The UC Irvine 2011 college baseball schedule is out. the Anteaters open the season by hosting a three-game series February 18-20 against Nevada. They follow that with a Feb. 22 game at San Diego State. The Aztecs make a return trip to Irvine on April 12.

Mike Gillespie’s club then hosts Bethune-Cookman, Southern and Grambling State Feb. 25-27 in the RBI Tournament. The Feb. 26 game against Southern will be televised on MLB Network.

CLICK HERE to see the complete 2011 UC Irvine schedule.

The Anteaters head to Moraga, CA the following weekend for a three-game set vs. St. Mary’s and then return to Anteater Park to begin a five-game homestand that starts on March 8 against Connecticut.

Irvine opens Big West Conference play April 1-3 when it hosts Cal State Northridge. Other conference home series are against UC Davis, Cal Poly and Long Beach State. UCI visits Cal State Fullerton, Pacific, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Riverside in other conference action.

The Anteaters also home home and home games scheduled with USC, San Diego and 2010 College World Series runner-up UCLA.

CLICK HERE to see our comprehensive page of 2011 college baseball schedules.

The place to find authentic college baseball caps is Dugouthats.com. The Dugout has four different styles of UC Irvine caps as well as officially licensed College World Series hats, t-shirts, memorabilia and more!

A Look At Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In College Baseball

Jason Coats led TCU with 6 RBIs vs. Cal State Fullerton

Stock-Up

TCU:  The Horned Frogs went to Cal State Fullerton and took two of three games from the Titans to improve to 5-1.  They did it by out-scoring Fullerton 13-3 in their two wins.  Those wins were against All-Americans Daniel Renken and Tyler Pill.  TCU is batting .341 with a .943 team OPS, while the pitching staff has a 2.82 ERA with 47 Ks in 51 IP.

Coastal Carolina:  The Chanticleers were already ranked, and then they went and swept two games from UC Irvine last Saturday.  It wasn’t like they were facing the Anteaters’ 3rd & 4th starters either.  Coastal beat Daniel Bibona and Eric Pettis on the same day.  Bibona was 12-1 last year with a 2.63 ERA, while Pettis was 5-2 with 17 saves as Irvine’s closer.

Texas:  After losing two of three games at home to New Mexico to open the season the Longhorns swept a Stanford team that had swept Rice on opening weekend.  The vaunted Longhorn pitching staff showed why it’s considered the best in the nation in the process.  Taylor Jungmann, Cole Green, Chance Ruffin, and  Brandon Workman combined to give-up just two runs with 26 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings during the series.

East Carolina:  Typically a 4-3 team wouldn’t be considered one whose stock is rising, but the Pirates have essentially played two Super Regionals to open the season.  They lost two of three vs. a loaded Virginia team and then then took two of three from a very good South Carolina squad.   ECU will rack-up a lot of wins by season’s end.

St. John’s:  The Red Storm is off to a 6-0 start with wins over New Orleans (3), Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois.  They won their three games at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge by a total of four runs.  The biggest long-term question Ed Blankmeyer’s team would appear to have is pitching.   Bruce Kern and Nick Cenatiempo have both been good so far, but while it’s still early, neither has gone deep into a game yet.  In their combined four starts neither has pitched more than five innings.

Washington State:  The Cougars’ 6-0 start is their best since 1988.  They have a staff ERA of 3.74 and a batting average of .363 in those six games.   Wins over the likes of Seattle, Bethune-Cookman and Texas Tech haven’t been the stiffest of tests, but it’s been more than 20 years since they started as well against similar schedules as well.

Southeastern Louisiana:  A 3-game sweep at Mississippi State last week has earned the Lions (8-0) the program’s first ever national ranking (#29 in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Poll).   They’ve done it with good pitching and a well-rounded offense.  Tyler Watkins and Brandon Efferson have each made two starts and have totaled 14.0 and 12.0 innings, respectively.  Three relievers have also combined to post four saves for a staff with a 2.70 ERA.  Meanwhile, the team is hitting .304 and 11 different batters have at least 3 RBIs.

Tim Esmay:  One of the questions we raised coming into the season was whether Esmay could continue what Pat Murphy had done for the last 15 years.  ASU is 7-0 in Esmay’s first seven games as head coach at his alma mater.  Northern Illinois and Towson haven’t provided high-octane competition, but games vs. Cal Poly, Oregon State and Florida International this week should test the Sun Devils more.

Stock Down

UC Irvine:  In addition to the previously mentioned losses to Coastal Carolina the Anteaters also lost to North Carolina State last weekend at the Baseball By The Beach Tournament in Myrtle Beach.  They also lost 6-0 Tuesday

All-American Daniel Renken is 0-2 in his first two starts in 2010.

night at Pepperdine to fall to 4-4.  Irvine is built on pitching, but it must improve its 6.75 staff ERA.

