‘Eaters aim to impress

BARRY FAULKNER

The UC Irvine baseball program has come a long way in its three

seasons since returning from a 10-year hiatus. This year alone, the

Anteaters have risen to a No. 7 national ranking (by Collegiate

Baseball), won all seven of their series, and, with a 22-7-1 record,

the best start in the program’s 26-season history, already eclipsed

the win total from an injury-plagued 2003 campaign.

But, for many, there is still the sense that Coach John Savage’s

squad has yet to arrive.

That could all change this weekend, when the Anteaters visit Big

West Conference co-leader Long Beach State for a three-game set

beginning Friday at Blair Field.

UCI, which won two in a three-game series with visiting UC Santa

Barbara to open Big West Conference play, swept the No. 5-ranked

49ers (23-8, 3-0 in conference), in two nonconference games March

27-28 at UCI.

But while UCI threw pitching aces Brett Smith and Glenn Swanson,

Dirtbag phenom Jared Weaver, whom many consider the best hurler in

the nation, watched from the dugout.

The 6-foot-7 Weaver will be strike a more imposing figure on the

mound Friday, when he is set to duel Smith in the 6:30 p.m. series

opener.

Weaver has been thoroughly dominant thus far, posting a 10-0

record and a 1.13 ERA, with 106 strikeouts and only 356 hits allowed

in 71 2/3 innings this spring. He is, however, coming off his worst

outing of the season, having given up seven hits and three earned

runs, with a mere six strikeouts in a lopsided victory Thursday over

Cal State Northridge.

Smith, meanwhile, takes a 25-inning scoreless streak into the

game, following a complete-game shutout against UCSB that both he and

Savage deemed the best outing of his sterling three-year collegiate

career.

Smith, named Big West Pitcher of the Week for the third time after

the UCSB gem, is 6-0 with a 1.93. He has yielded 49 hits and fanned

58 in 56 innings this spring.

The UCI-Long Beach arms race won’t stop Friday. Saturday’s 2 p.m.

clash features a matchup of Swanson (6-1 with a 3.80 ERA) against

sophomore left-hander Cesar Ramos (6-2 with a 1.99 ERA).

Swanson, like Smith, has won his last three starts. He had a

no-hitter for 6 2/3 innings against UCSB Friday, when he set a

collected a career-high 11 strikeouts before leaving in the seventh.

Saturday’s 1 p.m. finale is set to pit UCI sophomore Chris Nicoll

(3-1, 1.80 ERA) against Long Beach junior lefty Jason Vargas (4-5,

3.45 ERA).

The UCI pitching arsenal includes freshman closer Blair Erickson,

whose 12 saves lead the nation and put him within two of tying the

conference freshman record set by former Cal State Fullerton fireman

Chad Cordero.

Long Beach closer Neil Jamison, a junior, has eight saves in 14

appearances this season.

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Pitching has clearly been the calling card for both teams, as the

‘Eaters’ 2.85 team ERA is bettered only by the 49ers (2.15) in the

Big West.

When it comes to finding offensive prowess compared to Big West

rivals, UCI and Long Beach are similarly unimpressive.

Outside of triples, where both teams have two representatives

among the 14 tied for fourth with two this season, no Anteater or

49er can be found in the conference top five in hits, runs, RBIs,

doubles, home runs total bases or stolen bases.

The UCI notes proudly proclaim senior second baseman Matt Fisher

ranks second in the Big West in sacrifice bunts with eight.

UCI enters Today’s nonconference game at the University of San

Diego with a .275 team average with 17 homers, 144 RBIs and 164 runs.

Long Beach enters today’s meeting with UCLA with a .289 average

with 10 homers, 155 RBIs and 167 runs.