UC Irvine Anteaters
2023 UC Irvine Anteaters baseball team
Founded1970
UniversityUniversity of California, Irvine
Head coachBen Orloff (5th season)
ConferenceBig West
LocationIrvine, California
Home stadiumCicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark
(Capacity: 2,900)
NicknameAnteaters
ColorsBlue and gold[1]
   
College World Series appearances
2007, 2014
NCAA regional champions
2007, 2008, 2011, 2014
NCAA Tournament appearances
2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2021
Regular season conference champions
2009, 2021

The UC Irvine Anteaters baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of the University of California, Irvine. The team's home venue is Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark located on campus in Irvine, California. UC Irvine baseball has been a member of the NCAA Division I Big West Conference since the start of the 2002 season which was the Anteaters' first season of play following the university's decision to revive its baseball program after the sport had been dropped following the 1992 season.

The Anteaters won the College Division national championship in 1973 and the Division II national championship in 1974. Since moving to Division I play they have appeared in the NCAA tournament nine times and the College World Series twice.

History

College Division/Division II

The program was founded prior to the 1970 season and initially played as an independent school in the NCAA College Division, made up of small-school athletic programs.[2] Under head coach Gary Adams, the team qualified for the College Division Tournament in 1970, 1971, and 1972. In 1973, the team ended the regular season with a twelve-game winning streak and again qualified for the tournament. After advancing to the College Division Championship, it defeated Missouri-St. Louis, Eastern Illinois, and Ithaca twice to win a national championship.[3]

In August 1973, the NCAA reorganized its divisions. Prior to then, the NCAA had competed in two divisions, a large-school University Division and a small-school College Division. Following the reorganization, the University Division became Division I, while the College Division split into Division II and Division III. UC Irvine, formerly an independent in the College Division, became a Division II Independent.[2]

In the first season of Division II, the team again won its regional tournament to advance to the Division II Championship. There, the program defeated New Orleans to win its second consecutive national championship.[3] Following the 1974 season, Gary Adams left UC Irvine to become the head coach at UCLA.[4]

UC Irvine continued to play in Division II until following the 1977 season, though it did not qualify for another NCAA tournament.[3]

Transition to Division I

Prior to the 1978 season, the program joined the newly formed Division I Southern California Baseball Association (SCBA).[5] Former Gonzaga head coach Steve Hertz became the program's head coach prior to the 1979 season, in which the team finished 7th in the SCBA. In 1980, UC Irvine finished second behind Cal State Fullerton, its best season in the SCBA.[6][7][8]

When Steve Hertz returned to Gonzaga following the 1980 season, Mike Gerakos became the program's head coach.[3][9] The team continued to play in the SCBA, though it finished no higher than third until the conference disbanded following the 1984 season. UC Irvine then became members of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, which was renamed the Big West Conference prior to the 1987 season. UC Irvine had a winning conference record only twice in eight PCAA/Big West seasons through the end of the 1992 season.[3]

Following the 1992 season, state budget cuts caused the university to cut several sports programs, including baseball. At the time it was discontinued, the program had a 643-565-17 record.[10][11][12]

Program revival

In 2000, the university announced plans to revive the varsity baseball program and build a multimillion-dollar on-campus venue for the program.[12] Following the 2000 college baseball season, the school hired USC assistant John Savage as the program's new head coach.[13] The team began play in 2002. Its first game, also the opening of the newly built Anteater Ballpark, was an 8-5 loss to San Diego on January 25, 2002.[3]

In 2004, the team qualified for the NCAA tournament, its first in Division I. In the South Bend Regional, the team lost consecutive games to Arizona and Notre Dame and was eliminated.[3][14]

Following the 2004 season, John Savage left the program to become the head coach at UCLA.[15] UC Irvine hired Cal State Fullerton assistant coach Dave Serrano to replace him.[16] In 2006, Serrano's second season, the team qualified for the NCAA tournament. In 2007, the team again qualified for the tournament. After defeating Texas in the Round Rock Regional finals, the Anteaters defeated Wichita State in the Super Regionals to advance to the 2007 College World Series. At the World Series, the team went 2-2 and was eliminated by eventual national champion Oregon State.[3]

