UCI’s Orloff tabbed as a top 10 returning senior

Shortstop Ben Orloff has been ranked No. 7 among the top 10 returning seniors by Rivals.com.

Lauded as on the of the top fielders and productive hitters in the Big West by Rivals, Orloff, a team captain, batted .344 with 23 runs batted in last season for the Anteaters. He topped the team with 17 doubles and was second with 78 hits and 10 stolen bases. Orloff struck out just 19 times in 227 at-bats and boasted a .979 fielding percentage.

Orloff is one of seven seniors returning to the Anteater squad and carries a 155-game start streak into the 2009 season.

UC Irvine opens the season with a four-game series at Hawaii, Feb. 20.

— From staff reports