Big League flavor

The Little Leaguers are the show, and rightfully so, but there was a big-league flavor to the District 55 All-Star Tournament Majors Division games taking place on adjacent diamonds Tuesday night at Chapparosa Park in Laguna Niguel.

In the Newport Beach National Little League’s third-base dugout was former Major League infielder Jeff Gardner, an Estancia High and Orange Coast College product who is the team’s manager.

Only a soft toss away in the first-base dugout of the adjacent diamond was Laguna Niguel Manager Mike Witt, a former standout pitcher with the then-California Angels.

Both Newport Beach National and Laguna Niguel lost and were eliminated from the double-elimination tournament.

Team USA has three former ‘Eaters

Former UC Irvine All-Americans Ryan Bailey, Jeff Powers and Tim Hutten are among 16 members of the United States men’s water polo team, announced Monday by Team USA Coach Terry Schroeder, that will compete in the FINA World League Super Final and FINA World Cup later this month.

Bailey, a three-time Olympian, Powers, a two-time Olympian, and Hutten all helped the Americans win silver at the Beijing Olympic Games, the U.S. men’s  program’s first medal since 1988.

Bailey, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound two-meter man, has played in six world championships. He scored six goals in Beijing. He was a three-time All-American at UCI, from 1994 through 1998, and was named to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s 15^th Anniversary team.

Powers, a 6-7, 230-pound two-meter man, also scored six goals in Beijing. He was a two-time All-American at UCI (1998-2002) and was a third-team honoree on the MPSF 15^th Anniversary team.

Hutten,  who joined the national team after being named NCAA and MPSF Player of the Year as a senior in 2007, was a two-time All-American for the Anteaters.

The World League super final is July 13 through 18 in Nis, Serbia.

The World Cup is set for July 25 through 31 in Oradea, Romania.

The U.S. men’s team is ranked No. 4 in the world.

Former ‘Eaters collide

Former UCI standout Ryan Fisher (36) met up with some old teammates this week.

Williamsport is well-known in the baseball community as the site of the Little League World Series. This week, however, UC Irvine baseball fans might have recognized the central Pennsylvania town as the confluence of three recent former Anteaters now cutting their professional teeth.

Two of the former UCI standouts, of course, are crosscutting, as members of the Williamsport Crosscutters, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Class-A affiliate in the New York-Penn League.

First baseman Jeff Cusick and former All-American pitcher Eric Pettis are both playing for Williamsport, which played host to the Jamestown Jammers Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the Jamestown lineup was former UCI standout Ryan Fisher.

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UCI men get boost

The UC Irvine men’s basketball team’s schedule got a little bit easier Thursday, when UC Riverside star Kyle Austin announced he will forgo his senior season to pursue a professional career.

Austin earned first-team All-Big West Conference laurels in both seasons with the Highlanders, after transferring from USC.

The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward averaged 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds as a junior last season, after producing 16.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest as a sophomore.

In four regular-season games against UCI, including a pair of wins over the Anteaters last season, Austin averaged 19.8 points and 7.8 rebounds.

UCR finished 12-17, 5-11 in conference last season, when finished last and missed the conference tournament.

Gillespie happy for Savage

UC Irvine baseball coach Mike Gillespie, right.

 UC Irvine baseball coach Mike Gillespie is pleased that his former assistant at USC, John Savage, is experiencing the College World Series for the first time as a head coach. 

Savage, who guided UCI through the program’s first three seasons (2002 through 2004) after a nine-season hiatus due to budget cuts, leads UCLA into Saturday’s opening-round CWS game against Florida at 4 p.m. 

“I’m very happy and excited for him,” Gillespie said. 

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UC Irvine Coach Mike Gillespie remembers Rosenblatt

UCI baseball coach Mike Gillespie

UC Irvine baseball coach Mike Gillespie will pay his last respects to an old friend over the next 10 days or so, when the final College World Series is played at historic Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.

Gillespie won a national championship there as a USC outfielder in 1961 and guided the Trojans to the national title in 1998 as head coach.

He also coached USC to appearances in Omaha in 1988, 1995, 2000 and 2001.
“I would very much, for obvious reasons, loved to have been there [at this year’s eight-team tournament in which UCLA is the lone representative from the West Coast], since this is the last year,” Gillespie said.

And while the CWS will remain in Omaha, at a new stadium downtown, Gillespie said he will miss the old Rosenblatt Stadium, which has played host to the event since 1950.

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UCI’s Brock turns heads

And while UCI Coach Mike Gillespie said the West Coast League, where Brock and fellow Anteaters mound stalwart Nick Hoover are competing for the Corvallis (Ore.) Knights, is elevating its profile toward the level already attained by established circuits like the Cape Cod League and the Alaska summer league, he said Brock is sure to benefit from this summer’s assignment.

However, Brock’s late-season surge was enough to earn him an early invite to the Cape for 2011.

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UCI runs out of juice

LOS ANGELES – A UC Irvine baseball team that launched eight home runs, hammered out 55 hits and scored 35 runs in four games, ran out of juice Sunday at the NCAA Los Angeles Regional.

Perhaps more importantly, the No. 21-ranked Anteaters (39-21), ran out of bona-fide pitchers, in a 6-2 loss to host UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium that ended their season.

UCLA third baseman Cody Regis belted a three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning to salt away the regional title for UCLA.

The Bruins (46-13), coached by former UCI head man John Savage, advance to the Super Regional they will likely play host to next week.

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UCI to LSU: Adieu

LOS ANGELES – LSU is no longer the equivalent of a four-letter word for the UC Irvine baseball program, which dispatched the defending national champion Tigers with a 4-3 victory in an elimination game of the NCAA Los Angeles Regional on Sunday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The win propelled the No. 21-ranked Anteaters (39-20) into the first of two must-win showdowns against host UCLA later Sunday night. Should UCI beat UCLA on Sunday night, the two teams would play Monday at 6 p.m. for the right to advance to a Super Regional.

A loss Sunday night would end UCI’s season and send the Bruins (45-13) onward.

The UCI victory Sunday afternoon also exorcised a tormented recent history against No. 23-ranked LSU (41-22), which had twice rallied in its final at-bat to hand UCI crushing defeats. The first gut-wrenching loss to LSU came in the opening round of this regional Friday, an 11-10 setback in 11 innings. Another crucial loss came in the 2008 Super Regional at LSU.

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UCI pitcher Danny Bibona will face LSU

Danny Bibona

Senior All-American left-hander Danny Bibona will start for the UC Irvine baseball team against LSU in the first round of the Los Angeles Regional on Friday at 2 p.m. at UCLA, UCI Coach Mike Gillespie said Tuesday.

Bibona, who has been sidelined since April 23 with inflamed rib muscles, is 9-2 with a 2.10 earned-run average.

Monday, Bibona, the 2009 Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year, was named one of 30 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, presented annually to the nation’s best player.
Gillespie also said senior Christian Bergman would start the second postseason game at the four-team, double-elimination regional that continues Saturday, Sunday and, possibly, Monday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Bergman, on a 24 1/3 consecutive-scoreless-innings streak, is 8-3 with a 3.84 ERA.
Gillespie said senior Eric Pettis (9-3, with 3.37 ERA and six saves) would be the third starter used. Pettis, Gillespie said, would also be available to close on Friday.

UCLA plays host to Kent State in the other first-round game Friday, tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m.