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Shortstop Ben Orloff (Simi Valley/HS) carries a 10-game hitting streak into action this week. It is the longest active streak for UCI and three shy of the season-high of 13 games, recorded by Matt Morris earlier this season. Orloff is fifth among the starters with a .345 average and is second on the team with 40 hits and seven doubles. He also tops the team with 10 sacrifice hits and has struck out just nine times in 116 at bats. \
In action last week, Orloff batted .438 (7 for 16) with two doubles, five runs scored and an RBI. \
HASN\'T MISSED A DAY OF WORK: Orloff is the only Anteater to have started in all 29 games this season and has not missed a start since April 1, 2006, extending his streak to 59 consecutive starts. \
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April 3, 2007 \
Baseball Preview
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UC Irvine \
FullertonBaseballFan \
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Irvine got Big West play started last week with a 2-1 series win at home against Long Beach State, which was the Anteaters conference series win against the Dirtbags since 2002. After getting over that hurdle, you know that former Fullerton pitching coach Dave Serrano is looking forward to getting over the next big hurdle for Irvine\'s program, which would be a series win over Fullerton, something Irvine hasn\'t been able to accomplish since they brought their program back in 2002. Will there be a new sheriff in Orange County after this series, something Irvine\'s previous coaching staff wasn\'t able to accomplish?
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LINEUP
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Irvine has had the best offense in the Big West thus far, leading the conference in just about every category including batting average (.326), OBP (.399), SLG (.472), runs per game (6.8) and HR\'s (23). Irvine isn\'t very patient at the plate, with one notable exception (Cipriano) as they average just 2.7 BB\'s per game but they do make up for that by taking almost 2 HBP\'s per game. Although Irvine is able to hit for power, that isn\'t the only way they are able to produce runs. Irvine also leads the Big West with 72 SB\'s (over twice as many as the second best team) and SAC\'s with 49 so they also play little ball very well. In Friday\'s game alone against Long Beach, Irvine put down nine bunts for SAC\'s or hits so they will be keeping Evan McArthur busy this weekend. On top of all of that, Irvine has also played very good defense and leads the Big West in fielding % at .975 and baserunners have been successful at stealing less than half of the time (16-33). Needless to say, Irvine is one of the more well rounded teams that Fullerton will play this season.
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SS - Ben Orloff (RH, Soph). Orloff is one of best bunters in the college baseball, leading the country last year in SAC bunts with 26 and he already has 10 this season. Orloff doesn\'t have much pop in his bat and sprays the ball around the field primarily for singles. He usually bats 2nd in order to hit and run, go the other way or bunt the runner over. Last year, it was because he wasn\'t that good of a hitter but he has improved significantly this season. Besides his ability to play small ball, the other reason Orloff is in the lineup is his defense because he is one of the better defensive SS\'s in the Big West, with a fielding percentage around .970 over the past two seasons. \'07 stats - .345 - 0 - 11 - 8; \'06 stats - .217 - 0 - 16 - 5.
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myContent.MinorLeague040107 = ' \
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Apr 01, 2007 \ 20 year olds in AA
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The Cardinals have announced the roster for AA springfield and 3 20 year olds have made the cut. Colby Rasmus, Jaime Garcia, and Bryan Anderson will all be starting the year as 20 year olds in the texas league. Rasmus and Garcia got a half season in high-A last summer, and while they didn\'t dominate you can see why they might get the promotion, but Anderson is skipping high-A ball and going straight to AA. Other guys also skipping over high-A and going to springfield are Chris Perez and Jon Jay.
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myContent.SLOTribune033007 = ' \
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College Baseball: Poly shakes up lineup for opener
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By Brian Milne \
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\ When Cal Poly baseball coach Larry Lee says his team is looking for a fresh start in today\'s Big West Conference opener at Pacific, he\'s not kidding.
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True freshman right-hander Frankie Reed will make his first start today when the Mustangs open conference play at Klein Family Field in Stockton.
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Reed, a closer and outfielder at Simi Valley High, replaces right-hander Marc Nobriga (2-3, 5.47 ERA) who has been moved to the bullpen.
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Lee said starting the 6-foot-1, 185-pound lefty will give the Mustangs a better shot against the Friday night aces in the Big West and could allow Reed to come back in a short relief role Sunday depending on Friday’s pitch count.
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Reed (0-1, 3.86 ERA), who has 13 strikeouts and allowed 12 hits and six walks in 14 innings, has made relief appearances in four of the Mustangs’ past five games.
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Cal Poly (13-16) has lost six straight overall, all to top 10 teams, so Lee is looking for ways to shake up the lineup and his starting rotation. The Mustangs are 3-6 in series openers and have lost No. 1 starter DJ Mauldin for the season with an arm injury.
