Linton proving to be smart choice for UCI

Ollie Linton added speed, a productive and efficient bat, as well as a rare combination of tenacity and joy to the UC Irvine baseball team when he became a fixture in the Anteaters’ lineup on April 5.

But what Coach Dave Serrano said the smiling sophomore center fielder added most was more than a couple IQ points to the Anteaters’ brain trust.

“Ollie Linton has made the coaching staff look brilliant,” said Serrano, who saw Linton, coming off a redshirt season in 2006, start just six of the Anteaters’ first 29 games this season.

Serrano and his staff, however, believed the 5-foot-8, 160-pounder out of Crespi High in Encino would give UCI some additional energy as it prepared to visit Cal State Fullerton for a three-game Big West Conference series beginning April 5.

Linton, who was nine for 29 to that point (.310), became the everyday center fielder against the Titans. His production since has thoroughly justified the wisdom of that decision.

Linton, who hit .305 with 41 hits, a team-high 14 stolen bases and 19 RBIs as a freshman in 2005, when he started 36 of the 37 games in which he appeared, has been nothing short of amazing in 2007.

Heading into tonight’s 7 o’clock opener of a three-game series between the No. 10-ranked Anteaters (38-14-1, 13-5 in conference) and No. 16-ranked UC Riverside (36-17, 15-3), Linton is hitting .391 with 43 hits, 11 stolen bases and 14 RBIs. His .391 average ranks third among Big West hitters.

Against Big West pitching this season, Linton is hitting .464.

In his last seven games, Linton has 14 hits in 22 at-bats (.637), with six runs and five RBIs.

“We decided we needed a spark, so we moved [then-center fielder Taylor] Holiday to first base and put Ollie in center field,” Serrano said. “And Ollie has just been wonderful. He just adds another dimension to a lineup that was already creating havoc. He brings so much energy; he has really been a spark throughout the conference season.”

Linton, who throws and bats left-handed, has also brought more punch than the bunt-slap hitter most remember from his freshman campaign, when he had just eight extra-base hits, including an inside-the-park home run for his the only dinger in his now 244 collegiate at-bats.

“It’s more than speed and bunting,” Serrano said of Linton’s offensive contribution, which includes seven triples, four doubles and a .555 slugging percentage that is second only to senior Cody Cipriano (.342, 10 homers, 45 RBIs) among Anteaters. His on-base percentage is .444. He ranks fifth in the Big West in slugging and on-base percentage.

“He has been driving balls, hitting balls down the right-field line and hitting triples,” Serrano said. “And he has also been outstanding defensively. He has just been a fabulous player to have in our lineup.”

So why wasn’t he in the lineup sooner?

“We had so many guys in the outfield start out well this season,” Serrano said. “But Ollie was always the hardest guy to keep out of the lineup.”

Some tendonitis in the biceps and elbow of his throwing arm helped contribute to the decision to redshirt him last season, a move Serrano said will end up paying off.

“When [the coaching staff] first got here [after John Savage, who recruited Linton, left for UCLA], we were thinking about redshirting Ollie [in 2005], so he could get physically stronger,” Serrano said. “But we decided to play him because, with our style of play, he is what we’re about.

“Last year, he started out a little slow in the fall and some guys moved ahead of him, then he had the injury. We felt like we could only guarantee him between 20 and 40 at-bats and we didn’t want to waste a talent like him with that kind of a season.”

Linton said the decision to redshirt him last season was difficult to accept at first.

“That was a tough day,” Linton said. “But I decided I would use [last season] as a learning year. Now, I’m smarter as a player and I know the game a little more, especially defensively.”

Linton said he is gratified by the season he has had, but he takes nothing for granted.

“I still check the lineup every day,” he said. “And I try not to look at stats or box scores, because I feel like it would detract from my focus on the team.”

UCI’s focus this weekend is sweeping Riverside, which would give the Anteaters the program’s first Big West title. Even if they don’t sweep, the Anteaters, who have never been ranked higher in the Division I poll, are hoping to win at least two to bolster their chances of playing host to one of 16 NCAA regionals.

Regional host sites will be announced Sunday and regional pairings will be announced Monday.

In addition to his on-field role, Linton also does his part to keep the team loose before games.

As part of a three-player group known as The Company, Linton, junior outfielder-pitcher Bryan Petersen and junior pitcher Chris Lopez, act out brief pregame skits in front of the team.

“It’s kind of like an improv thing, but we set it up either the night before or the day of the game,” Linton said. “Sometimes we have a theme. When we were playing the [Cal State Northridge] Matadors, we did a bull-fighting skit. And the week before, on Mother’s Day, we did an episode of ‘Yo Mama.’ ”

His pregame theatrics aside, the Anteaters have been irrefutably better with Linton playing a more prominent role.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or barry.faulkner@latimes.com.