UCI runs out of steam in NCAA regional championship, UCLA sends Anteaters home

Redshirt senior infielder Will Bermudez hits for UC Irvine in its 11-6 win over Arizona State. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Derek Schaefer on the mound and graduate catcher Josiah Cromwick behind the plate for ASU. (PHOTO: Adam Kunin for OC Sports Zone).

Two lengthy college baseball games at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Sunday kept fans from leaving until far into the Southern California night and not before seeing the clock strike midnight on UC Irvine’s season.

The Anteaters’ season came to an end after enduring an 8-5 loss to UCLA in a championship game at the Los Angeles Regional.

UCI had to first beat Arizona State 11-6 to earn the right to take on the Bruins in the nightcap. The squad used some power hitting in a five-home run performance to sink the Devils in a rematch from Friday night. 

Redshirt sophomore Ryder Brooks also gave his team a strong start, tossing for 5 ⅓ innings and exiting with his team up 7-4. 

However, the Anteaters couldn’t carry their momentum into the first of potentially two championship games against UCLA. 

UCI fell behind 8-0 following a five-run fourth inning frame. Yet, the Anteaters refused to quit, holding the Bruins scoreless the rest of the game and clawing back to cut the deficit to just three. 

Still, it proved to be a hill too steep to climb, as UCLA held on to win the Los Angeles Regional and advances to play against UTSA in the Super Regionals next week.

UCI Coach Ben Orloff showed appreciation to his team for the fight it showed all weekend. He remained proud of the fact that, after dropping the first game, it won two straight to stave off elimination and almost found a way to erase an eight-run deficit in the championship game. 

“It was a fun group to coach,” Orloff said. “It was a great team. I think we all saw that today when it was 8-0. Just the fight and the commitment to compete that shone through, so [I’m] really proud of our group and just sad we don’t get to coach them anymore.”

He believes the team’s resilient effort stemmed from its confidence in the face of adverse situations and credits his players for maintaining strong mental fortitude. 

“At the end of the day, so much of it comes down to competition,” Orloff said. “I loved the competition from our guys today … There was belief all the way to the last out.”

With the loss, UCI’s seventh season with Orloff at the helm concludes. The team’s 43 wins are tied for the second most under the head coach (45 in 2024) and mark the program’s second-straight season with over 40 victories.

Despite not winning the regional, the program continues to compete among the nation’s premier teams and has now put together its best two-year stretch under Orloff. The season serves as a sign that the program continues to head in the right direction, as it eyes bigger accomplishments down the line.  

“What says the most about what we’ve accomplished is the hurt that we feel right now,” Orloff said. “That we have 43 wins, a regional final appearance, and it hurts because, [at] this program, the goal is to win a national championship. And we don’t say that [just] to say it … We think we can win a national championship at UC Irvine. I think this was a team that had a chance to do that, and it gives me a lot of pride [with] just the program we have.”