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\"We needed to change some things,\" Lee said. \"You hate to take Frankie out of the bullpen because he\’s been very valuable for us, but he gives us a chance of being competitive on Fridays.
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\"There\’s an uncertainty with Frankie because he\’s never been a starting pitcher, but he has the right mindset. He\’s going to go out there and give it everything he has, and if he throws like he’s capable of, he\’ll be successful.\"
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myContent.NewsLeader033007 = ' \
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March 30, 2007 \
Finding his way
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Young Cards catcher Bryan Anderson makes move through minors look easy. \
Kary Booher \
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Jupiter, Fla. — Thumb through the St. Louis Cardinals\' media guide and the first name that appears among the player bios is that of catcher Bryan Anderson, a name that, realistically, probably isn\'t on the tip of Cardinal Nation\'s tongue. \
In fact, he would appear to be just another somebody accompanied by a mug shot and stat line and in the way as reporters blow past page A-19 in pursuit of tidbits on the superstars. Maybe on occasion, they notice that Anderson\'s listed age is 20 and his 2006 season was spent in the low minors at a place called Quad Cities. \
Bryan Anderson? Sounds like the name of a guy over in accounting. \
\"It\'s a big jump from Quad Cities to Double-A,\" minor league catching coordinator Dann Bilardello said, \"but he has the work ethic and the intangibles that I think will help him make it through the tough times.\" \
Yes, the Double-A Springfield Cardinals are almost prepared to head north with Anderson as their catcher, an interesting development that has taken shape in recent days as spring training inches closer to what can safely be forecast now as an unpredictable final weekend. \
Anderson drew the start in Springfield\'s 3-0 loss to New York Mets farmhands on Thursday in Port St. Lucie, bringing him within four days of surviving the last round of cuts. \
The Cardinals had eyed free agents Danilo Sanchez and Omar Falcon. However, Springfield manager Ron Warner said Thursday that Sanchez has been moved to High-A Palm Beach, where Falcon was re-assigned earlier in the week. That leaves Anderson and 25-year-old Matt Pagnozzi as Springfield\'s current catchers. And the organization is adamant about reserving an everyday role for Anderson. \
"\It\'s looking like that\'s what we\'re going to break with,\" Warner said. \
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\"It\'s looking like that\'s what we\'re going to break with,\" Warner said. \
It\'s notable because, should Anderson hop on Springfield\'s flight out of Jupiter come Monday and should left-hander Jaime Garcia do the same, Hammons Field will be assured of housing eight of St. Louis\' top 17 prospects, as rated by Baseball America magazine. \
Anderson is No. 6 on that list, there because he is a left-handed hitter who had a .302 batting average in the Low-A Midwest League last season — he also drew 42 walks — and has received high marks for handling a pitching staff that included Garcia. \
Catching in Double-A, well, Anderson is all for it, and he may not be affected by decisions remaining for Triple-A Memphis, which is carrying four catchers: Eli Marrero, Brian Esposito, Ryan Christianson and Michel Hernandez. \
\"You want to move up and make it to the major leagues as fast as you can,\" Anderson said. \"You don\'t dream about playing in the minor leagues. But it\'s really a hard subject because I don\'t know what\'s going on right now." \
Anderson turned 20 just last Dec. 16. So far, he has justified the Cardinals\' decision to draft him in the fourth round in 2005 and award him a $250,000 signing bonus. \
Anderson has quickly adapted to affiliated professional baseball since graduating from Simi Valley (Calif.) High School. He threw out 36 percent of runners trying to steal last year. \
\"When I was in high school, I didn\'t work on my catching that much,\" Anderson said. \"But coming in here, your first priority is catching and hitting is secondary.\" \
In his corner is Bilardello, who played all or parts of eight seasons in the big leagues. When told that Anderson spent the offseason catching San Francisco Giants ace Barry Zito and receiving hitting tips from Barry Bonds, Bilardello grinned. \
\"That tells me the kid wants to get better,\" Bilardello said. \"That tells me a lot about his heart.\" \
The jump to Double-A would be significant because Anderson would be responsible for a staff that includes Chris Lambert (24), Mike Parisi (23), Stuart Pomeranz (22) and Eric Haberer (25). \
The quartet already has made a combined 115 starts in Double-A. The four also enter a key season in which they\'ll try to make a play for a 40-man roster spot or learn that the organization will leave them unprotected in the Rule 5 draft. \
\"We wouldn\'t put him there if we didn\'t think he couldn\'t do the job,\" Bilardello said. \"I know he is going to work his (butt) off and do all the things he\'s got to do to get ready for a game. The main thing about him (is) the kid has a desire to play at the higher levels.\" \
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myContent.TOAcorn032907 = ' \
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March 29, 2007 \
Roe doesn\'t allow opposing hitters to find a comfort zone
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CLU pitcher willing to throw inside \ By Steve Ames Special to Thousand Oaks Acorn \
