After another postseason appearance in 2006, then-third-year coach Dave Serrano guided the 2007 club to the College World Series, where it eliminated Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State in extra innings on its way to a third-place finish.
UCI, led by Coach Mike Gillespie, was three outs away from another trip to Omaha in 2008, before host LSU rallied to win a best-of-three super regional.
The ’Eaters went 22-2 in Big West Conference play to run away with the program’s first conference title in 2009, but were eliminated by Virginia in the first regional held at Anteater Ballpark.
Pitchers Scott Gorgen, Danny Bibona, Brett Smith, Blair Erickson and Eric Pettis, as well as position players Ben Orloff, Taylor Holiday, Cody Cipriano, Ollie Linton and Matt Anderson were among the foremost standouts.
9 Back Bay girls’ water polo: Back Bay girls’ water polo: The steam coming off the surface of pools at Corona del Mar High and Newport Harbor during the winter is not all due to the weather. Because, in fact, the quality of play produced by both programs in the last 10 seasons has simply been sizzling.
The Sea Kings, competing in several divisions, have won five CIF Southern Section titles, produced three runner-up finishes and advanced to the semifinals in the other two seasons.
Newport Harbor won Division I section crowns in 2004, 2006 and 2008, the last of those coming by virtue of a victory over CdM in the title match. The Sailors also have one runner-up showing and bowed out in the semifinals four additional times.
CdM’s section championships were in consecutive years, from 2002 to 2006.
Among some of the stars that have helped sustain such excellence are CIF Player of the Year honorees Camille Hewko (CdM), Tumua Anae (CdM), Jordan Anae (CdM), Brittany Fullen (CdM), twice, Christina Hewko (CdM), twice, and Newport Harbor’s Jessica Ball.
The honor roll also includes Newport-Mesa Dream Team Players of the Year Kate Baldoni (CdM), twice, and Newport Harbor standouts Mimi Bury and Sarah Roberts.
Hard to find a more consistently productive pool of talent anywhere in the country.
10 Daily Pilot Cup: Daily Pilot Cup: What’s multicolored and running all over? An aerial view of the youth soccer tournament created by Kirk McIntosh, which had its 10th anniversary last spring and has now become an annual Newport-Mesa staple.
Close to 2,500 kids, representing 31 Newport-Mesa public and private schools, donned their own unique color of T-shirts in 2009 to cover the fields of Costa Mesa High and the Farm Complex like a colorful, amorphous quilt.
In its 10th year, the event inspired by the former Lions Cup involved 193 teams.
With McIntosh and many other volunteers fueling the engine, it has come a long way from the inaugural effort, in which fewer than 70 teams competed.
