UCI set for 2009 CWS run

The 2008 UC Irvine baseball team might be remembered for having been three outs away from the program’s second consecutive trip to Omaha. But when the Anteaters and their supporters think to 2009, a case could be made that they are in prime position to make a run toward the 2009 College World Series.

UCI’s season came to an end Monday with a 21-7 thumping from LSU in the deciding game of the best-of-three NCAA Super Regional at the Tigers’ Alex Box Stadium.

The loss finalized the Anteaters’ record at 42-18, as LSU (48-17-1) advanced to Omaha.

It was the second straight 40-win season and the second straight year in which UCI won a regional, after sweeping three wins over Oral Roberts (twice) and Nebraska at the Lincoln Regional at the Cornhuskers’ Haymarket Park.

UCI finished 14-10 in Big West Conference play, tying for third place with UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara, two games behind co-champions Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton.

The Anteaters, under first-year coach Mike Gillespie, won six of eight Big West series and four of five remaining three-game series in either nonconference or postseason play.

They won with dominant pitching, a balanced and versatile offense, and an improving defense that was much better after some early position shuffling gave way to more defined roles.

Most importantly, they won primarily with youth.

Other than junior All-American pitcher Scott Gorgen, the Big West Tri-Pitcher of the Year, junior center fielder Ollie Linton, senior catcher Aaron Lowenstein, and possibly junior shortstop Ben Orloff and sophomore starting pitcher Bryce Stowell, UCI might return its most consistent contributors.

Gorgen, 12-3 with a 2.26 earned-run average with 123 strikeouts in 115 2/3 innings this season, was drafted in the fourth round (125th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals. UCI’s all-time strikeout leader with 327 will almost certainly begin his professional career.

Gorgen spread his name throughout the school single-season and career record book.

He ranks No. 1 in season starts (19 in 2007), is second in career ERA (.2.56) and single-season strikeouts (123 this season) and is tied for second in career wins (32) and season winning percentage (13-3 for .812 in ’07). He is fourth in career starts (52) and career winning percentage (.744).

Linton, who hit .323 with four homers and 36 RBIs this season, is the school stolen base king with 40 (regular season) and 69 (career). He was drafted in the 13th round by Arizona and is expected to sign.

Lowenstein, a fifth-year senior, will pursue a professional career with the San Francisco Giants, who drafted him in the 44th round.

Orloff was drafted in the 19th round by Colorado and may elect to return. He hit .344 with 17 doubles, 23 RBIs, 50 runs and 19 steals. He also posted a .979 fielding percentage with just six errors. His 44 career stolen bases rank second all-time at UCI.

Should Orloff and junior Tony Asaro, an outfielder and designated hitter who hit .314 with four homers and 21 RBIs before being drafted in the 47th round by the Cardinals, return, 10 of their top 11 hitters who had at least 100 at-bats would be back.

Among those would be sophomore first baseman Jeff Cusick (.363 with 18 extra-base hits and 29 RBIs), sophomore outfielder Sean Madigan (.328 with 24 RBIs), sophomore outfielder Dillon Bell (.326 with five homers and 30 RBIs), sophomore catcher-outfielder Francis Larson (.314 with a team-leading seven homers and 40 RBIs), sophomore second baseman Casey Stevenson (.300 with three homers and 14 RBIs), junior third baseman Eric Deragisch (.299 with one homer and 16 RBIs), freshman utility player Ryan Fisher (.299 with three homers and 37 RBIs) and junior Brock Bardeen (.280 with six dingers and 26 RBIs).

With Larson stepping in for Lowenstein behind the plate, possibly Bell moving to center to fill in for Linton, opening up left field for Fisher and/or Asaro, UCI would have a solid offensive lineup.

Gorgen is a huge loss, but sophomore left-hander Danny Bibona (9-3 with a 3.08 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 102 1/3 innings) and Stowell, who may return despite being drafted in the 22nd round by Cleveland, have shown they could both be elite starters.

Stowell went 8-3 with a 3.26 ERA and fanned 101 in 88 1/3 innings. He was the Most Outstanding Player at the Lincoln Regional.

Sophomore All-American closer Eric Pettis, who tied the school single-season record with 17 saves this season will be back to terrorize hitters. He also was 4-3 with a 2.62 ERA, fanning 50 in 44 2/3 innings. His 17 saves put him No. 2 on the UCI career list, behind NCAA career saves leader Blair Erickson (53).

Sophomore Christian Bergman (5-2 with a 1.94 ERA) threw 60 1/3 innings, in 25 appearances, including seven starts. He is the likely candidate to replace Gorgen in the weekend rotation.

“We were three outs from the College World Series with so many guys coming in,” Orloff said. “These were young guys last year, who contributed on an every day basis. They stepped up [this season] and played every day. Those guys carried on for the guys we lost last year.”

Gillespie said there was much to like about this season.

“I’m very, very proud and I think justifiably proud,” Gillespie said. “I think our team made a ton of progress. A lot of our guys that played really well at the end of the year were not the guys that were getting it done at the beginning of the year. We won 42 games. We won a regional.

“We’ll lose a few [players]. Regardless, I think we have a really good nucleus of a good returning group, so we have every reason to be optimistic about this program continuing to be a really a strong program.

“We’ll be better and we’ll keep getting better. We like our recruiting class and we have a pretty good jump on the following recruiting class.

UC Irvine is a place that has demonstrated that it can do well and it should do well and it will do well.”

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