THE SERIES

MLB Desert Invitational

#24 UC Irvine Anteaters (45-14, 22-8 Big West) vs. #24 Nebraska Cornhuskers (40-22, 18-11 Big Ten)
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick (15,000) - Scottsdale, Ariz.
Friday - 12:00 PM | mlb.com | Live Stats

#24 UC Irvine Anteaters (45-14, 22-8 Big West) vs. New Mexico Lobos (28-26, 17-13 Mountain West)
Sloan Park (11,000) - Mesa, Ariz.
Saturday - 11:30 AM | mlb.com | Live Stats

#24 UC Irvine Anteaters (45-14, 22-8 Big West) vs. #16 Vanderbilt Commodores (38-23, 13-17 SEC)
Sloan Park (11,000) - Mesa, Ariz.
Sunday - 11:00 AM | mlb.com | Live Stats

PITCHING PROBABLES
Friday: UCI RHP Danny Suarez vs. NEB RHP Mason McConnaughey
Saturday: UCI RHP Jack Ross vs. UNM RHP David Lopez
Sunday: UCI RHP Trevor Hansen vs. VAN RHP Cody Bowker

Game Notes

AROUND THE HORN
10th - UC Irvine reached its 10th NCAA Regional, all since 2004, as coach Orloff's teams have finished with a winning record in all six of his seasons
4 - The Anteaters had 4 drafted in the first 9 rounds in 2024; 1 of 15 programs to do that and 1 of just 2 schools outside the power conferences
20 - UC Irvine was the only program in 2024 to win 20 or more games at home (20-7) and on the road (20-6) in addition to 5-1 at neutral sites
175 - UC Irvine hitters were hit by pitch 175 times in 2024 to set a new single-season NCAA record
 
LEADING OFF
+ UC Irvine is among the nationally ranked to start 2025 with Baseball America placing them at No. 24. UCI remained in the national polls the entire 2024 season finishing in the top 25 from all five major polls with the highest at No. 20 in Baseball America.
+ Anthony Martinez enters 2025 on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, the 11th list to include an Anteater and ninth different 'Eater to be named. He's also a preseason All-American on three publications and has Two-time First Team All-Big West, 2023 Freshman Field Player of the Year, and U.S. Collegiate National Team member to his name. His summer teammate, RJ Austin, will be in the other dugout Sunday for Vanderbilt. Martinez had a 74-RBI season in 2024 setting the program single-season mark.
+ Will Bermudez has made waves off the field earning the CalHope Courage Award in January that recognizes two student-athletes at California colleges and universities monthly for overcoming the stress, anxiety, and mental trauma associated with personal hardships and adversity.
+ UC Irvine is projected to finish second in the Big West Preseason Poll receiving two first-place votes. On the 11-player Preseason All-Big West Team, Anthony Martinez and Ricky Ojeda were named representing the 'Eaters.
Þ UCI's 22-8 Big West record was good for a second place finish. In 10 Big West series, UC Irvine went 8-2 with four sweeps. The 'Eaters went 21-4 in non-conference regular season action including four Q1 wins and a non-conference RPI of 18 toward its overall RPI of 25
Þ The Anteaters have an average RPI of 41 over the past four seasons, ninth-best among non-power four conference programs and ahead of programs like Stanford, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Arizona State, UCLA, Nebraska, and Louisiana. D1Baseball.com's top 100 programs over the past decade listed UC Irvine as No. 51
Þ UCI went 20-6 in true road games finishing with the second-best road win percentage a year after leading the nation
Þ UCI was 5-1 in neutral site matchups including a win in Dodger Stadium over UCLA and the one loss coming as the home team in Goss Stadium vs. Oregon State in an NCAA Regional
+ Anteater starting pitching was run by the youth with true freshmen starting 34 of the team's 59 games in 2024 and another five starts from redshirt freshmen or 'Eaters with less than 10 career innings. The 'Eaters bring back 31 of those starts for 2025
Þ Returning arms have a total of 411.2 innings, 290.1 innings from a year ago along with a 26-8 record from UCI's 45-14 mark in 2024 and four saves
Þ Ricky Ojeda returns after Freshman All-American and All-Big West First Team honors. He joins Martinez among the 11 players on the Preseason All-Big West squad
Þ A pair of veteran pitchers bring Division I experience with them in David Utagawa, 65.1 IP in three years at Northwestern, and Ryan Kysar, 130.1 IP in four years at USD
+ Anteater record books shifted in 2024 and could do more in 2025
Þ Woody Hadeen broke two single-season records with 82 runs and 62 walks. He's the first 'Eater to reach 80 runs in a season, and broke a 36-year walk record set by Brady Anderson
Þ Anthony Martinez joined the single-season record breakers driving in 74 RBIs to break Jeff Malinoff's record of 65 in 1972. He will become UCI's all-time leader with 56 in 2025, and he would do the same with 18 doubles
Þ UCI's mark of 25 career home runs is in jeopardy with Martinez entering the season with 20 under his belt and teammate Chase Call right behind with 19 in his UCI career
Þ The Anteater offense set a whole host of single-season records scoring 536 runs, nearly 100 more than previous high, 66 home runs topping the 52 UCI hit last season, and 351 walks drawn topping the 304 from last season. The team was hit by 175 pitches setting a NCAA single-season record
  
