UCI’s Erickson earns honor

UC Irvine closer Blair Erickson was the lone freshman baseball player

named first-team All-American by USA Today/Sports Weekly.

The right-hander leads the nation with 17 saves and set a new Big

West Conference freshman record, a UC Irvine single-season record and

is currently second all-time in the conference’s record books.

Erickson, at one time, recorded eight consecutive saves, including

preserving three one-run leads against then-No. 25 Baylor to earn

conference Pitcher of the Week honors.

He enters Friday’s NCAA regional against Arizona 1-3 with a 4.10

ERA and is fifth on the team with 51 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings.

It is another accolade on a growing list for Erickson, who was

named Big West Conference Freshman Pitcher of the Year, tabbed

Mid-Season All-American by Baseball America and has been invited to

the 2004 national team trials.

Bryans in French semis

* TENNIS: Brothers Mike and Bob Bryan, the top-ranked men’s

doubles team in the world who will compete for the Newport Beach

Breakers this summer, will face the sixth-seeded duo of Michael

Llodra and Fabrice Santoro in the French Open semifinals today.

The Bryan brothers, defending French Open champions, defeated the

seventh-seeded duo of Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6

(7-3), 7-5, in the quarterfinals after winning four of their five

previous tournament matches in straight sets and one by default.

The Bryan brothers will make their debut for the Breakers in World

Team Tennis action July 10 against the Delaware Smash at the

Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach.