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UC Riverside Highlanders
2024 UC Riverside Highlanders baseball team
Founded	1958; 66 years ago (1958)
University	University of California, Riverside
Head coach	Justin Johnson (4th season)
Conference	Big West
Location	Riverside, California
Home stadium	Riverside Sports Complex (Capacity: 2,500)
Nickname	Highlanders
Colors	Blue and gold
NCAA Tournament champions
Division II: 1977, 1982
College World Series appearances
Division II: 1977, 1981, 1982, 1991
NCAA Tournament appearances
Division II: 1975, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 Division I: 2003, 2007
Regular season conference champions
CCAA: 1977, 1981, 1982, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 Big West: 2007

The UC Riverside baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of the University of California, Riverside, located in Riverside, California, United States. The program has been a member of the NCAA Division I Big West Conference since the start of the 2002 season. The program's home venue is the Riverside Sports Complex, located on the university's campus. Justin Johnson serves as the team's interim head coach starting with the 2021 season. The program has won two Division II national championships. It has appeared in four Division II College World Series and 12 NCAA tournaments (two in Division I). It has won eight California Collegiate Athletic Association championships and one Big West Conference championship. As of the start of the 2013 Major League Baseball season, 16 former Highlanders have appeared in Major League Baseball.

History

Although the school traces its history to the early 20th century, the University of California, Riverside opened for classes in February 1954. It adopted the Highlanders nickname in a student election held later that year. The varsity baseball program was founded shortly thereafter, beginning play in 1958.

Division II

Little record exists of the program's early years, though it competed as an Independent in the NCAA College Division (made up of small-school athletic programs) through the end of the 1970 season. Don Edwards, who had assisted in the development of the program prior to its first season, became the program's second head coach prior to the 1960 season. From 1965 to 1968, future UC Irvine and UCLA head coach Gary Adams was an assistant coach under Edwards.

On September 2, 1970, John Lowenstein became the first program alumnus to appear in Major League Baseball, as he debuted for the Cleveland Indians. Lowenstein went on to have a 16-year major league career. While at UC Riverside, Lowenstein had become the first athlete in school history to be awarded an athletic scholarship.

Prior to the start of the 1971 season, the program joined the College Division's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). It finished well below .500 in its first three seasons in the league. In August 1973, the NCAA reorganized its divisions. Prior to then, the NCAA had competed in two divisions, a large-school University Division and a small-school College Division. Following the reorganization, the University Division became Division I, while the College Division split into Division II and Division III. UC Riverside became a Division II Independent.

Also following the 1973 season, Emporia State coach Jack Smitheran was hired as the program's third head coach. The team's play improved soon after his hiring. In 1975, the Highlanders appeared in their first Division II NCAA tournament. In the West Regional, the team defeated Chapman, 9–8, before being eliminated by Cal State Northridge, 8–1.

In 1977, the program returned to the NCAA tournament and won the Division II National Championship. After winning the CCAA with a 15–9 conference record, the team earned a berth in the West Regional. After advancing through the West Regional with wins over Cal State Northridge and Cal State Hayward, the program played in the Division II College World Series. There, it went 5–1, defeating Eckerd 4–1 in the championship game. Future major leaguers Steve Lubratich and Eric Show played on the championship team.

The Highlanders' home venue, the Riverside Sports Complex, hosted the Division II College World Series from 1980 to 1984. The team qualified for two World Series played on its home field. In 1981, the team won the West Regional, but was eliminated after losing consecutive World Series games to Florida Southern and Cal State Northridge. In 1982, the team again qualified for the NCAA tournament and won the West Regional. In the World Series, the Highlanders won their second Division II National Championship with victories over Longwood, New Haven, and Florida Southern twice. Future major leaguer Calvin Jones played on the 1982 team.

