UCI baseball is No. 15 in one preseason poll

The UC Irvine baseball team is ranked No. 15 in the CSTV.com fall Top 25 poll.

UCI returns 21 letterwinners, led by junior All-American pitcher Scott Gorgen and second-team All-Big West Conference selections Ollie Linton, an outfielder, and shortstop Ben Orloff.

Also returning from a team that finished 47-17-1 and tied for third at the College World Series, is senior catcher Aaron Lowenstein and outfielder Sean Madigan, both of whom received honorable mention in all-conference voting last season.

The Anteaters open the 2008 season on Feb. 22 at Nevada under first-year coach Mike Gillespie, who took USC to 15 postseason appearances, four College World Series appearances and won a national title in 1998. Gillespie, who served as the manager of the Staten Island Yankees last season, is joined by associate head coach Pat Shine, who was named the American Baseball Coaches Assn. West Region Coach of the Year last season after leading Cal State L.A. to the Division II West Region championship.

The Anteaters best season in the program’s Division I history last season included a 15-6 mark, good for second place in the Big West behind UC Riverside.

— From staff reports