Baseball: UCI duo Moore, Morales All-Americans

UC Irvine junior pitcher Sam Moore was named first-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Assn, while Anteaters’ senior ace Andrew Morales was granted third-team recognition on Wednesday.

Morales, a Collegiate Baseball first-team All-American, was named to the Baseball America All-American third team on Wednesday.

Moore, who leads the nation with 23 saves, which are a school and Big West Conference single-season record, has a 1.88 earned-run average heading into the College World Series, in which UCI (40-23) opens against Texas (43-19) on Saturday at noon Pacific Time, in Omaha, Neb.

Moore, who has blown his last three save opportunities and has not had a save since May 9, has struck out 38 and allowed 35 hits in 43 innings. He is one save off of the NCAA single-season record set last season by UCLA’s David Berg.

Morales, the Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year, is 11-2 with a 1.53 ERA this season and has 136 strikeouts in 129 2/3 innings. He has allowed just 83 hits and walked 30, while holding opponents to a .182 batting average.

Morales is 21-2 in his two seasons at UCI, after posting a 21-1 record in two seasons at Rio Hondo Community College.

Morales earned All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball (second team) and the NCBWA (third team) in 2013.

— From staff reports