Irvine

Irvine's head coach is Ben Orloff.  Orloff was Irvine's starting shortstop on their 2007 College World Series team that played Oregon State in the bracket championship game.  Mitchy Slick and Orloff played against each other in the game.  Orloff batted second and led the game off with a base hit and moved to second after a bunt single.  Daniel Turpen was able to pitch out of the jam.   In his final three at bats, Orloff grounded out to third and second and struck out.

Orloff was drafted #281 overall by the Astros in 2009.  Orloff had a five-year professional career, finishing up playing AA Corpus Christi.

Orloff was hired as an assistant coach at Irvine between the 2013 and 2014 seasons.  Orloff was an assistant coach for Irvine in the 2014 trip to the Corvallis Regional, which Irvine won, beating Oregon State 14-2 and 4-2 sandwiched around a 4-0 loss to the Beavs.  After Mike Gillespie retired after the 2018 season, Orloff was hired to replace him as head coach.  Orloff was the head coach in the 2021 in Irvine and the 2022 series in Corvallis against Oregon State.

After making the move to Division 1 baseball between 1977 and 1978, Irvine had limited success.  Irvine first made a regional in 2004 under John Savage, before Savage made the jump to UCLA.  He was replaced by Dave Serrano  in 2005.  Serrano led Irvine to a Regional in 2006, and a College World Series in 2007.  Serrano was hired as the head coach of Fullerton to replace George Horton.  Serrano was subsequently hired by Tennessee but found even less success there than Horton at Oregon.  Mike Gillespie replaced Serrano and led Irvine to four straight regionals, winning the 2008 Lincoln Regional and 2011 Los Angeles Regional.  After two years off and with Orloff in the coaching staff, Gillespie led Irvine through the Corvallis Regional and Stillwater Super Regional to a second trip to Omaha.  Gillespie was less successful thereafter retiring after the 2018 season and dying in 2020.

Under Orloff, Irvine went to the 2021 Stanford Regional and took Stanford to a final game but lost 11-8.  Stanford wound up at Omaha.  This is Irvine's first trip to the postseason since 2021.

Irvine has been to 10 regionals all-time and Orloff has been involved with seven, four as a player, once as an assistant coach (2014), and now twice as a head coach.

This is Irvine's first trip back to the Corvallis Regional, since going 3-1 and knocking off #1 Oregon State in 2014.  

Irvine leads the all-time series 6-5.  Irvine won the first game in 1972 7-2 in the Anaheim Collegiate Tournament.  Oregon State won the second game 7-1 in Omaha in 2007.  Irvine won two of the next three in the 2014 Corvallis Regional.  Irvine took two of three against Oregon State in Irvine in 2021, and Oregon State won two of three against Irvine in 2022.

Irvine is the nation's best road team, going 24-5 outside of Irvine.

Irvine had 1,869 at bats in 2023.  Every single one of UCI's 1,869 at-bats from the 2023 squad has returned for 2024.  Woody Hadeen, who missed all of 2023 with injury, also returned.

Irvine set the all-time HBP record with 166.  Irvine  is top 50 in on-base percentage (2nd), runs per game (10th), batting average (11th), hits (11th), doubles per game (13th), runs (15th), walks (15th), sac flies (22nd), sac bunts (28th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (30th), ERA (30th), walks allowed per 9 innings (40th), and triples (48th).

Woody Hadeen is 7th in BBs, 8th in on-base, and 9th in runs per game; Myles Smith is 9th in OBP, 12th in BA, and 15th in BB per game; Myles Smith was the Big West Player of the Week in three of the five last weekends; Caden Kendle at 16th in sac flies, 23rd in hits/game, and 28th in BA; Anthony Martinez is 30th in RBIs and 58th toughest to strikeout; Jo Oyama is 9th in HBP, 17th in sac bunts, and 45th in triples; and Ricky Tibbett is 12th in saves and 48th in appearances.

Six of Irvine's wins were ninth-inning comeback victories.  Those six include three games that Irvine trailed by three runs.