Cal State Fullerton:  First the Titans lost to Oregon and Pepperdine on opening weekend, then they suffered two more home losses to TCU last weekend.  The four losses at Goodwin Field are half as many as they had all of last year.   Stud pitchers Daniel Renken, Tyler Pill and Noe Ramirez are a combined 1-4, while the offense has hit just .236 during the 3-4 start.

Minnesota:  The Golden Gophers’ 0-3 performance at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge was probably the shocker of the event.  They did face arguably the toughest slate of anyone in the field with losses to St. John’s (5-4), UConn (8-2) and Louisville (5-4).  Those could be the top three teams in the Big East by season’s end.  Minnesota has a solid 2.89 staff ERA, but like St. John’s their starters have not gone deep into games yet.  The offense is hitting just .273 during a 2-4 start, but the Gophers should still be alright once Big Ten play starts.

Oregon:  Yes, I did have the Ducks on the “Stock-Up” list last week after wins over Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State and Loyola Marymount, but I also warned not to get too excited too quickly.  Sure enough, Oregon went to Hawaii and lost 3 of 4 games to the Warriors.  It’s likely to be a roller coaster ride again for the Ducks in George Horton’s second season.

Southern Mississippi:  The curse of a Cinderella going to the College World Series is the expectation(and bulls eye on the back) it brings the following year.  That appears to be what happened to the Golden Eagles after they dropped 2 of 3 home games last weekend to LeMoyne.  They also lost at home to Northwestern State on opening weekend.  USM is hitting and pitching solidly, but they’re going to get the best effort of every team they play all season.

Baseball At The Beach Tourney Games Pushed Due To Cold Temps

CONWAY, S.C. – Due to the temperatures in the Myrtle Beach area, the Baseball at the Beach Tournament schedule has been adjusted.  The #19 Coastal Carolina-#4 UC Irvine game Thursday, Feb. 25 has been postponed.  The game was the only head-to-head match-up of ranked teams scheduled for Thursday.  There now will be a doubleheader between the Chanticleers and Anteaters Saturday, Feb. 27 starting at 12 p.m., at BB&T Coastal Field.  The N.C. State-James Madison game will take place Saturday at Watson Stadium/Vrooman Field at 1 p.m.

BASEBALL AT THE BEACH UPDATED SCHEDULE

Friday, Feb. 26

12 p.m. – N.C. State vs. UC Irvine

4 p.m. – Coastal Carolina vs. James Madison

Saturday, Feb. 27

12 p.m. – #19 Coastal Carolina vs.#4  UC Irvine (DH)

1 p.m. – James Madison vs. N.C. State (at Watson Stadium/Vrooman Field)

Sunday, Feb. 28

11 a.m. – UC Irvine vs. James Madison

2:30 p.m. – Coastal Carolina vs. N.C. State

Contest Runs Through Feb. 19

IRVINE, CA The UC Irvine pitching staff is nearing its 2000th home strikeout and is expected to reach the milestone this season. Guess the date the staff will strike out its 2000th batter at Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark and win a ball signed by the Anteater pitching staff! UCI’s pitching staff has currently struck out 1,927 batters at Anteater Ballpark.

Enter the contest through UCI’s twitter and facebook pages. Entries will be accepted until 6:00 p.m. (PT), Feb. 19. Only one entry per person please. Your entry should include your first and last name, the date you think UCI will record it’s 2000th home strikeout and as a tiebreaker, the pitcher you think will strikeout the 2000th batter. Please follow the format below when submitting your contest entry.

ex. John Smith; Feb. 19 vs. Loyola Marymount; tiebreaker – Peter the Anteater

Entries will only be accepted through UCI’s twitter site (twitter.com/UCIAthletics) or through facebook (UC Irvine Athletics). Look for the “Official” designation on UC Irvine Athletic’s facebook page. When entering through facebook, please use the comment section below the post to enter.

Current UC Irvine baseball players are not eligible to enter.

Contest Rules
1. One entry per person…please
2. Entries must come through UCI’s twitter or facebook pages.
3. Stats from the exhibition game against Rikkyo University will not be counted
4. Use the above format to enter
5. Current UC Irvine Baseball players not eligible to enter.

Cal State Fullerton Is Favored By Big West Coaches

Irvine, Calif. — Following a season that once again concluded in Omaha, Neb., at the College World Series, Cal State Fullerton was selected to capture the 2010
Big West Baseball Championship, a title they lost to UC Irvine last season, according to the Big West Conference preseason poll conducted by the league’s nine head coaches.  The Titans, who have claimed at least a share of seven of the last 11 titles and a conference-best 14, nabbed seven first-place votes for a total of 79 points and were followed by defending conference championship UC Irvine, who picked up two first-place votes en route to a 71 point total.  Rounding out the top three were the Cal Poly Mustangs, sitting third with 60 points.

