UC Irvine’s Gorgen, Pettis, Orloff honored

IRVINE — UC Irvine pitchers Scott Gorgen and Eric Pettis were named American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Sporting Goods All-Americans with Gorgen named to the first team and Pettis the third team.

Gorgen and Pettis were also selected as first-team West Region honorees by the ABCA while shortstop Ben Orloff was tabbed a second-team choice.

Gorgen led the Anteaters with a 12-3 record, posting the third-highest number of victories in the nation at the conclusion of the season. Gorgen also ranked in the top 10 among the country’s elite in hits allowed per nine innings at 5.6 (fifth), strikeouts with 123 (sixth), was 19th with a 2.26 earned-run average, and held opposing teams to a sub-.200 average the entire season.

Gorgen, drafted in the fourth round by the St. Louis Cardinals, earns his fifth All-America honor this season and concludes his collegiate career with 11 All-America awards and 12 Player of the Week honors.

The right-hander became UCI’s all-time strikeout leader with 327, becoming the first Anteater to reach the 300 mark and he can also be found in the career annals in ERA at 2.56, tied for second in wins with 32, fourth in winning percentage at .744, and fifth in innings pitched (362 1/3 ).

The baseball program’s most decorated player, Gorgen hurled seven complete games from 2006-08, including three complete-game shutouts in 2007.

Pettis earns his third All-American recognition this season after posting 17 saves to rank second in the nation. The sophomore went 4-3 on the mound with a 2.62 ERA and struck out 50 in 44 2/3 innings of work.

Pettis was an All-Big West first-team selection after allowing just 13 earned runs on 37 hits while making 31 appearances for the Anteaters, ranking third in the single-season records. The closer’s 17 saves are tied for first in the season annals and second in the career records.

Orloff, one of the team’s most consistent hitters this season, finished second among starters with a .344 average and belted a team-high 17 doubles.

The junior, who has made 155 consecutive starts for the Anteaters, was also second with 19 stolen bases and 78 hits. Orloff, ranked at 105th in the NCAA’s “Toughest to Strikeout” category, was fanned 19 times in 227 at-bats and committed just six errors this season to post a .979 fielding percentage at shortstop.

An All-Big West first-team selection, Orloff hit .370 in conference games with a team-high 34 hits and six doubles.

UCI posted a 42-18 record and advanced to the NCAA postseason for the third consecutive year and fourth overall since the program was reinstated in 2002. The Anteaters’ 40-win season was their second in Division I history.

— From staff reports