Friday, February 17
Riverside, CA
3:00 PM
UC Riverside
vs
Brigham Young
Photo by: UCR Athletics Media Relations
Baseball Opens 2012 Season With Home Twin Bill Friday vs. BYU
2/15/2012 2:45:00 PM | Baseball
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Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team opens its 2012 regular season this Friday, February 17 with a twin bill against visiting BYU. First pitch is slated for 3 pm PT at the Riverside Sports Complex. The final game of the three-game series begins at noon on Saturday, February 18.
The collective Voices of the Highlanders, Ghizal Hasan and John Ramey, will bring the call of all three games of the series to gohighlanders.com via Stretch Internet's Game Central.
UCR will have a decidely different look this season as they lost two starting pitchers from a year ago and six of the team's top 10 batters.
Gone from the offensive side of the diamond are 2011 first-team, all-conference shortstop Trevor Hairgrove (.336/.403/.453), second-team third baseman Ryan Goetz (.318/.371/.423), honorable mention outfielder Justin Shults (.293/.412/.424), honorable mention center fielder Tony Nix (.282/.343/.422), infielder Bryan Horst (.234/.325/.285) and catcher Dan Pellegrino (.227/.258/.282).
Back in the fold are designated hitter David Andriese (.307/.392/.453), catcher Bart Steponovich (/290/.377/.323), outfielder Phil Holinsworth (.279/.333/.380) and second baseman Eddie Young (.241/.327/.271). Andriese earned honorable mention, all-conference honors as a redshirt freshman a year ago.
On the mound, two starters return from last year’s squad in honorable-mention, all-conference performer Eddie Orozco (5-2, 2.29) and Trevor Frank (2-3, 3.35), while the bullpen brings back three of its top five innings eaters in Dylan Stuart (1-1. 1.72), Mark Garcia (1-2. 4.68) and Mitch Patito (1-3, 5.75, 6 svs). Stuart was named Big West Conference Freshman Pitcher of the Year in 2011, while Patito led the squad in saves.
The pitching staff will have a great deal to live up to as the 2011 Highlanders set the program's Division I-era record for lowest ERA (3.40) while striking out 7.1 batters and walking just 2.7 per nine innings.
The Highlanders are 14-10 all-time against BYU with wins in eight of the last nine meetings including a three-game sweep back in 2010. Stuart gets the start in Game 1 on Friday while Orozco toes the rubber in the night cap. Frank will take the mound in Saturday's finale.
Thursday, May 21
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Friday, May 01
Tuesday, March 24
