCI has the second-most triples (11), fourth-most hit by pitch (44), and turned the 18th-most double plays (18) which all lead the Big West. UCI is also top 50 in shutouts (33rd), strikeout-to-walk ratio (41st), stolen bases (46th), and fielding (49th)
+ Anteaters themselves have earned national attention led by Nathan Church now with five triples to lead the NCAA four a second week. Michael Frias holds the 19th-best WHIP at 0.73 and stands top 50 in stats like least hits allowed per nine innings (46th), ERA (47th), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (54th). His three wins are second in the Big West and 69th nationally.
+ Some notable streaks continue this weekend starting with Nathan Church's team-high 10-game hitting streak, nine-game run-scoring streak, and four-game RBI streak. Connor McGuire has scored in five straight, and is one of six 'Eaters to reach base in at least eight led by Peabody's 14 straight. Top scoreless streaks are Jacob King at nine innings and Trenton Denholm with seven.
+ Adrian Damla, one of the team's most seasoned veterans, is entering rarified air for the 'Eaters in all-time records. He recorded hits 500th career at-bat over the weekend, and is approaching 180 career games with 171 under his belt. He also tops active Anteaters with 137 career hits, 25 doubles, and 84 RBIs. Damla, Peabody, and Jake Palmer all are rising up the Anteater hit by pitch ranks. Peabody was hit by his 30th career pitch to become the ninth to do so all-time.
+ Trenton Denholm has also raised his game up and is scheduled to start his 40th game this weekend which would make him the 14th Anteater to do so. He recently surpassed 200 career innings, and from consecutive quality starts has dropped his career ERA back down to 2.96. Denholm is approached 200 career strikeouts with 191 currently which would make him the 16th 'Eater with 200. His next win will be his 18th and tie him for the 20th-most in program history.
THIS WEEKEND
Big West play continues between two programs that have both been coached by Dave Serrano. Serrano assumed the helm for the 2020 shortened season where they went 10-5. CSUN is playing just a conference-only schedule in 2021 which has started with a home series loss vs. Cal Poly and series split last weekend at LBSU.
UCI has swept the last two series against CSUN, 2019 at home and 2018 at Matador Field. All-time CSUN is 23-18 when hosting the 'Eaters, but UCI has the all-time series lead at 46-32 and 37-17 since 2002.
UC Irvine baseball is approaching 1,300 career wins as a program with 1,297 to begin the month of April.
Sunday will be an Easter matchup between the programs. UCI has played on Easter three times, all three on the road, and all three losses. The 'Eaters fell in a tournament to Cal State Fullerton in 1980, then playing at LMU lost to Minnesota in 1989. The most recent came in 2008 falling 11-3 at Arizona State.
For every Big West series this season, UCI's opponent will play UC Santa Barbara the following week. UC Irvine's opponent the next week will always be fresh off a series against Long Beach State.
PROGRAMMING NOTES
In accordance with the State of California's decision to allow fans to return to outdoor sporting events starting April 1, 2021, UC Irvine Athletics will be allowing a limited number of patrons into Anteater Ballpark for the remainder of the collegiate baseball season. Priority will be given to UC Irvine student-athlete families, donors and season ticket holders who will receive communication on how to gain access. Single game tickets are not available at this time.
The program is upping their coverage of games with a live stream of all home games, and beginning April 23, will be upgraded to an ESPN3 production. Mark Roberts is on the play-by-play simulcast all year on the live stream and KUCI 88.9 FM radio broadcasts. Live tweet updates and live stats will also continue to keep fans tuned in to all Anteater games to give the experience of being at the game all season.
Big West announced last week that ESPNU will broadcast UC Irvine's Saturday matchup at UC Santa Barbara on May 8. It will be only for Game 2 of the doubleheader moving that start time to 7:00 p.m. Game One will now be at 3:00 p.m. with Friday at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
The 2021 season represents one significant anniversary as it marks the 20th season of Anteater Ballpark. January 25, 2001 was the date of the groundbreaking of the new ballpark and the return of the program. While the 20th anniversary of that date passed last month, the 2021 season marks the 20th season UCI baseball. Since its erection in 2002, the 'Eaters hold a record of 356-183.
