Editorial

As you know by now, after a 10-year hiatus, the Daily Pilot has

returned to covering UC Irvine. It’s an exciting addition, given the

university’s academic reputation and the breakthroughs its professors are

making in science and many other fields every day.

Also exciting at UCI right now is the baseball team that it plans to

field for the first time since the program was eliminated in 1992. Budget

cuts led to its demise at that time, but nearly 10 years later, the

Anteaters will again take the field Jan. 25, and we’ll be there to cover

them.

With the new program comes a new $9-million stadium that is under

construction. A student referendum passed in 1999 increased student fees

by $33 a quarter to support the new field, which UCI baseball coach John

Savage says will be “one of the nicest facilities on the West Coast” and

will allow the school to attract some big-name players.

With that said, it would appear UCI may eventually field a top 25 team

that would provide Cal State Fullerton with some competition for the best

baseball team in Orange County. As any college baseball enthusiast will

attest, Cal State Fullerton has one of the best programs in the nation.

We look forward to extremely competitive matchups in the future that will

give the Titans a run for their money.

In the meantime, let’s not forget that college basketball begins at

UCI on Nov. 16. After the school’s best year last season, expectations

are high. We’re looking forward to seeing how the Anteaters fare this

year and hope we’ll be covering their run in the NCAA tournament.