'Eater Digest - Baseball - February 2023

STORYLINES

LEADING OFF

+ UCI’s offense is averaging over eight runs a game. The team has topped 10 runs in six of their 14 contests. They’ve had 22 innings scoring multiple runs, 13 innings with at least four runs scored, and six innings plated six or more following their seven-run 11th inning in Saturday’s win

+ Pitching enters conference play with a 4.46 ERA, fifth in The Big West. The bullpen leads the charge with an 8-2 record, 3.97 ERA, and 86 strikeouts in 79.2 innings. The team’s seven saves lead the Big West as well

+ Among the Big West ranks, UCI tops all in runs (115) and runs a game (8.2) in addition to slugging (.471), walks (77), and sac flies (11) from the offense. UCI’s defense is second at .979 just 0.1 behind UC Davis

NATIONAL PRAISE

+ UCI is top 25 nationally in triples (9th) and sacrifice flies (15th), and top 50 in HBP, fielding, and K-to-BB ratio

+ Chase Call has five home runs to lead The Big West along with the second-most RBIs at 18

+ Caden Kendle’s 25 RBIs rank 18th in the NCAA and tops the Big West along with the most at-bats at 65

+ Anthony Martinez is eighth in the country with eight doubles and is tied for the Big West lead. He also sits third in hits and seventh in slugging and on-base percentage

+ Jo Oyama has four triples, tied for fifth nationally

+ Will Bermudez is top 60 in HBP and runs per game, both leading the Big West, has reached in 11 straight, and has the most assists in the Big West at 42

ANTEATERS GO MARCHING

+ Caden Kendle has ripped the ball this year with RBIs in 11

of 14 games, multiple RBIs in nine games, and multiple RBIs on nine hits this year. He snapped his on-base streak last Tuesday ending at 38 games

+ Thomas McCaffrey is seeing it well in March hitting .467 (7-for-15) in three games

+ Jo Oyama has seven multi-hit games including four triples, and has reached in all 14 games this year

+ Anthony Martinez had a 13-game on-base streak snapped Sunday. Earlier in the season he set a UCI record with home runs in four straight games. He’s hitting .417 in March.

+ Will Bermudez has reached in 11 straight. In March, he leads the team with 10 runs and seven walks

+ Chase Call tops the squad with five home runs with four of them either tying or untying a ball game. The fifth was the team’s only grand slam which turned out to be the game-winning runs in a win at Arizona State. He’s reached in 11 straight, had a 10-game hit streak snapped Sunday, and scored an outfield assist in his one game in the field

+ Cameron Wheeler has been scorching in March with a 1.04 ERA (8.2 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 BB, 8 K) and a win in three games

+ Nick Pinto has allowed one run over his two March outings. He reached 200 career innings on Sunday and remains 13 strikeouts from 200 in his career. He’s UCI’s active leader with 11 wins and a 3.36 ERA

+ Abraham Garcia-Pacheco had a 4-for-4 day Saturday reaching five times and driving in four Anteaters at ASU.

AROUND THE HORN

13 - UC Irvine has played 13 times on St. Patrick’s Day going 11-2 in those games. UCI looks to avenge its last home game on March 17 in which is lost, 8-5, to Utah Valley in 2018

6+ - The ‘Eaters have scored multiple runs in 22 innings, 13

‘EATERS AT HOME FOR SDSU, CAL STATE FULLERTON

times have scored as many as 4 in an inning, and six innings of 6+ runs which all have come since Feb. 27 4th - UCI’s 4th participant in the World Baseball Classic starts this week in Andre Pallante on Team Italy. Past players were Israel’s Ben Orloff and Dylan Axelrod, and Germany’s Dominique Taylor

4 - Anthony Martinez blasted home runs in 4 straight games from February 26 to March 3, a UCI record

SCOUTING THE AZTECS

The Aztecs were off their game in 2022 going 18-38, 10-20 in Mountain West play, and just eight home wins.

The 2023 Aztecs are 4-8 through the early going with matchups against many familiar foes for the ‘Eaters. SDSU started at Arizona State losing all three. They then hosted the Tony Gwynn Legacy with their one loss a 14-1 drubbing by Washington State. They started conference play winning 2 of 3 at UNLV including 28 runs in a game. Last week, their final two matchups with San Jose State were postponed by rain. They’ve also seen Big West sides beating Hawai’i and losing to CSUN and UCR

The offense is led by a familiar face, former Anteater Shaun Montoya, hitting .342 with team highs 13 runs and 10 walks. SDSU as a squad is hitting .271 averaging just over six runs a game with eight home runs and 25 stolen bases

Pitching comes in with an ERA of 4.50. Midweek starters have been the likes of Aidan Russell, part of eight pitchers each getting an inning, and Robert Brodell who was unable to escape the first inning. Big names on the staff include Eldridge Armstrong III (8 G, 8 IP, 0 ER, 13 K) and closer Kelena Sauer (5.40, 2 Sv, 6.2 IP, 8 K)

ALL-TIME SERIES

San Diego State and UC Irvine meet for the 98th time in the first of home-to-home midweeks this season. The ‘Eaters took both matchups in 2022 playing both by March 1. SDSU still holds the series edge, 57-39-1, and have won 29 times in 51 visits.