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California Lutheran University junior right-handed pitcher Mike Roe, a 2004 Simi Valley High graduate, might not blow hitters away with his fastball, but he isn\'t making anyone comfortable in the batter\'s box, either. \
\"I like to throw inside a lot,\" Roe said. \"A lot of times batters get on the plate and cover the outer half. Not too many pitchers throw inside at this level, but on our team we throw a lot of pitches inside because that seems to be the hardest pitch for hitters to hit.\" \
Roe said he usually starts with fastballs inside, so the batter will know he\'s going to try to come at them. Then Roe may follow with a couple of breaking balls away and then throw a changeup. \
\"I just try to get them to get themselves out,\" he said. \"I don\'t try to do too much, just try to make the right pitch in the right situation so they\'ll be off balance. \
\"The biggest challenge is I try to hit every spot. The only way to get guys out is to hit your spots, I feel. The other challenges are staying in shape, keeping your arm healthy. That\'s definitely a big challenge.\" \Kingsmen head coach Marty Slimak is delighted to have Roe, a transfer from Moorpark College, on the team. \
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For the Kingsmen this season, Roe has posted a 4-2 record with a 3.58 ERA in six starts and one save in two relief appearances. He\'s pitched 32.2 innings, has struck out 19 batters, walked five and given up 38 hits. \
\"He\'s a great team guy,\" the coach said. \"Always loose. I\'ve never really, so far, seen him depressed. He\'s always a happy guy, always has a smile on his face, always doing something. \
\"He\'s one of our main pitchers in the starting rotation. We\'re really glad to have him. The best thing about Mike is he throws strikes. He\'s got three pitches- fastball, curveball, change- that he throws strikes with, and I think it\'s the biggest plus,\" Slimak said. \
For the 2005 and 2006 Moorpark College Raiders, Roe was 9-12 with one save and had a 6.03 ERA in 137.2 innings pitched. He struck out 94 batters and gave up 40 walks. Roe was named to the Western State Conference honorable mention team in \'06. \
During 2003 and 2004 for the Simi Valley Pioneers, Roe was 16-5 with a 5.01 ERA and had 142 strikeouts. He carried a 3.39 GPA in high school. \
Pitching in the 2004 CIFSouthern Section playoffs, Roe was the winning pitcher in four of the Pioneers\' six playoff games, including four innings of relief in a 14-inning quarterfinal game against West Torrance. \
In the 2004 CIFSS championship game at Dodger Stadium, Roe pitched six innings, giving up two runs against El Dorado of Placentia as Simi Valley won 5-4. \
He was first team All-Marmonte League, first team All-CIF Division II, and was the Daily News Tournament Most Valuable Pitcher. \
During Roe\'s sophomore season in 2006, the CLU coaches went over to Moorpark College and got to see him throw. \
"He just got a little bit stronger, a little bit more mature and just had a great sense about him," Slimak said. "That\'s when we said, \'We\'d like to have you here at Cal Lu to be a part of our university, not only to play on the baseball team, but to graduate.\'\" \
At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Roe is an accounting major with a 3.31 college GPA and plans to become a certified public accountant after his baseball career is over. \
\"Mike\'s a very good student, so it was kind of a good fit,\" Slimak said. \"It wasn\'t like we\'re going to struggle to try to get him in. He had a great GPA, and he\'s real conscientious about his grades and getting a degree here at Cal Lu.\" \
Roe said the change from high school to Moorpark College to CLU has presented a new challenge with each move up. \
At Moorpark College \"we were all just kids out of high school,\" Roe said. \"We didn\'t know what college baseball was like. We had to kind of experience that for ourselves. We had a hard time coming together. We didn\'t play all that great over there. \
\"As far as (college) goes,\" he added, \"no matter how I throw they\'re still going to hit the fastball. In high school it was a lot easier to blow the guys away with the fastball. Here you can\'t really do that. You have to focus more on location and that\'s with curveballs and changeups.\" \
The move to playing for the NCAA Division III Kingsmen has been seamless for Roe. \
\"I love our team,\" he said. \"All the guys get along great, and I love playing with them. When I came I didn\'t know any of them really, but for maybe two.\" \
Roe, the son of Mike and Vickie, has Mike Young of La Quinta catching for him. \
\"We communicate very well,\" Roe said. \"I don\'t have to shake off a lot of pitches. He knows pretty much what I want to throw. A lot of times I am thinking it and he\'s calling it already, so it\'s nice.\" \
Slimak agrees. \
\"He\'s got a great attitude about everything,\" he said. \
When Roe takes a loss \"he kind of puts it behind him and goes on. He doesn\'t dwell on the negative. He doesn\'t get too caught up,\" Slimak said. \
With the remainder of this season and next year ahead, Roe is making the most of the opportunity to continue his playing career. \
\"I just enjoy it,\" he said. \"I\'m going to miss it when it\'s over. I\'m going to try and enjoy it while I can- until I have to get out in the real world.\" \
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03/18/2007 \
Minors report
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Tim Laker is a rookie all over again \
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com \
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Names in the game: Tim Laker is a rookie all over again. After finishing up a 19-year professional playing career last season with the Indians and Buffalo Bisons, the former catcher will make his managerial debut with short-season Mahoning Valley this summer.