For the seven straight seasons from 1983 to 1989, the program failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament, despite finishing with an above-.500 CCAA record in six of the seven years. In the 1990s, however, the team qualified for seven NCAA tournaments (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999). On one occasion, in 1991, it advanced to the Division II College World Series, the program's fourth appearance. After losing to SIU Edwardsville in its first game, the team won consecutive games over Shippensburg, SIU Edwardsville, and Jacksonville State. In the championship game, however, the team lost to Jacksonville State 5–2. In 1995, the Highlanders entered the West Regional finals with a 43–15 record, but were upset by UC Davis, which had entered the game at 29–30.

Division I

In February 2000, UC Riverside announced that it would move to Division I in the 2000–2001 academic year and join the Big West Conference in the 2001–2002 academic year. After spending the 2001 season as an Independent, the baseball program played its first Big West season in 2002.

Compared to many of the school's other athletic programs, the baseball program transitioned successfully to Division I. Beginning in 2002, it had an above-.500 overall record in six consecutive Division I seasons. In 2003, the Highlanders finished third in the Big West and received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. As the #3 seed in the Palo Alto Regional, the team beat Richmond 10–8 in its opening game. It was then eliminated after losing consecutive games to regional host Stanford and Richmond.

Following the 2004 season, Jack Smitheran retired as the program's head coach. In 31 seasons, Smitheran had a record of 974–729–3 and won two Division II National Championships. Following his retirement, Smitheran worked for the Seattle Mariners as a scouting advisor. He had been inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002, the UC Riverside Hall of Fame in 2004, and had his number #2 retired by the program in 2006. He was replaced by Doug Smith, who had been an assistant coach with the program since the 1983 season.

Prior to the 2007 season, an unused storage building near the Riverside Sports Complex was renovated and converted into the team's home clubhouse. Program alumnus Troy Percival both paid for the improvements and renovated the building himself.

In the 2007 season, the team went 38–21 and won the Big West title, thus receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as a #2 seed in the Tempe Regional. As in 2003, the team won its opening game, 10–5, against Nebraska. It then lost consecutive games to Arizona State and Nebraska and was eliminated.

Smith coached the team through the end of the 2014 season, when he retired. In that seven-year stretch, the program had three winning seasons and finished as high as third in the Big West; it did not qualify for the postseason. In his ten years as head coach, Smith had a record of 282–264. Percival replaced him.

Conference affiliations

• Independent (College Division) (1958–1970)
• California Collegiate Athletic Association (College Division/Division II) (1971–2000)
• Independent (2001)
• Big West Conference (2002–present)

UC Riverside in the NCAA Tournament

Venues

Riverside Sports Complex

The program's home venue is the Riverside Sports Complex, located on the university's campus. The facility was renovated in 2007 and has a capacity of 2,500 spectators. In addition to hosting the Highlanders, it hosted the Division II College World Series from 1980 to 1984. It has also been the home venue of minor league baseball teams, hosting the Riverside Red Wave (1988–1990) and the Riverside Pilots (1993–1995).

Head coaches

Jack Smitheran, who coached for 31 seasons and won 974 games, is the program's longest-tenured and most successful coach.

Yearly records

Below is a table of the program's yearly records.

Notable former players

The following is a list of notable former Highlanders and the seasons in which they played for the program.

• Kim Allen (1973–1975)
• Stephen Bishop (1991–1992)
• Rob Brantly (2009–2010)
• Anthony Claggett (2003–2005)
• Bobby Clark (1974)
• Andrew Garcia (2005–2008)
• Calvin Jones (1982–1983)
• Joe Kelly (2007–2009)
• John Lowenstein (1966–1968)
• Steve Lubratich (1976–1977)
• Troy Percival (1987–1990)
• Adam Reifer (2005–2007)
• Rick Rodriguez (1981)
• Dan Runzler (2005–2007)
• Marc Rzepczynski (2004–2007)
• Eric Show (1975–1978)
• Chris Smith (2000–2002)
• Joe Strong (1984)
• Curt Wardle (1981)
• Matt Andriese (2008-2011)

2012 MLB Draft

One Highlander was selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. P Eddie Orozco, selected in the 22nd round by the Chicago Cubs, chose to sign a professional contract.

