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UCI’s Hiura pure at plate

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Talented draft-eligible juniors are actually seniors in college baseball, and UC Irvine junior Keston Hiura made the most of his swan-song season in 2017.

The designated hitter, who is expected to be selected in the first round of the MLB June Draft, was 14 for 19 in his final four games last week to lift his NCAA-leading batting average to .442.

The mark also bettered the previous UCI season record by 39 points and accentuated his status as the best hitter to ever wear an Anteaters uniform.

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The Big West Conference Player of the Year and Golden Spikes Award semifinalist finished the season with 88 hits in 199 at-bats, 48 runs, 24 doubles, eight home runs, 48 RBIs, 50 walks and nine stolen bases.

His on-base percentage was .567, and he slugged .693 for the season (that’s 1.260 OPS). His slugging percentage was a program record and he tied Taylor Holiday’s previous single-season doubles mark.

Hiura, the only position player in UCI history to be a Golden Spikes semifinalist (pitchers Andrew Morales in 2014, Daniel Bibona in 2009 and 2010 and Scott Gorgen in 2008 were so-honored), had hits in 49 of 56 games this season, reaching base in all but two of those games. He had 30 multiple-hit games and had at least one extra-base hit in 29 contests.

UCI was 2-5 in his hitless games in 2017, including losses in the last five, in which it scored seven combined runs.

In his career, Hiura reached base in 156 of 165 games and Baseball America’s John Manuel termed him “pound-for-pound the best college hitter in the draft.”

Baseball America has projected him to be drafted as high as No. 10, and he was slated at No. 12 in the publication’s mock draft last week.

His 22 career homers rank second in program history, behind Francis Larson’s 25 and his .375 career batting average is also second-best in UCI annals. He owns school career records for doubles (54) and intentional walks (22). If he played four seasons, he would no doubt own virtually every offensive record available.

But he was just too good to make a fourth collegiate season possible.

Further, Hiura’s humility and work ethic have earned universal admiration from teammates, coaches, opponents, fans and media alike.

Swing votes needed

The Golden Spikes Award will name three finalists on June 14 by votes submitted from coaches, media members, sports information professionals and past winners. Also included will be fan voting. Those wishing to vote may do so through June 9 at GoldenSpikesAward.com.

’Eaters rolling downhill

UCI baseball, which competed in the NCAA postseason six straight years from 2006-11, has now failed to advance to a regional for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Its current three-season postseason drought since reaching the 2014 College World Series, is the longest since it made its first Division I regional in 2004.

The Anteaters, ravaged by injuries to its pitching staff, including projected ace Cameron Bishop who missed the entire season, finished 23-33, 9-15 in conference (seventh place). The back-to-back seventh-place Big West finishes are the worst since the program returned in 2002 and it is only the second losing season in the last 16 seasons since the return, the first in 14 years.

UCI was second among Big West teams in batting (.274) and third in runs for all games this season. But the ’Eaters were last in slugging (.371).

On the bump, UCI ranked last in the nine-team conference in ERA (5.35), opponents’ batting average (.299), as well as hits and walks allowed.

The 33 losses are the fifth-most in a single season and the 15 conference losses tie for the program’s worst total since it entered the Big West in 1988, the most since 1991.

Ex-’Eaters shine

Things worked out well for a pair of UCI transfers, with Andrew Martinez helping San Diego State earn a regional berth and Max Weinstein helping Cal Lutheran win the NCAA Division III title on Tuesday.

Martinez enters Friday’s regional opener at Long Beach State batting .328 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs, while slugging .556 with 19 doubles for the Aztecs.

Weinstein, who was a freshman pitcher at UCI in 2014, when he threw just 2 2/3 innings, is a junior second baseman at Cal Lu. He was six for 15 in the three-game Division III championship series in Wisconsin, in which the Kingsmen rallied from an opening-game defeat to top Washington & Jefferson and finish 40-11.

Weinstein hit .384 in 219 at-bats with five homers, 35 RBIs and a .530 slugging percentage. He was a first-team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honoree and earned third-team All-West Region laurels.

barry.faulkner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BarryFaulkner5

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