2026 UC Irvine Anteaters baseball team

2026 UC Irvine Anteaters baseball
Conference	Big West Conference
Record	0–0 (0–0 Big West)
Head coach	Ben Orloff (8th season)
Assistant coaches	Ryan Johnston (4th season) Erich Pfohl (3rd season) CJ Yogi (3rd season)
Hitting coach	J.T. Bloodworth (8th season)
Pitching coach	Daniel Bibona (14th season)
Home stadium	Cicerone Field
Seasons ←  2025 2027 →

2026 Big West Conference baseball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Cal Poly  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			0	–	0		–
Cal State Bakersfield  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			0	–	0		–
Cal State Fullerton  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			0	–	0		–
Cal State Northridge  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			0	–	0		–
Hawai'i  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			0	–	0		–
Long Beach State  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			0	–	0		–
UC Davis  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			0	–	0		–
UC Irvine  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			0	–	0		–
UC Riverside  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			0	–	0		–
UC San Diego  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			0	–	0		–
UC Santa Barbara  ‍‍‍	0	–	0		–			0	–	0		–
† – Conference champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of November 14, 2025 [1] Rankings from D1Baseball

The 2026 UC Irvine Anteaters baseball team represent the University of California, Irvine during the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Anteaters will play their home games at Cicerone Field as a member of the Big West Conference. They are led by head coach Ben Orloff in his eighth season as manager. The top five teams in the Big West Conference will play in the conference's postseason tournament, with the winner receiving the automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA tournament. It was announced on January 9, 2026, that head coach Ben Orloff signed a 5-year contract extension, keeping him with the team until the end of the 2030 season. ^[2]

Previous season

See also: 2025 UC Irvine Anteaters baseball team

Last season, UC Irvine finished with a 43–17 record, going 24–6 in the Big West, and finishing first in the conference. They fell in the conference championship in back-to-back games against Cal Poly. ^[3] They received an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, along with conference tournament champion Cal Poly. The Anteaters went 2–2 in NCAA tournament play, falling to UCLA in the regional finals 5–8. ^[4] UC Irvine finished the season ranked 25th in the nation by D1Baseball.com and 23rd by the USA Today Coaches Poll.

Preseason

Big West Coaches' Poll

The Big West Coaches' Poll will be released later.

Personnel

Starters

Lineup

Pos.	No.	Player.	Year
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
LF
CF
RF
DH

Weekend Pitching Rotation

Day	No.	Player.	Year
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Roster

Source: ^[5]

