UCI starts may key big finish

The UC Irvine baseball team has won 13 of its last 15 games as it gives chase to an NCAA Regional berth. And those in search of a reason behind the late-season surge need only look toward the center of the diamond.

A steady stream of quality work on the bump has helped put the Anteaters closer to navigating the postseason hump that proved too great a challenge for them last year under then-first-year coach Dave Serrano.

The Anteaters’ nine-game winning streak came to an end Sunday in a 4-1 loss to Pacific, but a string of 16 straight starts in which the starter has given up no more than three earned runs continues.

In those 16 starts, which include 10 victories earned by the starters ? four by senior Glenn Swanson, three by junior Justin Cassel, two by freshman Scott Gorgen and one by once-again closer Blair Erickson ? Anteater starters have a 2.26 earned-run average spanning 107 2/3 innings.

In that same span, opponents have managed just 82 hits and 26 walks, while striking out 95 times.

During the nine-game win streak, the starters’ combined ERA was 2.23 over 60 2/3 innings, with 45 strikeouts and only 47 hits allowed.

Gorgen, a former catcher who did not pitch until his senior year at Clayton Valley High in Concord, is the staff ace, though he is now positioned as the Sunday starter.

His consistency has been unmatched among the starters, and his statistics are similarly top notch. He is 6-3 with a 2.29 ERA, with 75 hits allowed and 75 strikeouts in 94 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .211 against him.

Swanson, whose resurgence took center stage with his 14-strikeout no-hitter against San Diego on April 25, has returned to the starting rotation with a vengeance. With wins in his last four starts, he is now 8-4 with a 3.12 ERA. He has 52 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings, though hitters are batting .289 against him.

Cassel, whose resurgence, Serrano said, has been most critical to the recent pitching consistency, is now 6-7 with a 3.68 ERA. Opponents are hitting .261 against him. In his last four starts, including three wins, he has posted a 1.93 ERA, with 28 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings.

“I know this from my days at Fullerton,” Serrano said of getting his Cassel in order. “When you have a guy who sets the tone on Friday night, it’s almost like follow the leader. When we were struggling early on, Justin was struggling. Now that Justin is setting the tone, it’s almost like a competition within the staff. The next guy wants to go out and pitch even better.”