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Atkins said he believes the 37-year-old Laker, who spent five of his last six seasons in the Indians organization, is well-suited for the job.
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\"He\'s always the same guy -- high-energy and passionate about baseball,\" Atkins said. \"His ability to teach and lead comes from him having overcome obstacles in his career. He reached his potential and got everything out of his abilities.\"
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March 15, 2007 \
Moorpark\'s Priestley has team\'s number
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Dylan Gaughen hits for cycle By Joe Curley, jcurley@VenturaCountyStar.com \ | \
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\ Blessed with a surname associated with zip codes, Brian Priestley found his over the past four days.
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If Jason had Beverly Hills 90210, Brian, a freshman pitcher for Moorpark College, has Santa Barbara City 93109.
\Priestley came out of the bullpen to pitch 5 1/3 shutout innings and first baseman Dylan Gaughen hit for the cycle as the Moorpark College baseball team took over sole possession of first place in the Western State Conference\'s North Division with a 15-4 home win over Santa Barbara City on Wednesday.
\The performance gave the freshman from Royal High 11 straight scoreless innings against the Vaqueros in the past five days.
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\"I think this was the lineup I faced Saturday,\" said Priestley. \"So I had an idea of how to attack it.\"
\ He took the ball from starter Drew Dowl Wednesday with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth inning. After allowing an inherited runner to score on a fielder\'s choice, he allowed just three hits and no runs.
\ \"Looks like Priestley is the Santa Barbara destroyer,\" said Gaughen, who\'d know a little something about that himself.
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The sophomore from Simi Valley was 4 for 5 with five RBIs and two runs scored.
\Gaughen hit a single in the second, a three-run home run in the fourth, an RBI double in the sixth and a triple in the right-center field gap in the eighth.
\\"I might have done it in little league, but I\'m not sure\" said Gaughen of hitting for the cycle.
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Even his only out, a groundout to third in the first, drove in a run.
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\"This is my 18th year and I can\'t remember seeing it happen,\" said coach Mario Porto. \"But he\'s that type of player.\"
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Moorpark batted around in its three-run first, took a 7-4 lead on Gaughen\'s three-run blast in the fourth and broke the game open with a six-run eighth, when the Vaqueros made three errors after Moorpark loaded the bases.
\The matchup of two teams tied at 4-1 in WSC North play was delayed a day after umpires failed to show Tuesday. Moorpark (12-8, 5-1) will defend its one-game lead over Santa Barbara City (15-4, 4-2) today at home against reeling Oxnard (11-10, 2-4).
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\"Being in first place, even this early in the season, shows that we can play,\" said Gaughen.
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03/05/2007 4:28 PM ET \ St. Louis Cardinals Press Release
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Eight players reassigned to Minor League camp \
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\ JUPITER, Fla. -- The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals today announced that they have reassigned eight players to minor league camp.
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Four pitchers were reassigned, all right-handers; Chris Lambert, Mike Parisi, Mike Sillman and Mark Worrell. Catchers Bryan Anderson, Ryan Christianson, Danilo Sanchez and Michel Hernandez were also reassigned to minor league camp. The Cardinals now have 51 players remaining in spring Major League camp.
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February 10, 2007 \
Nice to see Weaver share the spotlight
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By David Lassen
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There may be bigger stories, but there are still few more satisfying than \"local boy makes good.\"
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This is particularly true when person in question doesn\'t just make good, but is good — a good person, as well as a high achiever. In that case, the sentiment, like the smell of success, truly is sweet.
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Which brings us to \"Jered Weaver Night\" at Simi Valley High.