2026 UC Irvine Anteaters baseball team
Players	Coaches
# Pos. Name B/T Height Weight Year Home town 1 INF Theo Kim S/R 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Rancho Bernardo, CA 2 OF Tommy Farmer R/R 6 ft 3 in(1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Santa Monica, CA 4 OF Davis D'Errico R/R 5 ft 11 in(1.8 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So Los Alamitos, CA 5 INF James Castagnola R/R 6 ft 1 in(1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr San Diego, CA 8 INF Dylan Hillman R/R 5 ft 11 in(1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Danville, CA 9 OF Rowan Felsch L/L 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Palo Alto, CA 10 OF Zach Doyle L/L 5 ft 10 in(1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Fr Ladera Ranch, CA 11 RHP Jack Ross R/R 6 ft 3 in(1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Huntington Beach, CA 12 OF Kai Smith R/R 6 ft 0 in(1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Danville, CA 13 LHP Ricky Ojeda L/L 5 ft 11 in(1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Valencia, CA 14 RHP Danny Suarez R/R 6 ft 3 in(1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Sr Trabuco Canyon, CA 15 RHP Finnegan Wall R/R 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Hesperia, CA 16 C Michael Podstreleny L/R 5 ft 11 in(1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Fr San Diego, CA 17 LHP Dane Grant L/L 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS So San Juan Capistrano, CA 18 C Zach Crandall R/R 6 ft 0 in(1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Sr Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 20 RHP Tim Grack R/R 6 ft 1 in(1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So Fountain Valley, CA 21 UTL Landon Gaz R/R 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Moorpark, CA 22 RHP David Butler R/R 6 ft 1 in(1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Riverside, CA 23 INF Frankie Carney L/R 5 ft 10 in(1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Jr San Diego, CA 24 INF Auggie Gutierrez R/R 5 ft 11 in(1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Yorba Linda, CA 25 UTL Alonso Reyes L/R 6 ft 0 in(1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Inglewood, CA 26 INF Noah Alvarez L/R 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Chino, CA 27 LHP Brandon Luu L/L 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS So Irvine, CA 28 RHP Trevor Hansen R/R 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Simi Valley, CA 30 RHP Peyton Rodgers R/R 6 ft 0 in(1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Solana Beach, CA 31 INF Lucas Schermer R/R 6 ft 3 in(1.91 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Fr Hermosa Beach, CA 32 LHP Zane Nordquist L/L 5 ft 11 in(1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Oceanside, CA 33 RHP Tyler Foster R/R 6 ft 1 in(1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Carlsbad, CA 34 INF Cole Clark L/R 6 ft 1 in(1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Huntington Beach, CA 35 C Connor Dietsch R/R 6 ft 3 in(1.91 m) 198 lb (90 kg) RS Jr Mission Viejo, CA 36 INF Zach Fjelstad L/R 5 ft 11 in(1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Coto de Caza, CA 37 RHP Julian Custer R/R 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS So San Diego, CA 38 OF Daniel Polasek L/R 5 ft 11 in(1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Martinez, CA 40 RHP Hunter Manning L/R 6 ft 5 in(1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Valencia, CA 41 RHP Cade Castles R/R 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Davis, CA 42 LHP Ryder Brooks L/L 6 ft 3 in(1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Fountain Valley, CA 44 UTL Alex Schmidt R/R 6 ft 2 in(1.88 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Sherman Oaks, CA 45 LHP Jaxton Andeel L/L 6 ft 4 in(1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Placentia, CA 50 C Efren Ortega R/R 5 ft 11 in(1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Sylmar, CA 55 RHP Alex Umland R/R 6 ft 4 in(1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Los Angeles, CA	Head coach Ben Orloff Assistant coach(es) Daniel Bibona J.T. Bloodworth Ryan Johnston Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: January 19, 2026

Schedule

Source: ^[6]