The Titans, under third-year head coach Dave Serrano, finished the 2009 campaign with a 47-16 overall record and a 17-7 conference mark, good enough for second place in the Big West.  Cal State Fullerton swept both the NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals to advance to the College World Series for its 16th appearance.

Fullerton has a wealth of returning talent that includes an entire weekend pitching rotation, a closer, and a couple of top-round draft pick defenders up the middle to
go along with a Top 5 recruiting class.  Slated to headline the Fullerton rotation are Daniel Renken, Noe Ramirez and Tyler Pill, while Nick Ramirez returns as the team’s closer. All four of the hurlers achieved All-American status a year ago and accounted for 34 wins, seven saves and a 3.24 combined ERA.

The Anteaters of UC Irvine are coming off one of their best seasons in program history, which witnessed the ‘Eaters capturing their first league crown with an outstanding 22-2 mark.  UC Irvine also became the first team in conference history to go undefeated at home during league play and boasted the second-best conference winning percentage in Big West history at .917.  Like Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine welcomes back a majority of their pitching staff, including All-Americans Daniel Bibona and Eric Pettis. Rejoining Bibona and Pettis on the mound in 2010 are Preseason All-America Christian Bergman and Crosby Slaught.

Cal Poly looking to continue its success of last season, was selected third in this year’s poll.  The Mustangs concluded 2009 with an overall mark of 37-21, a third place finish in the Big West at 14-10 and made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since moving to Division I in 1995.  Leading the charge offensively in 2010 is Big West Freshman of the Year Matt Jensen who was sidelined late in the season due to a fractured clavicle.  Prior to his injury he sported a .375 batting average with 15 doubles, nine home runs and 53 RBI and recorded a 23-game hitting streak, the third longest in Cal Poly Division I history.  Also coming back from injury this season is pitcher Steven Fischback, who in 2008 finished seventh in the Big West with 79 strikeouts and posted a 5-4 record with a 4.55 earned run average.

Long Beach State secured the fourth slot with 50 points, UC Riverside landed in fifth after receiving 48 points and UC Santa Barbara grabbed 36 points to take the sixth spot.  Pacific locked down seventh with 30 points, followed by Cal State Northridge’s eight-place point total of 19.  Rounding out the nine-team field with 12 points was UC Davis, who is playing in just its third season at the Division I level.

(Release)

2010 Big West Coaches Poll Results
1. Cal State Fullerton (7) – 79
2. UC Irvine (2) – 71
3. Cal Poly – 60
4. Long Beach State – 50
5. UC Riverside – 48
6. UC Santa Barbara – 36
7. Pacific – 30
8. Cal State Northridge – 19
9. UC Davis – 12

( ) First-place vote

*Collegebaseball360.com is currently releasing our 2010 baseball conference previews, and we will have one soon for the Big West Conference.

Irvine Head Coach Joined By Bob Milano & Jim Stone

Mike Gillespie

Gillespie, who took over the reins of the UC Irvine Baseball program in the fall of 2007, has had a storied career. Ranked 24th in victories among active coaches at the Division I level, Gillespie holds an 850-504-2 record with a .627 winning percentage.

In 2009 Gillespie was named the Big West Coach of the Year after leading UCI to its first-ever conference title with a 22-2 mark to boast the second-best winning percentage in conference history at .917.  The team was ranked No. 1 during the regular season for the first time, holding the spot for six straight weeks. The program also played host to an NCAA regional for the first time in school history.

In his first season with the Anteaters, Gillespie led UC Irvine to its third consecutive NCAA postseason appearance, as the team recorded the second-highest number of wins in the school’s Division I history with 42. UCI went undefeated in regional action prior to falling in three games in super regional play.

Gillespie’s coaching fame includes a 20-year career at USC, where he recorded a 763-471-2 (.618) mark and guided the Trojans to 15 postseason appearances, four College World Series appearances (1995, 1998, 2000 and 2001) and a national title in 1998 for which Gillespie was named National Coach of the Year by Collegiate

Bob Milano

Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Former Cal head coach Bob Milano and Jim Stone from UMass-Lowell were inducted Friday as well.

Milano guided the California baseball program from 1978-1999 and led the Golden Bears to three College World Series appearances.  He retired in 1999 as the school’s most successful baseball coach with a 688-644-4 career record.

Head coach for 22 years and a veteran of 29 years directly involved in the Cal baseball program, Milano’s career not only included three College World Series appearances and a stint in 1997 as the head coach of the United States National Team, but a gold medal as an assistant

Jim Stone

coach for the USA National Team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Stone compiled a 801-393-7 record in 37 seasons at UMass-Lowell.  He had  seven 30-win seasons and at least 20 wins in each of his last 22 seasons.

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine and current Tampa Bay Rays slugger Carlos Pena are among Stone’s most prominent former players.  Glavine won 305 games in his big league career, while Pena belted 39 home runs in 2009.