MIDWEEK

UC Irvine Anteaters (9-0, Big West 0-0) vs. California Baptist Lancers (8-4, 0-0 WAC)
Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark - Irvine, Calif.

Tuesday - 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | KUCI | Live Stats

PITCHING PROBABLES
Tuesday: UCI LHP Brandon Luu vs. CBU RHP Jacob Wilson
 

THE WEEKEND

UC Irvine Anteaters (9-0, Big West 0-0) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (7-3, 0-0 Mountain West) & Columbia Lions (3-3, 0-0 Ivy League)
Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium - Fresno, Calif.

Thursday vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (7-3) - 6:05 PM | Mountain West Network | KUCI | Live Stats
Friday vs. Columbia Lions (3-3) - 2:05 PM | KUCI | Live Stats
Friday vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (7-3) - 6:05 PM | Mountain West Network | KUCI | Live Stats
Saturday vs. Columbia Lions (3-3) - 5:05 PM | KUCI | Live Stats

PITCHING PROBABLES
Thursday at Fresno State: UCI RHP Riley Kelly vs. FS TBD
Friday vs. Columbia: UCI TBD vs. CU TBD
Friday at Fresno State: UCI LHP Nick Pinto vs. FS TBD
Saturday vs. Columbia: UCI RHP Trevor Hansen vs. CU TBD

Gameday Page
Game Notes
Scout Pack

AROUND THE HORN
#19 - UC Irvine enters the week ranked in three polls with Baseball America coming in the highest at #19
52 - Caden Kendle's on-base streak from last season has hit 52 games tying Keston Hiura's program record
15 - UCI is in the midst of a 15-game win streak dating back to 2023, tied for the second-longest in team history
1869 - Every one of the 1,869 at-bats for Anteaters in 2023 returns to the 2024 roster plus injured Woody Hadeen
 
LEADING OFF
 
+ The Anteaters are 9-0 to start a season for the first time in program history. Previously, UCI's best was an 8-0 start in 2008. UCI is coming off 2023 where they were 5-0 and winners of 10 of their first 11 games
+ UCI remains 1 of 5 teams unbeaten in the NCAA joining 12-0 TCU, 11-0s Texas A&M and Louisiana Tech, and 10-0 Florida State. UCI is now ranked in three major polls with Baseball America's No. 19 the highest for the Anteaters
+ Dating back to the end of 2023, UCI has built a 15-game winning streak. It's the program's fifth win streak all time of 10 or more games, and is tied for the program's second-longest streak set in 2015 and still trailing the 32-game winning streak recorded by the 1974 squad
+ Caden Kendle was the Big West's Field Player of the Week, the first time he's won the honor after a week hitting .583, reached base 11 times, drove in seven, and capped it with a game-winning grand slam Sunday to defeat UCLA in Dodger Stadium. He sits in the top 50 nationally in batting, doubles, hits per game, on-base, and RBIs per game
+ The Anteaters are making noise on a national level starting with 31 hit by pitch, fourth in the NCAA. They're also seventh in fielding percentage, ninth in sac bunts, 10th in ERA, 16th in on-base percentage, and leading the Big West in batting average, runs per game, and slugging.
+ Some Anteaters have put up some impressive numbers
Þ Myles Smith leads the nation averaging 1.88 walks per game. He's also scored a run in 11 consecutive games, and is 10th in the nation with a .628 OBP
Þ Luke Spillane is the 44th-toughest to strikeout in the NCAA, and his four sacrifice hits rank fourth
+ Fifth-year Anteater starter Nick Pinto had his best start allowing one run with nine strikeouts over seven innings to go 3-0 in three starts. He continues to lead active NCAA pitchers with 49 career starts, and he picked up his 20th career win. After starting the year 10th on the program's career strikeout list, he's moved to seventh surpassing Trenton Denholm, Elliot Surrey, Justin Cassel, and now six behind Andre Pallante in sixth with 260.
+ Anteater pitching was stellar once again for a 2.00 ERA on the weekend and 3.00 on the year good for 10th nationally
Þ Ricky Tibbett was thrown into a pair of jams including bases loaded Sunday in Dodger Stadium. He emerged unscathed striking out three in 2.2 IP and two saves
Þ Trevor Hansen continued to excel as the Simi Valley native no-hit UCLA for 3.1 innings in Dodger Stadium Sunday. He finished with four strikeouts and one run over 4.1 innings in the Anteater victory
Þ Ricky Ojeda bridged the gap Sunday with 2.1 scoreless innings with no walks and three strikeouts, and picked up his first collegiate win in Dodger Stadium
Þ Max Martin came to the rescue in Saturday's rain-delayed victory. He settled in after a leadoff triple and a run across to retire the game's final 11 batters adding a career high four strikeouts in a 4-inning save
  
SCOUTING THE LANCERS

California Baptist squares off with UC Irvine for just the second time ever and first since 1988. CBU has been Division II until 2019 and recently became eligible for postseason play last year. They have won the WAC twice during their reclassification both in 2019 and 2021. The 'Eaters got a home win, 12-4, back in 1988 which was one year after the team was reinstated following it being cut in 1985 shortly after forming in 1983.

The Lancers have tested themselves to an 8-4 mark with wins over Pepperdine, UC Riverside, and UC Davis while also losing a pair to Utah. Things they do well are hit for extra bases with 33 doubles, and on the mound post a smooth 3.25 ERA and are among the nation's top 10 in least walks issued with 2.58 per game.
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

Fresno State and the Anteaters match up for the 49th time on Thursday with the Bulldogs on top all-time, 36-12. The 'Eaters took a midweek matchup, 6-3, last year, and the only other meeting under head coach Ben Orloff was to start the 2020 season where UCI last two of three in Fresno. The 2023 team had a 30-win season, and they're 7-3 to start 2024 with series wins over Milwaukee, SDSU, and at Fullerton.

The Bulldogs have been lights out on the mound with a microscopic 2.90 ERA with nearly four strikeouts for every walk, top six nationally. The offense scraps by getting hit by pitch and sacrificing. LBSU transfers Eddie Saldivar and Rocco Peppi are familiar to the 'Eaters and will cause havoc with the bats while Tommy Hopfe has two saves and is still hitting .351 in the middle of the lineup
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS

Columbia meets UC Irvine in Fresno playing twice and the first two games between the squads. This is the third Ivy League school UCI has faced, all in Anteater Ballpark, with the 'Eaters defeating Harvard in 2008 and sweeping a three-game set vs. Dartmouth most recently in 2012. CU has winning seasons in back-to-back years and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2022 for the fifth time in the last decade.

The Lions have two series under their belt, swept at No. 4 Florida and a home sweep vs. Marist. The offense averages 8.8 runs a game with Jack Cooper putting up an impressive 4 HR and 15 RBIs last week. The ERA numbers are a little inflated after allowing 34 runs the opening weekend to the Gators, but they have Andy Leon's 1.80 ERA in two starts