Orloff tops local draftees

UC Irvine All-American pitcher Danny Bibona cites former Anteaters ace Scott Gorgen as one of the biggest influences on his career and they have remained in touch since Gorgen left for professional baseball last June.

But Bibona may not soon need to call, text or tweet to talk to his mentor, as he figures to join Gorgen in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system, after being selected by the team in the Major League Draft Wednesday.

Bibona, who like Gorgen earned Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year honors as a junior, was picked in the 16th round (489th overall). He joined eight others with local ties who were selected on the second day of the three-day draft.

Senior shortstop Ben Orloff, the Big West Player of the Year who was named first-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Assn. Wednesday, was selected in the ninth round (281st overall) by the Houston Astros.

Vanguard University junior outfielder Nick Akins was picked in the 19th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Daniel Cooper, a product of Costa Mesa High and Orange Coast College, was selected in the 21st round by the Seattle Mariners (No. 623 overall).

Cory Hamilton, a junior pitcher at UCI this season, was a 23rd-round pick by the Detroit Tigers (No. 690 overall).

Three high school players who had been recruited to play at UCI, and one expected to attend Orange Coast College, were also drafted Wednesday.

OCC sophomore standout Brett Wallach was chosen in the third round by the Dodgers on Tuesday.

More UCI players, as well as UCI signee and OCC sophomore standout Drew Hillman, are expected to be chosen today in rounds 31 through 50.

Orloff, who was taken in the 19th round by the Colorado Rockies after his junior season, hit .358 with 91 hits, 62 runs, 18 stolen bases and 28 runs batted in during his final campaign. It was Orloff’s leadership that also helped the Anteaters (45-15) win the school’s first Big West championship and earn the program’s first No. 1 national ranking.

Orloff heads to the pro ranks with UCI career records for hits (280), runs (178) and games played (241).

Bibona, named first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, was 12-1 with a 2.63 earned-run average in 2009. He struck out 108 in 106 innings, due in large part to a changeup he developed after watching Gorgen disarm hitters with the same pitch for three sterling seasons at UCI. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound left-hander allowed just 78 hits as opponents batted a combined .209 against him.

Gorgen is 2-4 with a 3.27 ERA in eight starts with the Class A Palm Beach Cardinals this season.

Akins was drafted for the third time, the second time by the Dodgers, who picked him in the 13th round (383rd overall) as a high school senior in 2006.

Akins hit .314 with 13 home runs, 15 doubles, a .639 slugging percentage, 35 RBIs and nine stolen bases for the Lions this season. He played two seasons at Riverside Community College after high school, helping the Tigers win the 2007 state championship.

Akins, a 6-2, 215-pounder, was chosen in the 20th round by the Washington Nationals in 2008.

Cooper was drafted in the 38th round as a high school senior in 2004. He spent the 2005 season at OCC, before transferring to Rice, where he pitched as a sophomore, then redshirted in 2007. He played the last two seasons at USC, where he sparkled in 2009. The 6-3, 205-pound right-hander had a staff-best 2.08 ERA for the Trojans, going 1-2 with three saves in a team-high 22 appearances. He struck out 18 and allowed 37 hits in 34 2/3 innings.

Hamilton was 0-2 with a 7.96 ERA in 20 appearances for the ’Eaters. He struck out 33 in 37 1/3 innings.

The UCI recruits who will have to decide whether to play collegiately or sign a pro contract, are pitchers Paul Strong, Kyle Hooper and Beau Wright.

Strong, a 6-2, 195-pound left-hander at Marina High, was taken in the 17th round (No. 514 overall) by the Texas Rangers.

Hooper, a 6-4, 195-pound senior at Saugus High, was taken in the 28th round (No. 835 overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Wright, a 6-2, 220-pound lefty at Los Alamitos High, was a 29th-round pick (No. 882 overall) by the Minnesota Twins.

Mater Dei High senior pitcher Aaron Northcraft, whom OCC Coach John Altobelli said would play for the Pirates in 2010 should he elect not to sign professionally, was drafted in the 10th round (No. 298 overall) by the Atlanta Braves.