Thoughts from Head Coach Ben Orloff
Ben Postgame Friday, March 26 - "It starts on the mound, and Trenton was really good. We talked about it before the game, that was the type of pitching performance that was needed to win tonight, and he was great. We saw some of this last week at UCD and we've been spoiled by this for 3 1/2 years. We made some big-time plays on defense behind him, Tatum hits a home run, we get a 2-out hit, and we win 4-0."
"Spillane's play was a big-time play to go as far as he did, backhand side, full count, nobody out with their best guy, that changed potentially the game. McGuire has played really good defense all year, and he made a big play with that double play and other ones, going to the line. He makes it look easy and its not, and it's a big reason why we're winning is playing defense."
"We know Dillon had power, but it seems like every night he's hitting one over the fence. He missed that one a little bit and it goes over the 408. We're good if he keeps hittin' them."
"Time after time the consistency that King has shown. He comes out in a big spot, 2nd and 3rd to Fogel for a strikeout, and then comes out and gets their 3-4-5 guys in the 9th, he's been great."
Ben Postgame Saturday, March 27 - "We've got a good feeling going right now. Our guys believe that regardless of the circumstances, we're going to win. We faced a couple different ones today. Game 1, we go down 4-0 in the top of the 1st, we win 12-5. We got ahead, they tie it, go back ahead, 2nd and 3rd 1 out for their 3-hole guy in the ninth and we find a way to win, so I think we've got that belief, and its a lot of fun right now."
"It's more of what he's been all year for Frias. It's borderline domination from him. Six innings, they score late off him, struck out nine, no walks, multiple pitches. He's been as good as anybody we have. And can't say enough about Jacob King. What he did last night to get four outs. He came in again today in the seventh inning and got the middle of their lineup with guys on base. He's tough, he wants to pitch, he's not going to crack. You've got to beat him and he's pretty tough."
"Taishi has been one of our better offensive players. Hit with two strikes, hit with runners in scoring position, hitting the double, he's been huge. And then with Peabody all he cares about is winning, he's a complete player. He won a game at Davis, he had a push bunt for us, went second on ball in dirt and then on to third, gets down a safety squeeze. He's all about winning, and he can help us win in a lot of different ways."
Ben Postgame Sunday, March 28 - "I've never seen one like that. We've talked about our guys' willingness to just continue to play regardless of circumstances and their will to win. A couple different games yesterday. Today you're up 8-1 and its easy to think the game's over and you blink and its 8-8 and then we're chasing runs, so just our guys' commitment to just play."
"Peabody and Church could hit 1-2 for anyone in America. They're smart, they're tough, they can homer, they can steal a base, they're really good and we're getting to see it everyday."
"Tanner was huge. We needed to get it stopped. We were unsure how the pen was going to go. Antone was going to be behind Brooks, but we needed to get him earlier then we liked to to get it stopped and a chance to score. He was huge, and if he didn't do what he did we may still be playing."
On the 2020 cancelation - "I can remember the day the announcement came out and having to address the team. We were getting conflicting reports that week, but when it finally came out that the season got canceled and you have to tell the team, you see the hurt in guys' faces who may have played their last game at Irvine or last game ever."
On the UCI 2021 roster - "You just know over the course of the season, somebody is going to be unavailable or a group will need to be shut down, it's just inevitable. We will need lots of players with all the challenges, and we have a smaller roster in the Big West with 38. This year is also unique in the sense that there's so many guys that normally would not be here either from the draft or graduation."
On games without spectators in 2021 - "For the fans, I hope they continue to follow us. We're really excited about the schedule that we have. No midweeks, we still have 10 Pac-12 games, all the sacrifice that the kids have made to get to this point, we're looking forward to being one of those teams with players that are going to be a lot better from February to April."
On the 2021 Schedule - "We came out with a 56-game schedule, which, in a pandemic, has taken a lot of work and rework. We're not leaving the state and not getting on an airplane. Our league deciding to do four-game weekends is something I wanted a lot. Throughout this, I've wanted to play the most games and the most innings, and that's what we got. 56 games has a big significance because it could get canceled like we've seen with other sports. I think that's important for me, for our kids, and for the team. The quality of opponents is still really good. Especially during the pandemic, I'm really proud of the schedule that we have. We're looking forward to a lot of baseball. We're excited for the challenge, and we all want and love to play. I don't think we can have enough games or innings. Let's play."