Following the 2007 season, Dave Serrano returned to Cal State Fullerton to become the team's head coach.[17] He was replaced by former USC head coach Mike Gillespie.[18] The team qualified for the NCAA tournament in each of Gillespie's first four seasons (2008-2011). In 2008, the team was eliminated by LSU in the Super Regional round.[3] In the team's 2009 season, the Anteaters won the Big West Championship with a 22-2 conference record and qualified for the NCAA tournament as the #6 National Seed. It hosted an NCAA Regional at Anteater Ballpark, but was eliminated in the Regional by Virginia.[19][20]

Following the 2009 season, Anteater Ballpark was renamed Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark for former UC Irvine chancellor Ralph J. Cicerone.[21]

An Anteaters coach conducts a mound visit during a 2010 game at George C. Page Stadium

In 2010, the team qualified for the NCAA tournament but was eliminated in the regional round.[22] In 2011, the team won the Los Angeles Regional to advance to its second super regional under Gillespie. In the super regional, the Anteaters lost to Virginia 2 games to 1.[23]

Conference affiliations

Venues

Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark

Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark has been the program's home venue since it opened in 2002, also the year in which UC Irvine sponsored varsity baseball for the first season since 1992. The venue was known as Anteater Ballpark from 2002-2009, before it was renamed for former university chancellor Ralph J. Cicerone.[24] It has a capacity of 2,900 spectators.[25]

Head coaches

Mike Gerakos, who coached for 12 seasons, is the program's longest tenured coach.[3]

Year(s) Coach Seasons W-L-T Pct
1970–1974 Gary Adams 5 185–68–5 .731
1975–1976 Tom Spence 2 39–47–1 .453
1977–1978 Eddie Allen 2 47–51–1 .480
1979–1980 Steve Hertz 2 60–51–2 .541
1981–1992 Mike Gerakos 12 312–338–8 .480
2002–2004 John Savage 3 88–84–1 .512
2005–2007 Dave Serrano 3 114–66–1 .633
2008–2018 Mike Gillespie 11 393–249 .612
2019–present Ben Orloff 4 120–66 .645
Totals 9 44 1358–1020–19 .571

Yearly records

Below is a table of the program's yearly records.[3][7][8][20][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]

Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Independent (College Division) (1970–1973)
1970 Gary Adams 33-12-3NCAA Regional
1971 Gary Adams 27-17-1NCAA Regional
1972 Gary Adams 33-19-1NCAA Regional
1973 Gary Adams 44-12College World Series
College Division Ind.: 137-60-5
Independent (Division II) (1974–1977)
1974 Gary Adams 48-8College World Series
1975 Tom Spence 15-27
1976 Tom Spence 24-20-1
1977 Eddie Allen 30-23
Division II Ind.: 117-78-1
Southern California Baseball Association (Division I) (1978–1984)
1978 Eddie Allen 17-28-19-15-15th
1979 Steve Hertz 23-26-18-18-17th
1980 Steve Hertz 37-25-118-92nd
1981 Mike Gerakos 31-2313-156th
1982 Mike Gerakos 28-29-111-176th
1983 Mike Gerakos 25-2516-123rd
1984 Mike Gerakos 23-34-111-166th
SCBA: 184-190-586-102
Pacific Coast Athletic Association/Big West Conference (1985–1992)
1985 Mike Gerakos 27-28-114-133rd (South)
1986 Mike Gerakos 20-26-29-125th
1987 Mike Gerakos 27-26-113-82nd
1988 Mike Gerakos 30-28-19-12t-5th
1989 Mike Gerakos 20-35-16-157th
1990 Mike Gerakos 34-2510-11t-5th
1991 Mike Gerakos 24-326-158th
1992 Mike Gerakos 23-2710-146th
No program (1993–2001)
Big West Conference (2002–present)
2002 John Savage 33-2614-10t-4th
2003 John Savage 21-358-14t-5th
2004 John Savage 34-23-110-116thNCAA Regional
2005 Dave Serrano 31-2510-115th
2006 Dave Serrano 36-2411-103rdNCAA Regional
2007 Dave Serrano 47-17-115-6t-2ndCollege World Series
2008 Mike Gillespie 42-1814-10t-3rdNCAA Super Regional
2009 Mike Gillespie 45-1522-21stNCAA Regional (#6 National Seed)
2010 Mike Gillespie 39-2117-72ndNCAA Regional
2011 Mike Gillespie 43-1816-82ndNCAA Super Regional
2012 Mike Gillespie 31-2513-114th
2013 Mike Gillespie 33-2215-12t-4th
2014 Mike Gillespie 41-2515-93rdCollege World Series
2015 Mike Gillespie 33-2315-93rd
2016 Mike Gillespie 31-2511-138th
2017 Mike Gillespie 23-339-157th
2018 Mike Gillespie 32-2413-113rd
2019 Ben Orloff 37-1717-72nd
2020 Ben Orloff 8-78-77th
2021 Ben Orloff 43-1832-81stNCAA Regional
2022 Ben Orloff 32-2416-146th
PCAA/Big West: 920-692-8378-305
Total:1358-1020-19

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Notable former players

David Huff, shown while pitching for the MLB's Cleveland Indians.