2013 MLB Draft

Two Highlanders were selected in the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft. The Cleveland Indians selected P Trevor Frank in the 8th round, and the Pittsburgh Pirates selected P Jacob Smigelski in the 39th round. Frank signed with Cleveland, while Smigelski chose to return to Riverside for his senior season.

References

1. "UCR Colors | Brand Identity". June 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
2. "History". UCR.edu. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
3. "School Spirit". UCR.edu. Archived from the original on February 15, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
4. ^ "2010 UC Riverside Highlanders Baseball Media Guide" (PDF). UC Riverside Sports Information. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
5. ^ "Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2011 Slated for Induction September 17". GoHighlanders.com. UC Riverside Sports Information. June 22, 2011. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
6. "#13 Gary Adams". UCLABruins.com. UCLA Sports Information. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
7. ^ "University of California, Riverside Baseball Players Who Made it to the Major Leagues". Baseball-Almanac.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2004. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
8. "John Lowenstein". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
9. Grimsley, Will (October 3, 1979). "Lowly Sub Lowenstein Most Unplausible [sic] Hero". Sarasota Journal. Sarasota, Florida, USA. p. 3B. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
10. Liska, Jerry (August 7, 1973). "NCAA Splits Into Three Divisions". The Portsmouth Times. Portsmouth, Ohio, USA. The Associated Press. p. 8. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
11. Chick, Bob (June 2, 1977). "Itching for a Title". The Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. p. 3B. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
12. ^ "Riverside Sports Complex". GoHighlanders.com. UC Riverside Sports Information. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
13. "All-Time Results" (PDF). NCAA Division II Baseball Record Book. NCAA. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
14. "UCD, Riverside Both Eye Alabama". Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California, USA. May 21, 1995. p. C8. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
15. "Reserve Clears Bases; UCD Stuns Riverside". Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California, USA. May 22, 1995. p. D1. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
16. "UCR Invited to Join Big West Conference, Clearing Major Hurdle in Division I Bid". UCR.edu. February 9, 2000. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
17. Steele, Allan (September 18, 2010). "Tough 10 Years for UCR". PE.com. The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved December 19, 2012. Even as a Division II program, the Highlanders baseball team had been competitive against Division I teams, so its transition was nearly seamless. Other programs have not been as competitive.
18. ^ "All-Time Results" (PDF). NCAA Division I Baseball Record Book. NCAA. pp. 9–17. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
19. "Smitheran Retires After 31 Years as UC Riverside Coach". USAToday.com. Associated Press. September 2, 2004. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
20. Morosi, Jon Paul (November 3, 2005). "Mariners Notebook: Gillick Leaves Void in M's Front Office". SeattlePi.com. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
21. "Jack Smitheran Named to ABCA Hall of Fame". UCR.edu. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
22. ^ Shaikin, Bill (February 12, 2007). "Percival Delivers New Home Base". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
23. ^ "Big West Conference Baseball Record Book" (PDF). Big West Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
24. "Baseball: UCR's Smith Stepping Down". The Press Enterprise. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
25. ^ Records incomplete.
26. "All-Time CCAA Champions". GoCCAA.com. California Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
27. "2013 Big West Conference Baseball Standings". D1Baseball.com. Jeremy Mills. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
28. "2012 MLB Draft by School: T-Z". CollegeBaseballInsider.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
29. "Chicago Cubs 2012 Draft Selection". Chicago Cubs. Archived from the original on February 4, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
30. "Cleveland Indians 2013 Draft Selections". Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
31. "Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 Draft Selections". Archived from the original on April 23, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
32. "2014 UC Riverside Highlanders Baseball Roster". GoHighlanders.com. UC Riverside Sports Information. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
33. Lastoria, Tony. "2013 Indians 8th Round Pick: RHP Trevor Frank". IndiansBaseballInsider.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.

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