UC Irvine tabbed 40th

The UC Irvine baseball team has been ranked No. 40 in the Baseball

America Preseason Top 50 poll. The Anteaters were 34-23-1 and reached

the NCAA regionals for the first time in the school’s Division I

history last season.

UCI returns 25 players from 2004, including All-American pitcher

Blair Erickson, two-time All-Big West Conference selection Matt

Anderson, South Bend regional all-tournament team catcher Mark Wagner

and senior left-hander Glenn Swanson, who was second on the team in

strikeouts last season with 79.

Eagles shoot lights out

* BASKETBALL: The Estancia High boys basketball team opened Golden

West League play by converting a season-high 11 three-point attempts

en route to a 75-51 victory over host Orange Wednesday.

Senior Carlos Pinto tallied a team-high three treys as part of his

14 points while Mike McDaniels, who also finished with 14 points,

knocked down two shots from threedom for Estancia (10-4), which

outscored the Panthers, 39-22, in the second and third quarters

combined.

Five Eagles scored in double figures, including Dallas Kopp (11),

Shaun Markley (10) and Rafael Montillo (10).

Costa Mesa opens big

* BASKETBALL: Costa Mesa High’s boys basketball team jumped out to

an early lead and defeated visiting Westminster, 51-33, Wednesday to

open up Golden West League play.

The Mustangs (7-7, 1-0 in league) entered intermission with a 22-9

edge. They outscored Westminster, 22-16, in the fourth quarter.

Junior Brian Molina and senior Jeff Waldron shared game-highs in

points with 10 apiece while junior Scott Knox added nine, including

two three-pointers.

Coast cruises in opener

* BASKETBALL: Freshman Crystal McCormick nailed five three

pointers and had a game-high 19 points to lead the Orange Coast

College women’s basketball team to a 76-53 Orange Empire

Conference-opening victory against host Saddleback Wednesday.

The Pirates (11-5, 1-0 in the OEC) only had a 31-30 halftime

advantage, but went on a 20-2 run midway through the second half to

pull away. McCormick was 7 of 11 from the field and 5 of 8 from

three-point land.

Sophomore Lauren Stepanski contributed 13 points and 15 rebounds

for the Pirates.

CdM edged by Foothill

* WATER POLO: The Corona del Mar High girls water polo team lost

to visiting Foothill, 6-5, Wednesday in a nonleague match.

CdM (5-4) scored four of its five goals on penalty shots, balanced

by two apiece from Katie Indvik and Jordan Anae. Katlin Kubas scored

the Sea Kings’ other goal.

CdM will participate in the Santa Barbara tournament Friday and

Saturday.

Pirates denied upset

* BASKETBALL: The Orange Coast College men’s basketball team put

up a valiant effort but lost, 77-76, to host Saddleback Wednesday in

the Orange Empire Conference opener.

A Pirate was fouled as time expired, but hit on two of three

free-throw attempts and the Gauchos (13-1, 1-0 in the OEC) prevailed.

OCC (8-6, 0-1) was led by 6-foot-5 freshman Reggie Brown, who had

a game-high 28 points with a game-high four three-pointers.

Mesa loses in league

* SOCCER: Four point-blank shots were missed by the Costa Mesa

High boys soccer team and the Mustangs fell to host Saddleback, 2-1,

Wednesday in Golden West League action.

Saddleback forged an early lead, scoring two goals in the first

half, one in the 12th minute and the other in the 30th. Jose Torres

scored the Mustangs’ lone goal in the 65th minute.

Both Saddleback and Costa Mesa had 15 shots on goal and Mustangs’

goalie Eric Vargas had four saves.

Knights trump Tars

* WRESTLING: The Newport Harbor High wrestling team lost to host

Foothill, 64-12, Wednesday in both teams’ Sea View League opener,

with two Sailors pinning their opponents.

Junior Victor George, wrestling in the 130-pound weight class,

pinned his opponent in four minutes, 22 seconds. Freshman Bryan

Bennett (215) pinned his opponent in 1:30.

UCI stumbles in opener

* VOLLEYBALL: Paul Spittle tied for a match-high with 11 kills,

but the UC Irvine men’s volleyball team couldn’t overcome visiting

Cal Baptist and lost, 30-24, 30-24, 30-17, in both teams’ season

opener Wednesday. UCI (0-1) received eight kills from Jayson

Jablonsky and six more from David Smith, but Cal Baptist’s 10.5

blocks to UCI’s five proved to be a key statistic in the ‘Eaters’

loss.