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The school staged that event Friday, retiring the No. 25 jersey of the former Pioneer and current Los Angeles Angels pitcher during halftime of its basketball game with archrival Royal.
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It\'s not every day you see a 24-year-old honored for career achievement. Probably, that is in part because there aren\'t a lot of 24-year-olds flying in the rarified air Weaver has reached, going 11-2 in his rookie season with the Angels after a distinguished collegiate career and lightning-fast trip through the minors. But you also suspect it\'s simply because he\'s the kind of guy you like to see do well.
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\"What Jered has accomplished so far is no accident,\" noted Joe Gordon, the Simi Valley baseball coach when Weaver was a Pioneer. \"Although Jered is no doubt a very talented individual, it is his heart and mind that he has used most to achieve his success.\"
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Having decided Weaver was worth celebrating, the school did not resort to half-measures. There were special baseball cards showing Weaver in both his Simi Valley and Angels uniforms. (Given the nature of the sports-collectible world today, expect to see some of those cards on eBay in short order.)
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In place of the usual \"go-team\" type banners, the gymnasium walls were decorated with signs detailing the long list of achievements of Weaver\'s young career — his collegiate All-America status, his Golden Spikes award at Long Beach State, and his stellar rookie season with the Angels.
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And the ceremony included a video tribute featuring — to Weaver\'s head-in-hands chagrin — numerous baby photos, as well as scenes of him in every baseball uniform he\'s worn from Little League to the present.
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This is not the first time a Weaver has been so honored — there was a similar ceremony for older brother Jeff a few years ago — but the multitude of small touches made for a big evening.
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\"There are a few more intricacies to it now than when I did it,\" joked Jeff Weaver, alongside Jered during the ceremony, as were parents Dave and Gail. \"Then, it was \'This is Jeff,\' and I threw a few T-shirts into the crowd.\"
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The execution may have been different, but the sentiment was unchanged. This was a celebration of what Jered Weaver has done, where he came from to do it — and how little time it\'s taken him to get there. Clearly, he was honored. Just as clearly, he would have been more comfortable with a baseball in his hand, rather than a microphone.
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Still, he made it clear he appreciated the moment, and the people who were providing it.
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\"It\'s always good to come back here,\" he said. \"I don\'t get a chance to do it very often but obviously, there are a lot of familiar faces.\" (In a candid moment, Weaver also admitted he wasn\'t the best of students in high school, but athletics kept him moving forward. \"Find something that keeps you in school,\" he said. \"You\'ve got to stay in school. If I had it do to over again, I would have done things a lot better.\")
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All in all, it was a nice event, strange as it must have felt for the honoree.
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\"It\'s something you really don\'t know how to react to,\" said Jeff Weaver. \"It\'s the first big acknowledgement you get, in front of the high school kids that, not too long ago, you used to be sitting with, watching a basketball game — or in Jered\'s case, playing the game.\"
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As such, it was not just about Jered Weaver, and the honoree was quick to note just that.
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\"I felt like I knew everything then,\" he said beforehand — reflecting, perhaps, the mindset of every teenager, athlete or otherwise — \"but there\'s always more to learn.\"
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\"I felt like my dad pretty much taught me everything I knew. He gave me the guidance for what I\'ve become today, and there\'s just a long line of different coaches who have helped me out, too.\"
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\"I guess that\'s the biggest thing, the guidance from the coaches as I went along. I think that was the biggest thing, everybody helping me and guiding me to where I am today.\"
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So, while Jered Weaver Night was certainly about putting a spotlight on its namesake, it wasn\'t only about that.
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It was also about acknowledging the people who had a hand in Weaver\'s formative years. And — for those in the crowd who are still in those formative years — it was something to think about, and dream about.
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Who knows? Maybe five or six years from now, they\'ll be having a similar night for some current Simi Valley High student, and he or she will recall this night.
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That\'s the thing about the \"local boy makes good story.\" It never gets old. And the more it happens, the more it inspires others like it.\
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Brandon and Orloff are spending the summer in the house of retiree Betty Holden, who volunteered to be their host family. Holden, a former Madden\'s employee, is one of the Thunder\'s biggest fans.
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\"Our mindset at Irvine is to play for one run an inning,\" he said. \"Our coach says if we can score one run for nine innings, we are going to win a lot of games. When we execute, we can put pressure on our opponent.\"
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After the game ends, the Thunder have their postgame dinner, which includes meals like pizza or spaghetti. Some Thunder players may go hang out together before calling it a night. Then it\'s time to get some sleep before repeating the routine the next day.
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\"It was a pitch where you couldn\'t really get out of the way, but at Irvine we take pride in hit by pitches,\" he said.
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