UC IRVINE NOTEBOOK : Gerakos Upbeat as Baseball Opener Nears

It’s late January, which means it’s baseball season in Southern California. UC Irvine’s opener is Tuesday afternoon at Loyola Marymount.

The Anteaters finished last season with their best record since 1980, going 35-24. With the return of an all-conference shortstop and the addition of four major college transfers, Irvine Coach Mike Gerakos is wishing for what he called the “magic number” of college baseball--40 victories.

“With 40 wins and a minimum of 12 or 13 wins in our conference, you might make the NCAAs (playoffs),” Gerakos said.

In the hyper-competitive Big West Conference, a team can lose eight or nine and still be impressive.

Irvine got off to an excellent start last season, winning nine in a row early. But the Anteaters stumbled early in conference play, finishing 10-11.

“We faltered a little bit and our conference is so tough you can’t do that,” Gerakos said.

This season, he hopes to avoid the sort of injuries that slowed his team last season. Irvine has more depth in position players but could be in trouble if a pitcher goes down. Gerakos lost ace Ken Whitworth from last season’s staff, and now plans for a rotation of Chris Huber, David Bladow and Joe Sewell.

The strength of this team might be the middle infield. Al Rodriguez, a good-hitting shortstop who was first-team all-Big West, is back for his senior season. At second base, Irvine has added Joe Furakawa, a transfer from California.

Billy Bardens returns at third, and at first, Gerakos has Bryant Winslow, a senior who transferred from Wichita State, where he played on the 1989 national championship team.

Brian Young, who hit six home runs two seasons ago before redshirting last season, will probably be the designated hitter.

Dave Dieter, a redshirt freshman from University High School, and sophomore Craig Plumley are the catchers.

In the outfield, senior Mike Goodcase is a sure starter, with four others--Matt Filson, Ray Walker, Steve Ott and Chris Facione, another Cal transfer--likely to rotate.

In the bullpen, Mike Rude is the top left-hander, and freshman Gabe Solecito could be the closer.

Irvine’s home opener is scheduled at 2:30 p.m. next Thursday against Cal State Los Angeles.

Jeff Von Lutzow, benched by Coach Bill Mulligan for the rest of the game after receiving a technical for arguing a call in the first half of the Anteaters’ loss to New Mexico State Monday, said he didn’t deserve the benching.

“No, I don’t feel I deserved it, but he’s the head coach,” Von Lutzow said Wednesday. “The (technical foul) was kind of dumb.”

Von Lutzow, a sophomore who has started 11 of Irvine’s 20 games, apparently is out of the lineup again, as is Dylan Rigdon, who was benched for the second half after attempting only one shot in the first half. Neither player practiced with the starters Wednesday.

Rigdon, whose 14-point average makes him the team’s third-leading scorer, has started 17 of 18 games, missing one because of injury.

Mulligan has said he is unhappy with the players’ effort.

“We’re buried in the doghouse, in whatever is in there,” Von Lutzow said. “We’re over our heads.”

Earlier this season, Von Lutzow said the only way he would transfer was if Mulligan were no longer the coach. But now, he says he might consider it after the season.

“It’s not necessarily being in the starting lineup,” Van Lutzow said. “It’s not playing, playing 10 minutes, 13 minutes a game. That’s something I can’t deal with. . . . That’s Coach’s decision, and it will be my decision where I play my last two years.”

The 400% solution: With an overtime victory against New Mexico State Saturday, the Irvine women’s basketball team has quadrupled its victory total of last season.

The Anteaters, 1-27 last season, are 4-12 this season, and the team’s spirits are picking up, particularly after Saturday’s exciting game.

“Kathy Lizarraga hits a shot at halfcourt, maybe two steps in, to tie it at the buzzer,” Coach Dean Andrea said. “Then in overtime, they’re doubling down on (Yvonne) Catala and covering Kathy. (Jenny) Lee gets the ball and looks at it like she doesn’t know what to do with it, hits a three and we win.”

The score: Irvine 93, New Mexico State 91.

“We yelled at her,” Andrea said, laughing. “All we needed to win was a two.”

Player of the Week: Catala, a sophomore forward, shared Big West player of the week honors with Cal State Fullerton’s Genia Miller. Catala averaged 20 points over three games last week, and the Anteaters won twice.

False Stat of the Week: 64.7%. The NCAA released national statistical leaders for this week, listing Lizarraga as the third-leading shooter in the nation.

Not so. The Big West listed Lizarraga as the leading shooter in the conference, at 70.4%.

Not so, either. “Crazy,” Andrea said, laughing. Lizarraga is his three-point specialist, and an unlikely candidate to shoot higher than 50%.

“She’s shooting 39% from three-point range,” Andrea said. “What do they think she’s shooting from two? Ninety?”

True Stat of the Week: 9.7 The Irvine men’s team ranks fourth in the nation in three-point baskets per game. Jeff Herdman rankes sixth in the nation, averaging 3.9 three-pointers a game.

Anteater Notes

Before its official opener Tuesday, the baseball team will play an alumni game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Anteater Field. . . . The women’s tennis team open its season today at Loyola Marymount. Courtney Weichsel will play at No. 1 singles after missing last season as a medical redshirt. . . . Swimmers Mat Curry and Jeff Klatt and diver Greg Dovidio were double winners for Irvine in a victory over Cal State Northridge last week.