‘Eaters aim for more

UC Irvine attained unprecedented heights as a Division I baseball program last season. But one of the top returners from a 2007 campaign that featured a 47-17-1 record, and the school’s first trip to the College World Series, believes the Anteaters’ third-place finish in Omaha ultimately meant coming up short.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” said junior center fielder and preseason All-American Ollie Linton. “We made it to Omaha, but we still need to accomplish the entire thing [winning a national championship].”

Lofty goals indeed, but Coach Mike Gillespie, who enters his first season at the helm of the Anteaters after five CWS appearances and the 1998 NCAA title in 20 seasons with USC from 1987-2006, believes the talent and mentality is in place for similar success.

“I really, really want this to work and go well and have everybody enjoy what can happen,” said Gillespie, who replaces Dave Serrano, Baseball America’s 2007 National Coach of the Year who is now at Cal State Fullerton after three seasons guiding the Anteaters. “I’d really be disappointed if we don’t do well, because it’s a team that can win. They’re really good guys and they know how to play.”

UCI had a school-record eight players drafted by Major League teams last season, including first-team All-Big West Conference honorees Cody Cipriano and Taylor Holiday, as well as NCAA career saves leader Blair Erickson.

The ’Eaters will need to replace three regulars on the infield, both corner outfielders, as well as Saturday starter Wes Etheridge, whose success was vital to a postseason run that included victories at the Round Rock Regional hosted by Texas and the Super Regional at Wichita State.

But several key cogs return, including ace starter Scott Gorgen, who earned third-team All-American honors and is a first-team preseason All-American pick by Louisville Slugger and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Assn.

Gorgen, a junior, will again anchor a pitching staff that includes Pepperdine transfer Bryce Stowell and fellow sophomore Christian Bergman as the initial weekend starters.

Linton, a second-team preseason All-American choice by the NCBWA, will lead off and play center, while junior shortstop Ben Orloff and senior catcher Aaron Lowenstein are additional returning starters. Orloff, the national leader the last two seasons in sacrifice hits, earned second-team All-Big West recognition last season, as did Lowenstein.

Sophomores Jeff Cusick and Sean Madigan, the latter a Ping Freshman All-American last season when they shared designated hitter duties, will likely start at first base and left field, respectively, though both may not be ready for the opening series, beginning today at 1 p.m. at Nevada, due to injuries.

Injuries have been widespread, creating some questions in the lineup and pitching staff, Gillespie said.

Hard-throwing relievers Tom Calahan, a freshman bullpen standout last season, and Kyle Necke, who sat out last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, are both coming off surgical procedures. Calahan, a left-hander, had his shoulder repaired. Both are still rounding into full form, which left the closer role open for sophomore side-arming right-hander Eric Pettis.

Key newcomers include Stowell, sophomore Casey Stevenson, redshirt freshman Tyler Hoechlin and junior Eric Deragisch.

Stowell, ranked No. 21 among the top 50 sophomores by Baseball America, has a fastball that has been clocked at 95 mph and he earned Pitcher of the Week laurels in the Cape Cod League last summer.

Stevenson, a left-handed hitter who played last season at College of the Canyons, is slated to open the season at third base and hit third.

Hoechlin, a transfer from Arizona State with an acting resume that includes a prominent role in the movie “Road to Perdition,” could open at second base, while returner Josh Tavelli, a redshirt senior, recovers from hip surgery.

Deragisch, battling a bruised hand, is a transfer from Sierra Community College who is a strong candidate to land in right field, Gillespie said.

Ryan Fisher, a freshman who redshirted last season, has been the team’s best hitter in preseason workouts, and is bidding for time in left field.

Francis Larson, a sophomore backup catcher, will add to his time in the lineup with designated hitting chores this season, Gillespie said.

Gorgen, a changeup master, went 13-3 with a 2.83 earned-run average last season, including complete-game postseason wins over Texas and Wichita State. His 136 2/3 innings led the staff and produced just 118 hits and 117 strikeouts.