SCOUTING THE CORNHUSKERS
Nebraska won 40 games a year ago and the Big Ten Tournament to reach the NCAA Regional for the 18th time as a program and first since 2021. The 40 wins were the first for the Cornhuskers since 2014 as they're on the rise and return a veteran squad that begins the season ranked No. 24 in the nation according to D1Baseball

The Cornhuskers and Anteaters have met eight times before with each side winning four times. UCI rained on their parade in 2008 winning the Lincoln Regional and beating Nebraska once to do it. Nebraska had the most recent laugh winning two of three in a home series in 2014.

The offense put together a .288 average last year scoring 6.8 runs a game. Two of the top 100 outfielders according to D1Baseball lead the Huskers in South Dakota State transfer Cael Frost and  All-Regional standout Gabe Swensen. Also returning is the 2024 average leader, Rhett Stokes, and the pesky Riley Silva who finished with 26 HBP, 32 SB, and the national lead in sac bunts at 18.

Pitching was a major weapon in 2024 with a 4.60 ERA along with top 10 totals in WHIP, strikeout-to-walk ratio, and least walks allowed per nine innings. Besides graduating All-American Brett Sears, the Huskers return 46 of their 62 starts a year ago with likely opening day starter Mason McConnaughey (9-3, 3.45) leading the charge as a Preseason All-American, and a pair in Pryce Bender and J'Shawn Unger tabbed to be impact freshmen joining a well-rounded 'pen.

SCOUTING THE LOBOS
New Mexico is always a dangerous squad especially when playing in Albuquerque, luckily the 'Eaters get them on a neutral field, but UNM does stay in the Mountain Time Zone at least. The Lobos are on the rise in head coach Tod Brown's fourth season. The 'Eaters last saw him in the 2021 Stanford Regional when he was in charge of NDSU. Since coming to UNM, he's won 21, 26, and now 28 games last year and reached the Mountain West Tournament for the first time since 2017.

The Lobos and 'Eaters have faced off 10 times previously with UCI holding the 8-1-1 edge all-time.  The one loss came in 1978 and UCI has gone unbeaten since including the most recent matchup at New Mexico in 2008, a UCI series sweep.

The offense mashes regularly helped by their home field advantage where they scored 18 of their 28 wins last year. UNM's .319 average was seventh-best in the NCAA while plating 8.4 runs a game and a top 15 on-base percentage reaching base 889 times by hit or walk. Preseason all-conference hitters Khalil Walker (.391, .490 OBP) and Will Asby (.333, 12 HR, 59 RBI) pace the bats in 2025.

Pitching was the other side of the coin in an offense-friendly ballpark. The Lobos had a 7.71 team ERA allowing over 12 hits a game. The defense stepped up behind the arms with 51 double plays and an above average fielding percentage. Two experienced arms do return in David Lopez (4-2, 65.1 IP) and Dayne Pengelly (4-5, 50 IP) who each led the team in 2024 with 11 starts apiece.

SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
Vanderbilt is a storied program coming off its NCAA-leading 18th consecutive NCAA appearance despite a down year in 2024 by their standards. The Commodores were 38-23 finishing fourth in the SEC East with a 13-17 mark and going 0-2 in the Clemson Regional being eliminated by 4-seed High Point. Vanderbilt is still dangerous putting out multiple All-Americans most years, 145 draft picks since 2003, and a pair of National titles in 2014 and 2019.

The Commodores first title came at the expense of UC Irvine. The only previous meeting between the two came in the 2014 College World Series with both teams winning their opener and the 'Eaters leading 4-2, but lost the lead and were stymied by one Walker Buehler for 5.1 no-hit IP. For the 'Eaters, they are 8-11 all-time against current SEC schools with wins against Texas, Tennessee, and LSU while also facing Texas A&M, Missouri, and the Commodores

The offense hit .286 a year ago with 6.8 runs per game. Preseason All-American and U.S. Collegiate National Team teammate this summer with Anthony Martinez, RJ Austin  sparks the bats and swiped 28 bases which led the conference while the team finished second in the SEC in the stat

Pitching pushed Vanderbilt through 2024 finishing top 25 in WHIP, strikeouts, and shutouts. Two preseason All-Americans according to D1Baseball in starters JD Thompson and reliever Miller Green pace the staff that also allowed just 8.2 hits per game and a 2.53 strikeout-to-walk ratio, both also top 25 stats nationally as the team enters 2025 in the rankings at No. 16.