Anteaters move on to minor league teams

If Eater Nation experienced a postseason letdown following the UC Irvine baseball team’s season-ending surge at the College World Series, fans may want to start checking the box scores of the Staten Island Yankees.

Staten Island, the New York Yankees affiliate in the short-season Class A New York Penn League, featured former UCI standouts Taylor Holiday and Matt Morris in Wednesday’s lineup.

Holiday and Morris are among five of the eight UCI players drafted by Major League teams on June 7-8 who appeared on minor league rosters as of Thursday.

Holiday was in his familiar leadoff spot Wednesday, when the first baseman went one for three in his professional debut, a 2-1 loss to the Hudson Valley Renegades. Holiday was drafted in the 19th round (604th overall).

Morris, who played left field and batted cleanup for UCI, hit second and played center field Wednesday. Morris, drafted in the 23rd round (724th overall), was also one for three.

Morris was a senior for the Anteaters, who followed a second-place finish in the Big West Conference by winning the Round Rock Regional, sweeping Wichita State on the road in the best-of-three Super Regional, then going 2-2 in Omaha.

UCI (47-17-1) was eliminated by eventual champion Oregon State on June 20. Former UCI standouts Wes Etheridge, Tyler Vaughn and Dylan Axelrod are also with minor-league teams.

Etheridge, a junior right-handed pitcher who went 12-4 with a 2.35 earned-run average, is a member of the Helena (Mont.) Brewers, the Pioneer (rookie) League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Etheridge was a 12th-round pick.

Axelrod, a senior right-handed pitcher who earned a victory in Omaha, is a member of the Peoria (Ariz.) Padres, the San Diego Padres affiliate in the Arizona (rookie) League. He was drafted in the 30th round.

Vaughn, a junior third baseman signed with the New York Mets. He is listed on the roster of the Kingsport (Tenn.) Mets of the Appalachian (rookie) League. Vaughn was drafted in the 22nd round. Etheridge, Axelrod and Vaughn had yet to compete through Wednesday’s games.

— Barry Faulkner