COLLEGES:

The fervor that accompanied last season’s Big West Conference baseball series between UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton had more to do with drama than the diamond last season.

That figures to change this season, as the No. 8-ranked Anteaters (16-7, 3-0 in conference) have settled in under second-year coach Mike Gillespie.

In the No. 1-ranked Titans’ dugout, former UCI Coach Dave Serrano, as well as former Anteater assistants Greg Bergeron and Sergio Brown, are also likely to experience less discomfort competing against their former program, though 13 UCI players remain from the last of Serrano’s three UCI teams.

Fullerton (18-4, 2-1) entered the week leading the Big West in hitting (.335) and earned-run average (3.34). The Titans visit No. 3-ranked Arizona State today and Wednesday, before playing host to the ’Eaters Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6 and Sunday at 1. Friday’s game will be televised on ESPNU.

 Thanks to an unprecedented sweep of then-No. 19-ranked Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to open Big West play — UCI had never before swept a three-game series to start conference, though it was 4-0 to in the SCBA against three teams in 1983 — UCI enters ahead of Fullerton in the standings.

UCI is tied for first with Pacific, which swept UC Davis.

 The Anteaters, who visit Loyola Marymount today at 3 p.m., went 4-1 last week and have won 11 of their last 14. The offense perked up considerably last week, led by Big West Player of the Week Eric Deragisch. The senior was 10 for 22 with six runs batted in, seven runs and is on a nine-game hitting streak. He was four for four with a two-run home run for the difference in Sunday’s 7-6 triumph.

 UCI senior Ben Orloff has been a fixture in the lineup since the last two seasons of Serrano’s UCI tenure. The savvy shortstop entered the week having started 177 consecutive UCI games and his .356 batting average trails only Deragisch (.386) among UCI regulars.

What’s more, Orloff and his family can actually enjoy this series without much inner conflict, since Matt Orloff, Ben’s younger brother, is redshirting as a freshman this season with the Titans.

 The Anteaters-Titans isn’t the only big baseball series in these parts this week, as Orange Coast College and Santa Ana, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in Southern California, respectively, square off today at 2 p.m. at Santa Ana, and Thursday at 2 at Orange Coast.

The Pirates (20-7, 11-2 in the Orange Empire Conference) have won 11 straight.

The Dons are 20-8, 9-4 and suffered a 9-1 setback at OCC on March 5 in their first conference meeting.

 The UCI men’s volleyball team (19-3, 14-2 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation), ranked No. 1 in the nation, gets another test this week, when it heads to Provo, Utah to meet BYU (14-9, 10-6) Thursday and Friday nights.

The Anteaters, who share the MPSF lead with Pepperdine, are hoping to make themselves at home at BYU’s Smith Fieldhouse, which will play host to the four-team NCAA Championship, May 7-9.

The Anteaters won all six sets against visiting Hawaii Thursday and Friday, and Hawaii native Brent Asuka, UCI’s senior libero, said he cherished every moment of thumping the program he grew up rooting for.

Asuka also enjoyed competing against former Iolani High teammate Sean Carney, a senior outside hitter for the Warriors.

Carney, a former setter, shared setting chores in high school with Kawika Shoji, a 6-3 junior setter playing well for Stanford (16-8, 9-6).

Asuka will reunite with Shoji when the ’Eaters visit Stanford on April 17.