2024 College Top 25 Preview: No. 25 UC Irvine

Image credit: Anthony Martinez (Photo courtesy of UC Irvine)

Last season: 38-17 (19-11), missed NCAA Tournament
Final ranking: NR
Coach (record at school): Ben Orloff (158-83, five seasons)

The good news: UCI returns all nine regulars from last season and, for good measure, will also get back shortstop Woody Hadeen, who was a starter in 2022 before missing last season due to injury. The Anteaters last season averaged 8.1 runs per game—which ranked 27th nationally—and half a run better than the next-best team in the Big West (Cal State Northridge). First baseman Anthony Martinez, a Freshman All-American, anchors the lineup after leading the team in just about every offensive statistic. Outfielder Caden Kendle nearly signed with the Cardinals after being drafted in the 10th round, but had a change of heart and is back for his senior season. Jo Oyama, Myles Smith and Luke Spillane combined for 37 stolen bases a season ago and give the Anteaters’ lineup speed to go with the powerful bats of Martinez and Kendle.

The bad news: While the whole lineup is back, UCI does not have quite the same luck on the mound. Righthander Nick Pinto brings a wealth of experience at the front of the rotation—he’s made 46 starts and could break the program record for career starts. Behind him, however, there are more questions. Righthander Finnegan Wall was slated to give the Anteaters a strong one-two punch, but he will miss the season due to injury. The Anteaters also lost Michael Stanford, who was second on the team in innings pitched, and closer Jacob King. Finding new pitchers to step up across the staff will be vital. UCI brought in some key transfers on the mound, including Ricky Tibbett (San Diego State) and David Utagawa (Northwestern), and are excited about freshmen Tim Grack and Trevor Hansen. The X-factor of the staff is righthander Riley King, who was one of the highest-ranked prep pitchers to make it to school in the 2022 class. He was limited by injury a year ago and threw just 3.1 innings. He has the most upside of any of the Anteaters’ pitchers and could be a big boost in any role.

Player to know: Anthony Martinez, 1B. Martinez last year burst onto the scene and hit .394/.471/.619 with 11 home runs as a freshman. The lefthanded hitter has loud power that plays to all fields, but his feel at the plate and strike-zone discipline are at least as impressive. He had more extra-base hits (30) than strikeouts (27), and his 91 hits were the fourth most in a single season in program history.

Path to Omaha: UCI last season was arguably the biggest snub from the NCAA Tournament and was officially listed among the first four teams out of the field. That will only add fuel to the fire for this season’s Anteaters. UCI has Omaha upside, but as it saw last year, its margin for error is not large. Finding more consistency against the top Big West teams is critical. To do so, the Anteaters will have to find some pitchers to step up. Their offense is good enough to carry them a long way, but it won’t be enough on its own to take UCI on a deep postseason run.

Pos.	Name	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	HR	RBI
C	Thomas McCaffrey	Sr.	.333	.408	.512	129	4	34
1B	Anthony Martinez	So.	.394	.471	.619	231	11	60
2B	Jo Oyama	Sr.	.319	.418	.500	210	7	44
3B	Dub Gleed	Jr.	.300	.384	.456	217	5	49
SS	Woody Hadeen	R-Jr.	Did not play—Injured
OF	Caden Kendle	Sr.	.335	.434	.535	230	8	56
OF	Myles Smith	Jr.	.226	.428	.306	124	1	21
OF	Luke Spillane	R-Sr.	.304	.422	.442	138	2	30
DH	Chase Call	Jr.	.266	.459	.497	177	11	43
Pos.	Name	Class	W	L	ERA	IP	SO	SV
SP	Nick Pinto	R-Sr.	7	2	5.16	66	58	0
SP	Tim Grack	Fr.	HS—Fountain Valley, Calif.
SP	David Vizcaino	R-Jr.	5	2	5.96	51	35	0
RP	Ricky Tibbett	R-Sr.	Transfer—San Diego State
RP	Riley Kelly	So.	0	1	13.50	3	7	0
RP	David Utagawa	R-Jr.	Transfer—Northwestern