UCI at top-ranked Titans in crucial Big West series

The No. 8-ranked UC Irvine baseball team takes a four-game winning streak into a three-game Big West Conference road series at No. 1-ranked Cal State Fullerton, beginning tonight at 7.

Coach Mike Gillespie’s Anteaters (16-8, 3-0 and tied for first in conference with Pacific), are averaging 11.6 runs while going 6-1 in their last seven games.

UCI is paced by senior third baseman Eric Deragisch, who is hitting .403 with one home run and 14 RBIs. He is 13 for 27 with 10 RBIs in his last six games and has a 10-game hitting streak.

Senior shortstop Ben Orloff (.372 with 10 RBIs and a team-leading 27 runs), sophomore left fielder Ryan Fisher (.343, two homers, 18 RBIs) and junior catcher Francis Larson (.301, three homers, 20 RBIs) pace the ’Eaters’ offense.

UCI left-hander Danny Bibona (4-1 with a 2.77 earned-run average) is scheduled to start tonight, with junior Christian Bergman (3-1, 2.79) and sophomore Crosby Slaught (2-0, 4.08) set to start Saturday (6 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) respectively.

Cal State Fullerton’s weekend rotation is typically sophomore Daniel Renkin (4-1, 2.50) on Friday, and freshmen Noe Ramirez (3-0, 2.02) and Tyler Pill (5-0, 3.19) on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The Titans (19-5, 2-1) are paced by junior outfielder Josh Fellhauer (.418, three homers, 19 RBIs), senior Jared Clark (.382, five homers, 32 RBIs), freshman Nick Ramirez (.378, six homers, 23 RBIs) and junior Khris Davis (.344, eight homers).

Fullerton is coached by Dave Serrano, who capped his three-year run at the UCI helm by guiding the ’Eaters to the 2007 College World Series.

— Barry Faulkner