SCOUTING THE TITANS

The Titans struggled through a rare losing season in 2022 going 22-33 with a 14-16 conference mark. Cal State Fullerton also managed a 6-19 road record.

The 2023 Titans are 6-7 with a schedule full of premier opponents. The Titans played their first road games last weekend winning two of three at Pepperdine. The first 10 games at home started with one win in a series vs. No. 2 Stanford, followed by two losses to Michigan, and then a series win hosting Texas. Common opponent Tulane also made a visit with the Titans taking a 6-5 midweek win against them

The offense is hitting .268 averaging 5.8 runs a game. Carter White has shot out with a .483 average (14-for-29). Other team leaders including Brendan Bobo with three home runs and nine RBIs, 17 hits out of sophomore Maddox Latta along with his .347 average, and Zach Lew also hitting .327 with a team-best 11 runs

Pitching comes in with a 5.47 ERA with a couple bad outings raising the ERA. The rotation of Trevor Hinkel (0-2, 8.24, 19.2 IP, 6 BB, 21 K), Tyler Stultz (1-1, 5.79, 18.2 IP, 13 BB, 22 K), and Evan Yates (0-0, 4.22, 10.2 IP, 10 BB, 10 K) are led by the capable head coach Jason Dietrich who led the Anteater staff back in the day. Fynn Chester has solidified the bullpen with a 2.77 ERA in 13 innings picking up two wins, a save, and just one walk and shutdown the ‘Eaters over eight innings in 2022. Stultz did as well striking out 11 in 8.1 shutout frames against UCI. Big strikeouts numbers also come from the likes of Peyton Jones (13.2 IP, 20 K) and Jojo Ingrassia (10.1 IP, 15 K).

ALL-TIME SERIES

Cal State Fullerton returns to UC Irvine for the first time since 2021 when the Anteaters finally won their first series against the Titans at home. To add salt to the wound, UCI claimed a sweep and locked up its second Big West title in the process. Fullerton evened the score in 2022 with a series win at Goodwin Field and still holds a 95-47 edge in the all-time series. DOWN THE LINE

This is the final week before Big West play begins. UCI will be home for all four games starting Tuesday, March 14 hosting San Diego State before the three-game series kicks off Friday, March 17 vs. Cal State Fullerton

Ben Orloff enters his fifth year atop the Anteater baseball program as head coach and 10th season with the program for the 2022-23 school year. Orloff assumed the reins of UC Irvine Baseball in July of 2018 as the ninth head coach in program history. Orloff initially joined the coaching staff in 2014 as an assistant rising to associate head coach in the five years since. In his first year in 2019, he took the team to a second-place finish in the Big West going 37-17 overall with 21 home wins.

The Anteaters returned to the postseason stage in 2021 reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his coaching career, ninth time in Division I, and 14th time in program history. The team was crowned Big West champions winning an all-time conference record 32 games. UCI finished with an overall record of 43-18 reaching the Stanford Regional taking the hosts to the Regional Final. His efforts scored his first Big West Coach of the Year accolade, the fourth for the program and third since joining the Big West. Among the Anteaters superlatives were ABCA All-American status for Mike Peabody who was joined by three others on the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper All-American squad. Peabody was also named Big West co-Player of the Year, and was joined by Taishi Nakawake as the tri-Defensive Player of the Year. Peabody was among four ‘Eaters from the 2021 squad to be drafted in the MLB.

Coach Orloff and the Anteaters had their season shortened like every collegiate program in 2020. After just 15 games, the ‘Eaters were 8-7.

Spearheading the Anteater recruiting efforts, Orloff played at UCI from 200609 and became the program’s first Big West Player of the Year. An accomplished shortstop, Orloff won the 2009 Brooks Wallace Award and was also the first Anteater player to win an American Baseball Coaches Association Gold Glove award. A three-time All-American, Orloff also was named to two

NCAA Tournament teams and helped UCI to four post-season berths.

Recognized for his defensive talents, Orloff also evolved into a potent offensive threat, ending his collegiate career with a lifetime .320 batting average. Orloff is UCI’s all-time hit leader with 281 and owns the top mark in runs scored with 178. He leads all players with 241 games played and 877 at-bats. With 62 stolen bases, he is second in the UCI career annals and also dots the single-season records in multiple categories. Orloff led the nation two consecutive years in sacrifice hits and holds the NCAA single-season mark of 34 set in 2007 and in a career with 86.

Orloff was drafted in the ninth round by the Houston Astros. He climbed to Double-A Corpus Christi, hitting .298 this season with 11 RBI on 39 hits with 20 runs scored before finishing out his professional career playing 355 games over five seasons. Orloff was also a participant in the World Baseball Classic in 2012 as a member of Team Israel. Israel was eliminated in the qualifying round with Orloff starting one of the three games

COACHING STAFF

Head Coach: Ben Orloff (5th Season)

Assistant Coaches: Daniel Bibona, J.T. Bloodworth, Ryan Johnston

Director of Operations: Blake Hawksworth

To find opponent roster, download the UCI Sports Front Row App from iTunes or the Google Play Store, or visit ucirvinesports.com/mbb

2023 UC Irvine Baseball

Overall Statistics (as of Mar 12, 2023)