Anteaters shake up schedule

The scheduled nonconference baseball series finale Sunday between UC Irvine and host Nevada was cancelled due to heavy snowfall.

The game will not be rescheduled, but the Anteaters announced Sunday they will add a game with Loyola Marymount, tonight at 5:30 p.m. at Anteater Ballpark, when they will now open their home season.

The originally scheduled home opener had been Wednesday against USC.

The late schedule shuffle was arranged to avert the loss of a game on the UCI schedule, which is already one short of the maximum of 56.

UCI enters tonight’s contest 2-0 after topping the Wolf Pack, 6-0, in Friday’s season opener, then erasing a 6-0 deficit to win, 8-7, Saturday.

UCI sophomore right-hander Christian Bergman, who was scheduled to start Sunday, is the likely starter for UCI, under first-year coach Mike Gillespie.

In other UCI baseball news, Pacifica High senior catcher Ronnie Schaeffer announced he has verbally committed to join the Anteaters’ program next season.

Schaeffer, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-hander, earned first-team All-Empire League recognition last season, when he hit .356 in 90 at-bats for the Mariners. He had six doubles, four home runs and drove in 15 runs in his second varsity season.

He started as an infielder as a sophomore.

Schaeffer played for the Yankees scout team last season and the Orange County-based Trombley Braves travelling team he played on won the Don Mattingly World Series (ages 17-18) last summer in New Jersey.

Schaeffer said he chose Irvine over Santa Clara because of the coaching staff, as well as its proximity to his home.

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