Below is a list of notable former Anteaters and the seasons in which they played for the program.[33][34][35][36]

References

  1. ↑ UCI Art Sheet (PDF). May 1, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Liska, Jerry (August 7, 1973). "NCAA Splits Into Three Divisions". The Portsmouth Times. Portsmouth, Ohio, USA. The Associated Press. p. 8. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Anteater in the Draft/Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). 2010 UC Irvine Baseball Media Guide. UC Irvine Sports Information. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  4. ↑ "#13 Gary Adams". UCLABruins.com. UCLA Sports Information. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ Telander, Rick (May 23, 1977). "School of Soft Knocks". SI.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  6. ↑ "2012 Baseball Record Book" (PDF). GoZags.com. Gonzaga Sports Information. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1979". BoydsWorld.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  8. 1 2 "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1980". BoydsWorld.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Steve Hertz Back as Gonzaga Coach". The Spokane Daily Chronicle. July 9, 1980. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Budget's Hit List Readied". The Press-Courier. The Associated Press. June 10, 1992. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Local Notes: Brea-Olinda Standout Priess Signs to Play Baseball at San Luis Obispo". Los Angeles Times. August 4, 1992. Archived from the original on October 21, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2012. Priess had planned to attend UC Irvine until the Anteaters dropped their program last spring.
  12. 1 2 McLeod, Paul (June 20, 2000). "UC Irvine Baseball Could Be Diamond in the Rough". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  13. ↑ McLeod, Paul (July 5, 2000). "UCI Hires USC Assistant to Bring Back Baseball". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  14. ↑ "2004 NCAA Postseason Tournament Results". D1Baseball.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  15. ↑ Stephens, Eric (July 2, 2004). "Bruins Hire Irvine Coach". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  16. ↑ Stephens, Eric (July 12, 2004). "Irvine Hires Titan Aide". The Los Angeles Times. p. D13. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  17. ↑ Faulkner, Barry (September 8, 2007). "Serrano Leaves UCI for Fullerton". Articles.DailyPilot.com. The Daily Pilot. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  18. ↑ Yoon, Peter (September 25, 2007). "Gillespie to Coach Baseball at UC Irvine". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  19. ↑ "2009 NCAA Regional Results". D1Baseball.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  20. 1 2 "2012 Big West Baseball Record Book" (PDF). BigWest.org. The Big West Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  21. ↑ Vasich, Tom. "Cicerone's Field of Dreams". UCI.edu. UC Irvine Office of Communications. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  22. ↑ "2010 NCAA Regional Results". D1Baseball.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  23. ↑ "No. 10 UC Irvine Ends Season with Fourth 40-Win Season". UCIrvineSports.com. UC Irvine Sports Information. June 20, 2011. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark". UCIrvine.PrestoSports.com. UC Irvine Sports Information. Archived from the original on August 24, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  25. ↑ "UCSB Heads to Irvine; Will Be Featured on ESPN". UCSBGauchos.com. UC Santa Barbara Sports Information. May 3, 2012. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  26. ↑ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1977". BoydsWorld.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  27. ↑ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1978". BoydsWorld.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  28. ↑ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1981". BoydsWorld.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  29. ↑ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1982". BoydsWorld.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  30. ↑ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1983". BoydsWorld.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  31. ↑ "College Baseball Conference Standings -- 1984". BoydsWorld.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  32. ↑ "2013 Big West Conference Baseball Standings". D1Baseball.com. Jeremy Mills. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  33. ↑ "University of California, Irvine Baseball Players Who Made it to the Major Leagues". Baseball-Almanac.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2006. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  34. ↑ "#11 Dave Huff". UCLABruins.com. UCLA Sports Information. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  35. ↑ "#6 Ben Orloff". UCIrvineSports.com. UC Irvine Sports Information. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  36. ↑ "#2 Bryan Petersen". UCIrvineSports.com. UC Irvine Sports Information. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
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