Additional Anteaters who could receive the call include Eric Deragisch, Casey Stevenson, Kyle Necke, Cory Olson and Cory Hamilton.
Brian Hernandez, Dillon Bell, Ryan Fisher, Tony Asaro, Brock Bardeen and Jeff Cusick are additional UCI players eligible to be selected.
In addition, UCI recruits Beau Wright and Paul Strong, both left-handed pitchers, are considered among the nation’s top high school prospects.
Another UCI recruit, Orange Coast College sophomore Drew Hillman, is expected to join fellow OCC standout Brett Wallach among those drafted.
Gillespie said projecting which round players will be selected is difficult, since projections vary greatly from professional scouts he talks with. And teams are often unwilling to tip their hand.
But Gillespie said he expects that good news for UCI players could be less good for the program.
“We’re sort of at the mercy of pro ball,” Gillespie said of the pliable nature of projecting future personnel at his disposal for the 2010 season.
The 2009 season ended prematurely for the ’Eaters (45-15), who ran away with the school’s first Big West Conference title and were ranked No. 1 in the nation for six weeks during the regular season. UCI was eliminated in its own four-team regional by Virginia, which has advanced to the College World Series.
Largely responsible for the success in 2009 were Bibona and Orloff.
Bibona, a junior left-hander, was 12-1 with a 2.63 earned-run average on his way to being named first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. The Big West Pitcher of the Year struck out 108 in 106 innings and limited opponents to a .209 batting average. But at 6-foot, 170 pounds, and without eye-popping velocity, Bibona figures to have to wait until Wednesday to be selected.
