NCAA Baseball Team Makes Painful History, Gets Plunked By More Pitches Than Any Other Squad

The UC Irvine Anteaters set a college baseball record over the weekend to close what’s been a successful year to date. The team ended the regular season with a series win over Cal State Fullerton to move to 41-11 ahead of postseason play.

The lineup has earned every bit of success seen thus far, and on Saturday, it was rewarded with a place in the history books – albeit in the most painful of ways!

Through 52 games, the team has been hit by 156 pitches. That’s now tops amongst Division I participants all-time!

For those counting at home, that means they’ve averaged being hit by exactly three pitches in each game. The total is nearly 20 HBPs more than the next closest squad this season with Utah Valley coming in at 138 (in 55 games).

The previous NCAA mark was 152, a number the Anteaters matched in their Friday meeting with Cal State Fullerton. Then, on Saturday, the record-setting plunk.

There it is, @NCAABaseball history!! @williamb_13 earns the 153rd hit by pitch for the Anteaters this season, a new Division I record#EatersGottaEat | #TogetherWeZot | #RipEm pic.twitter.com/bOfHDCO8Vq

— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb)

Twitter

Will Bermudez wore that 153rd pitch proudly on his ankle before limping down the first base line. A moment he’ll remember forever, and one that might leave a mark for at least a few days!

Despite holding the new mark, UC Irvine wasn’t done. They’d add three more hits-by-pitch in the regular season finale to make breaking that record even more difficult for the next college baseball threat.

UC Irvine is poised for a college baseball tournament run.

The Anteaters are currently projected as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament by On3, D1 Baseball, and Baseball America, though the regional location differs for each.

Wherever they land, they’ll be sure to put the pressure on opposing pitching staffs with a potent lineup.

While the hit-by-pitch total is what stands out, the offensive performance as a whole has been impressive. UC Irvine leads the Big West in hitting at .315 as a team, and they’ve racked up nearly 100 more runs than the next closest league foe.

Deadly at the plate, the Anteaters also lead the conference in extra-base hits, on-base percentage, and slugging. They’re impossible to get out, and as can clearly be seen, they’ll find anyway possible to get on the basepaths!

They’ll likely be a very tough out in their upcoming regional.

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