Legend
	Anteaters win
	Anteaters loss
	Postponement
Bold	Anteaters team member

2026 UC Irvine Anteaters Baseball Game Log (0–0)
Regular Season (0–0)
February (0–0) Date Time (PST) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall BWC February 13 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Sacramento State* — John Smith Field Sacramento, California — — — — — — — February 14 2:00 p.m. WAC International at Sacramento State* — John Smith Field — — — — — — — February 15 12:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Sacramento State* — John Smith Field — — — — — — — February 17 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ San Diego State* — Cicerone Field Irvine, California — — — — — — — February 20 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ California* — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — February 21 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ California* — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — February 22 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ California* — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — February 24 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ Grand Canyon* — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — February 25 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Grand Canyon* — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Baseball Classic February 27 2:00 p.m. D1Baseball vs. Vanderbilt* — Las Vegas Ballpark Las Vegas, Nevada — — — — — — — February 28 12:00 p.m. D1Baseball.com vs. Oregon* — Las Vegas Ballpark — — — — — — —
March (0–0) Date Time (PST) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall BWC Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Baseball Classic March 1 3:00 p.m. D1Baseball vs. Arizona* — Las Vegas Ballpark Las Vegas, Nevada — — — — — — — March 3 6:00 p.m. — at USC* — Dedeaux Field Los Angeles, California — — — — — — — March 6 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cal State Northridge — Cicerone Field Irvine, California — — — — — — — March 7 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cal State Northridge — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — March 8 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cal State Northridge — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — March 10 6:00 p.m. — at UCLA* — Jackie Robinson Field Pasadena, California — — — — — — — March 13 6:30 p.m. ESPN+ at Cal State Fullerton — Goodwin Field Fullerton, California — — — — — — — March 14 5:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Cal State Fullerton — Goodwin Field — — — — — — — March 15 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Cal State Fullerton — Goodwin Field — — — — — — — March 20 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ Oregon State* — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — March 21 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Oregon State* — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — March 22 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Oregon State* — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — March 24 6:00 p.m. Mountain West Network at San Diego State* — Tony Gwynn Stadium San Diego, California — — — — — — — March 27 6:05 p.m. — at Long Beach State — Blair Field Long Beach, California — — — — — — — March 28 6:05 p.m. — at Long Beach State — Blair Field — — — — — — — March 29 1:05 p.m. — at Long Beach State — Blair Field — — — — — — — March 31 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ UCLA* — Cicerone Field — — — — — — —
April (0–0) Date Time (PST) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall BWC April 2 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ UC Davis — Cicerone Field Irvine, California — — — — — — — April 3 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ UC Davis — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — April 4 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ UC Davis — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — April 7 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ San Diego* — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — April 10 9:35 p.m. — at Hawai'i — Les Murakami Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii — — — — — — — April 11 9:35 p.m. — at Hawai'i — Les Murakami Stadium — — — — — — — April 12 4:05 p.m. — at Hawai'i — Les Murakami Stadium — — — — — — — April 17 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ UC Santa Barbara — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — April 18 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ UC Santa Barbara — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — April 19 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ UC Santa Barbara — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — April 24 TBA — at UC San Diego — Triton Ballpark La Jolla, California — — — — — — — April 25 TBA — at UC San Diego — Triton Ballpark — — — — — — — April 26 TBA — at UC San Diego — Triton Ballpark — — — — — — — April 28 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ USC* — Cicerone Field — — — — — — —
May (0–0) Date Time (PST) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall BWC May 1 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cal Poly — Cicerone Field Irvine, California — — — — — — — May 2 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cal Poly — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — May 3 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cal Poly — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — May 5 6:00 p.m. — at San Diego* — Fowler Park San Diego, California — — — — — — — May 8 TBA — at UC Riverside — Riverside Sports Complex Riverside, California — — — — — — — May 9 TBA — at UC Riverside — Riverside Sports Complex — — — — — — — May 10 TBA — at UC Riverside — Riverside Sports Complex — — — — — — — May 14 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cal State Bakersfield — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — May 15 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cal State Bakersfield — Cicerone Field — — — — — — — May 16 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cal State Bakersfield — Cicerone Field — — — — — — —
Postseason (0–0)
Big West tournament [7] (0–0) Date Time (PST) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall BWCT Record May 20 TBA ESPN+ TBD — Cicerone Field Irvine, California — — — — — — —
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from D1Baseball. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific.

Awards

Preseason

National team

Preseason Perfect Game All-American First Team [8]
Player	No.	Position	Class
Ricky Ojeda	13	LHP	Junior

Rankings

Main article: 2026 NCAA Division I baseball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: — = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
Coaches'		*
Baseball America [9]	—
NCBWA†
D1Baseball [10]	—
Perfect Game [11]	—

† NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

References

1. "Big West Conference". D1Baseball.com. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
2. Roberts-Croteau, Alex. "Ben Orloff Signs Contact Extension with UC Irvine Baseball". UCI Athletics. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
3. Marburg, Oliver (May 30, 2025). "How Cal Poly Baseball finally overcame Big West regular season champion UC Irvine". Mustang News. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
4. "UCLA baseball defeats UC Irvine, makes 1st super regional in 6 years". Daily Bruin. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
5. "2026 Baseball Roster".
6. "2026 Baseball Schedule".
7. "2026 Big West Baseball Championship" . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
8. "Preseason Collegiate All-Americans" . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
9. "College Baseball Top 25 Rankings". www.baseballamerica.com. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
10. "2026 D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 Rankings". d1baseball.com. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
11. "2026 Preseason Top 25". perfectgame.org. Retrieved January 19, 2026.

External links

• UCI Baseball