“He’s a proven winner who doesn’t pass the look test,” Gillespie said of the 5-foot-10, 190-pound right-hander. “But he has the skills, the mentality and the competitiveness to be successful. And he’s a really fun guy.”

Gorgen’s work ethic has made him a leader among his pitching peers, said first-year pitching coach Ted Silva, a former Cal State Fullerton standout and major leaguer, who was pitching coach last season at Fresno State. Stowell is another natural leader, while Orloff and Lowenstein add to a veteran group that virtually ran their own workouts while administrative details delayed the official hiring of Gillespie and his staff.

That staff includes associate head coach Pat Shine, who spent three seasons as a UCI assistant under John Savage after the program was resurrected for the 2002 season.

Linton, a speed demon who wowed postseason crowds with his series of web gems last season, hit .342, second among regulars, last season. He scored 30 runs, drove in 21 and stole 15 bases, the latter total he hopes to improve upon from the leadoff spot.

“I’ve been working on getting better leads and being more aggressive,” Linton said.

Orloff is a seasoned fielder and skilled bunter who hit .324 with 33 RBIs, 46 runs and 10 doubles last season. Gillespie, however, said he should do less bunting, as the veteran skipper is not fond of bunting with no outs and a runner on first, as was Serrano.

Gillespie prefers the hit and run with a runner on first he said.

Lowenstein hit .296 with 21 RBIs last season, when he helped limit opposing runners to 28 stolen bases in 61 attempts.

Cusick, the right-handed hitting half of what amounted to a DH platoon, hit .319 in 91 at-bats in 2007. He had three home runs and 20 RBIs. He is slated to open as the cleanup hitter.

Madigan batted .333 in 126 at-bats with one homer, 26 RBIs and eight doubles.

Fisher, who broke a foot in November, but was on the verge of 100% clearance late last week, has been impressive when able to hit, Gillespie said.

“The guy has been on fire with the bat,” Gillespie said. “He’s exciting when he bats and he has, arguably, been our best hitter.”

Fisher, who could hit fifth and play a corner outfield spot, hit .412 and slugged .608 in 97 summer at-bats for the San Luis Obispo Blues to earn All-California Collegiate League honors last summer.

Deragisch is a talented outfielder, who could wind up in right, Gillespie said.

“If [Deragisch] hits, he’s a slam dunk to be our right fielder, because he can really throw,” Gillespie said.

Larson, who had one homer and drove in 11 runs while hitting .233 in 73 at-bats last season, has made strides at the plate, as well as in his catching abilities, said Gillespie, who believes the powerful 6-1, 200-pounder should be a pro prospect.

Sophomore Dillon Bell, junior Tony Asaro and redshirt junior Brock Bardeen are additional candidates to play the outfield, while junior Sammy Donabedian adds depth behind the plate.

Gillespie said sophomore lefty Daniel Bibona, sophomore Cory Hamilton and Pettis are candidates to earn mid-week starts that are more abundant this season, since the NCAA pushed back the opening of the season, forcing West Coast schools to crowd their schedules with up to five games a week.

Bibona will add a lefty presence in the pen, where freshman Crosby Slaught, a 6-5 right-hander from Santa Barbara High, has opened eyes by throwing strikes with a mid-80-mph fastball and what Gillespie called “an advanced changeup.”

Hamilton was 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 24 innings, including five starts, last season, while sophomore Reid Suitor, coming off shoulder surgery, was 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 15 1/3 innings in his collegiate debut.

Calahan was 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA as a freshman, when he fanned 24 in 22 1/3 innings.

UCI was ranked as high as No. 22 in preseason polls and was picked to finish fourth in the Big West, behind Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, respectively.

But Linton said he and his teammates are used to ignoring the rankings.

“We’re not usually ranked what we feel like we should be ranked,” Linton said. “Just like last year, we weren’t ranked high. But we worked our way up little by little.”

The Anteaters open at home Tuesday night at 7 against USC. They visit Cal Poly to open Big West play (March 28-30) and play host to Serrano and his Titans in a much-anticipated conference series (April 4-6).

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].