No. 24 UC Irvine Baseball 2025 College Top 25 Preview

Image credit: Anthony Martinez (Photo courtesy of UC Irvine)

Last season: 45-14 (22-8 Big West); eliminated in Corvallis Regional
Final 2024 ranking: No. 25
Coach (record at school): Ben Orloff (203-97, 7th season)

You can find our complete 2025 preseason Top 25 ranking here.

The Good News

After it was viewed as one of the biggest snubs from the 2023 NCAA Tournament field, UC Irvine surged back into the national conversation in 2024, posting a 45-14 overall record, a 22-8 mark in Big West play and returning to the postseason for the second time in five opportunities under head coach Ben Orloff. The Anteaters are largely built on a foundation of returning talent, including first baseman Anthony Martinez, an early-round draft prospect, second baseman Will Bermudez, outfielder Chase Call and pitchers Danny Suarez, Trevor Hansen, Ricky Ojeda, Ryder Brooks and Riley Kelly, among others. Ohio State transfer shortstop Zach Fjelstad, San Diego State outfielder Jacob McCombs and College of the Canyons infielder Colin Yeaman are also expected to help the Anteaters’ offense. Irvine led Big West schools in scoring by over 100 runs in 2024, a performance it might not replicate this year but should still be among the more offensively productive groups in the conference. The Anteaters pitching is similarly promising a year after a middle-of-the-pack showing last year when they made the tournament.

The Bad News

Though the Anteaters’ projected contributors are largely returners, many of those players enter the year with limited prior experience. Martinez and Bermudez are the only position players on Irvine’s roster who received more than 100 Division I at-bats last season. The Anteaters are more experienced on the mound, but even there, lightly-used players will need to step into bigger roles. Projected staff ace Danny Suarez has appeared in just 10 games over the last two seasons due to Tommy John and sophomore Ricky Ojeda, who thrived in the Irvine bullpen last season, has never made a Division I start.

Player To Know

An all-Big West first-team selection after he started all 59 games at first base for Irvine in 2024, Anthony Martinez returns to the Anteaters’ roster as one of the top offensive players in his conference, a projection he’ll need to turn into a reality for Irvine to achieve its goals this season. The lefthanded hitter hit .316/.422/.492 with nine home runs, 18 doubles, more walks (36) than strikeouts (29) and a conference-leading 74 RBIs in the heart of Irvine’s order and parlayed that success into a stint with the US collegiate national team. Martinez enters his junior season as a top-five round talent.

Path To Omaha

The Anteaters’ road to Omaha starts with navigating a Big West Conference that has only twice received multiple tournament bids since 2018 and this year features two teams (Irvine and Santa Barbara) that received preseason rankings. Irvine has several resume-building opportunities in a tough schedule, including in the first week of April when it hosts San Diego in a midweek game before traveling to Corvallis to take on Oregon State. Pending the emergence of several contributors, Irvine should again have the talent to compete late into the season.

Projected 2025 Lineup

Pos	Player	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	HR	RBI	Note
C	Blake Penso	Sr.	.400	.625	1.000	5	1	2
1B	Anthony Martinez	Jr.	.316	.422	.492	256	9	74
2B	Will Bermudez	R-Sr.	.301	.420	.447	206	4	48
3B	James Castagnola	R-So.	.244	.407	.378	45	1	5
SS	Zach Fjelstad*	So.	.261	.414	.348	46	0	9	Ohio State
OF	Frankie Carney	R-So.	.208	.295	.245	53	0	7
OF	Jacob McCombs*	So.	.333	.438	.593	81	4	18	San Diego State
OF	Chase Call	Sr.	.261	.398	.500	188	8	47
DH	Colin Yeaman*	Jr.	.443	.541	.900	70	7	14	College of the Canyons
Pos	Player	Year	b	IP	ERA	WHIP	SO	BB	Note
SP	Danny Suarez	R-Jr.	3	5.2	3.18	1.41	10	3
SP	Trevor Hansen	So.	16	74.1	5.69	1.68	74	34
SP	Ricky Ojeda	So.	0	52	3.46	1.27	74	25
RP	Ryder Brooks	R-So.	1	35.2	5.30	1.60	32	12
RP	Riley Kelly	Jr.	4	17	5.29	1.53	18	12