On practicing in the fall and prior to the season - "In the fall, we had 18 days with small groups. We played no inter-squad games, just eight 4-to-5 person pods. It was very skill-based, not much team stuff. In January, we were in small groups until we pulled the tarp off the field on January 28. That was the first time the whole team has been on the same field together, before that we had to try and get creative. Since the 30th, we've been as a team having normal-ish practices. We've played eight inter-squads, and they have been telling for the stuff we haven't practiced and game-type stuff that comes up. We still have a lot of ground to cover before opening day, and once we get playing, keep learning and trying to get better."
On leadership roles - "It's been really hard these past months because we've only been a team for two weeks, but you see some of the older players really trying to help some of the new guys get stuff. Position players like Palmer and Peabody are trying to help the new guys get it, and Denholm on the pitching side. It's been much needed because of how little we've been on the field. In a year like this, the smart teams that know what they're supposed to do and can handle the situations even with a lack of practice time, those are the teams that do well. The teams that get better once the season starts, you'll look up in April and they'll have a better record than the other guys."
On the rotation - "The first weekend will be how we planned to finish last year – Denholm-Van Loon-Pinto. They've been the best guys, especially Van Loon has taken the biggest jump forward. He's a lot more physical, his stuff has ticked up a bit. He had an arm injury that ended his sophomore year at junior college so he's just kind of continued to distance himself from that. He's been really good, and probably on the whole team has taken the biggest improvement from last year."
On bullpen depth - "It Takes All Of Us - I joke with our guys about that NFL slogan, but we're going to need that depth once we get to four-game weekends. The guys at the end of the game will be the same in John Vergara and Josh Ibarra. One of the guys that's emerged that will pitch a lot is Jacob King. He's developed a slider that's made him a lot better and will be one of the best guys out of the bullpen and pitch a lot. Gordon Ingebritson is in the mix, Troy Wentworth is improved, Michael Frias has looked good the last few weeks after missing the fall. Andre Antone is now a pitcher-only. He went through Tommy John in high school right when he was starting to get good, but still never got to focus on pitching being a two-way guy. Now, that's all he's focusing on, and he's thrown the ball decent. In terms of pitching, what's different about the schedule is no Tuesday games so I think the lack of opportunity that some guys might get in the first three weeks of the season will be there."
CSUN MATADORS
CSUN started their season a little later than most sticking to a conference-only schedule of 40 games in 2021. It got started with a home series March 20 against Cal Poly winning the opener before dropping the next three. The Matadors traveled to Long Beach State last week and split with them again winning the opener and then taking a Sunday victory to sit at 3-5 thus far.
In 2020, CSUN was off to a hot start under new head coach and former UCI skipper, Dave Serrano. They were 7-0 beat teams like San Francisco, Washington State, and Grand Canyon before dropping five of their final eight at UCF and Gonzaga before the shut down. Serrano, who has bounced around between CSF, Tennessee, and West Virginia, is back in the Big West along with fellow 'Eater alum, Elliot Surrey, on staff. All-time, UCI is 8-11 against Serrano-coached teams. In the six three-game series they've matched up in, none have seen either team finish with a sweep
The Matadors were picked to finish sixth and even garnered a first-place preseason vote. The 'Eaters have the all-time series lead at 46-32, 37-17 since 2002 including wins in the last six and four straight at Matador Field.
The offense has swung it early on batting .282 averaging over five runs a game with 15 doubles. Senior Kai Moody is on fire hitting .483, .605 on-base percentage, and team-high seven runs. Others to produce have been Sean Skelly (.350, 2 HR, 7 RBI), highly-touted Denzel Clarke (2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 runs, 3 SB), and a host of others with four players with at least eight hits or five RBIs.
Pitching is still finding its feet with a 7.01 ERA in a hitter-friendly park. Junior Blaine Traxel allowed an unearned run Sunday in seven IP to win at LBSU. He has 13.1 IP this year, and Zuko Tillman and Blake Sodersten have also started twice, but Blake Schriever has been nearly unhittable in 4.2 IP with one hit, one walk, six strikeouts, a win, and two saves in his four games.
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/ BaseballLAND’ON one over the fence 👊
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