To Be Calimquim

If you don’t know what that word means in the title, then you didn’t go to UC Irvine like I did. “Zot!” is the noise an anteater makes when he’s eating…what else…ants! 😮

Well, it seems that UC Irvine is eating up the competition at the 2007 College World Series going on in Omaha, Nebraska. From an Associated Press story posted on June 19, 2007:

OMAHA, Neb. — That team with a funny nickname is serious about winning a national championship.

The UC Irvine Anteaters won in their final at-bat for the third time in four games on Tuesday night, knocking off Arizona State 8-7 in 10 innings in an elimination game at the College World Series.

The hero this time was Ollie Linton, whose bases-loaded single completed their comeback from four runs down in the eighth inning and extended their first appearance in the CWS.

So after beating Texas in the regionals, Wichita State in the super regionals and neighborhood rival Cal State Fullerton and then Arizona State in the CWS, the Anteaters now take aim at defending national champion Oregon State.

The Anteaters (47-16-1) must beat the Beavers on Wednesday and again Thursday to win their bracket and reach the best-of-three championship round.

“The 2007 UC Irvine Anteaters don’t want to take their uniforms off,” coach Dave Serrano said. “It’s going to take someone to do something special to eliminate us from this. We’ve had seven victories in the postseason, and each one has gotten better.”

UC Irvine became the first team in the CWS’ 61-year history to win extra-inning games on consecutive days. They beat Cal State Fullerton 5-4 in 13 innings on Monday in a 5-hour, 40-minute game, the longest in CWS history.

“I said yesterday was one of the best games I’ve ever been a part of, not realizing today would top that,” Serrano said.

Hopefully the Anteater magic continues. It is interesting to note — when I went to UC Irvine in the late 80’s, early 90’s, the men’s baseball program was on the verge being cancelled, due to school budget cuts. Then for about a decade or so, the baseball program was in hibernation, only to be resurrected a few years ago.