Baseball Season Preview: UCI covets return to postseason

Reality belted perception for the UC Irvine baseball program last season, when the perennially pitching-rich, small-ball Anteaters led the Big West Conference in home runs, but were eighth among nine teams in earned-run average.

The result was a 33-23 squad that missed the NCAA regionals for the third time in four seasons, a reality veteran Coach Mike Gillespie, entering his ninth season at the helm, hopes to alter in 2016.

A program more known for squaring to bunt than squaring up balls to drive over walls, had just 10 more sacrifice bunts than its 31 dingers last spring. And 28 of those homers (plus one that was nullified by failing to touch home plate) were hit by players who return, including Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year and preseason All-American Keston Hiura.

Hiura (seven homers), Andrew Martinez (eight), Mitchell Holland (five) and Cameron Bishop (four) are all bats opposing pitchers will need to deal with this season. In fact, UCI’s 2016 lineup features players who produced just more than 88% of its 273 runs batted in, which ranked third in the conference last year.

Hiura, who led the Big West with 52 RBIs, returns to anchor the supremely promising lineup strewn with familiar names. Hiura, whom Gillespie said is better in every way this season and is rising on the list of the best hitters he has ever coached, will hit third and play center field.

Holland, a senior first baseman, hit .325 with 35 RBIs last season and is set to protect Hiura in the cleanup spot. Holland was a second-team all-conference performer in 2015.

Senior shortstop Mikey Duarte, a first-team all-conference returner who led the team in hitting (.345) and hits (78) last season, also had 17 doubles, which trailed only Hiura’s 18. But Duarte is currently battling an elbow injury that could slow or even sideline him indefinitely.

“The biggest thing we’re dealing with right now is [Duarte’s uncertain status],” Gillespie said. “Hiura is clearly the guy for us with the bat, but Mikey is the energy of the team.”

Junior infielder John Brontsema, who flourished at the plate during the fall after hitting just .221 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 104 at-bats last season, may also start the season on the sideline with a tweaked lower back.

If healthy, Brontsema would lead off and play second base, while Duarte would hit second.

Even if Duarte and Brontsema don’t man the middle-infield spots when the ‘Eaters open their season with a four-game series that begins Friday at San Jose State, experience would be a luxury Gillespie could deliver at every position but catcher.

On the mound, left-hander Elliot Surrey returns as the featured starter, a role in which he was 6-6 with a 4.02 ERA last season.

And while the losses on the bump include Matt Esparza (8-2, 3.38), former All-American closer Sam Moore (28 saves and five wins combined the last two seasons) and a total of 21 wins and eight of 12 saves earned by last year’s staff, Gillespie said pitching coach Danny Bibona has a collection of arms that has more potential than last year’s group.

“Pitching is a little bit of a believe-it-when-you-see-it deal,” Gillespie said. “It’s unproven, but it’s exciting. We have more guys we can send out there who can throw strikes and give us competitive innings.”

Sophomore Alonzo Garcia (3-1, 3.88 in 46 1/3 innings last season), sophomore Shaun Vetrovec (1-1, 6.75 in 17 1/3 innings) and sophomore left-hander Cameron Bishop (2-0, 4.55 with two saves in 31 2/3 innings) will also begin the season as starters, Gillespie said. Vetrovec is a Newport Harbor High product.

Junior Calvin Faucher, a transfer from Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista, where he was 2-2 with two saves and a glistening 0.93 ERA in 29 relief innings last season, is the projected closer.

Junior Ben Ritchey, a transfer from Sacramento City College, and freshman Jordan Bocko lead the other bullpen candidates that also include freshmen Miles Glazier, Mitch Miller and Daniel Alvarez, as well as junior returner Sean Sparling.

Ritchey was 7-1 with a 2.38 ERA as a starter last season, when he walked just seven and fanned 51 in 83 1/3 innings.

Glazier was 6-3 with an 0.92 ERA with 95 strikeouts and 47 hits allowed in 76 innings at San Marino High last season.

Alvarez was 10-2 with five saves and an 0.86 ERA at California High in Whittier, where he struck out 119 and allowed 65 hits and 25 walks in 90 innings.

Miller surrendered just 18 hits and fanned 62 with 12 walks in 51 1/3 innings at Merced High, where he was 4-3 with an 0.54 ERA last spring.

Sparling had two saves and a 3.55 ERA in 38 innings last season.

Junior left fielder Adam Alcantara and senior right fielder Wyatt Castro will open the season flanking Hiura in the outfield, Gillespie said.

Alcantara hit .299 with nine RBIs in 67 at-bats as a junior, while Castro hit .274 with nine RBIs in 84 at-bats in his first season out of San Joaquin Delta Community College.

Gillespie said Castro, slated to hit fifth, has the best chance to catapult from obscurity to stardom among UCI’s lesser-known returners.

Sophomore Parker Coss returns at third base after making 42 starts and batting .236 with 11 RBIs in 140 at-bats in 2015. He would move to short if Duarte and Brontsema are sidelined, Gillespie said.

Sophomore Cole Kreuter, who hit .300 with 15 RBIs in 110 at-bats last season, could also see more action should Duarte and Brontsema remain sidelined for any length of time, while senior outfielder-infielder Grant Palmer (.273 with one homer and 17 RBIs in 88 at-bats last season), and senior designated hitter Jonathan Munoz would also provide infield depth.

Munoz, who hit .230 with one homer and nine RBIs in 74 at-bats last season, earned first-team all-conference honors in 2014, when he hit .281 with 18 RBIs to help UCI reach the College World Series. The starting DH, he would shift to third should Coss be required to fill in at short.

The infield lost a potential standout when junior Jackson Willeford, a University of Arizona bounce-back who shared Orange Empire Conference Player of the Year honors after hitting a conference- best .370 with three homers and 27 RBIs at Cypress College last season, surprised Gillespie in September with news he would enlist in the Army.

Bishop, Palmer and junior Evan Cassolato (.250 in 56 at-bats last season) could see action in the outfield, while Martinez (.224 with nearly as many strikeouts (37) as combined hits (22) and RBIs (23) last season), could see time at DH, Gillespie said.

Junior Alex Guenette as well as freshmen Griffin Mazur and Matt Reitano are battling for time behind the plate, Gillespie said. Guenette is hitless in 11 career at-bats, but his experience makes him the early front-runner to replace departed veteran Jerry McClanahan, Gillespie said.

UCI, picked to finish second behind Cal State Fullerton in the preseason Big West coaches’ poll, opens conference play April 1 at Hawaii.

The ‘Eaters first home game is Feb. 23 against San Diego State and they play nonconference weekend series against Tennessee, UCLA, Nevada, Texas San Antonio and Seattle.