49ers Have Lost Five of Seven April 29, 2002 WEEKLY RELEASE (PDF) College World Series: 1989, 1991, 1993, 1998
NCAA Regionals: 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001
* Dirtbags Embark on Eight-Game Road Trip
* Beach Falls to Fourth After Being Swept by Irvine
* Hutting, Reed Riding 11-Game Hit Streaks
Record: 26-15 Big West: 8-4 | Highest Current Ranking: 26th (CB) DATE | OPPONENT | LBSU
STARTER | LMU
STARTER | TIME | Apr. 30 | at Loyola Marymount | RHP-Eisentrager
(6-3, 3.98) | TBA | 3 p.m. | DATE | OPPONENT | LBSU
STARTER | CP
STARTER | TIME | May 3 | at Cal Poly | LHP-Alvarez
(8-2, 2.63) | RHP-Fitch
(7-4, 4.50) | 5 p.m. | May 4 | at Cal Poly | RHP-Beucler
(2-2, 3.27) | RHP-Larson
(1-2, 8.78) | 1 p.m. | May 5 | at Cal Poly | RHP-Weaver
(5-3, 4.92) | RHP-Correia
(8-3, 4.95) | 1 p.m. |
Next Series: at UCLA (May 7), at CS Northridge (May 10, 11, 12), Pepperdine (May 14), Pacific (May 17, 18, 19) Dirtbags Head Out on the Road: The No. 26-ranked Dirtbags (26-15, 8-4 BWC) will try to get back on track when they begin an eight-game road trip this week by traveling to Loyola Marymount (17-27, 10-10 WCC) on Tuesday at 3 p.m. before heading to San Luis Obispo for a three-game series with fifth place Cal Poly (24-23-1, 9-6 BWC) starting on Friday. The Dirtbags has lost five of their last seven over the past two weeks dropping from first place to a tie for third with CS Fullerton. Last week, Irvine swept LBSU, while the newly crowned first place Matadors swept Fullerton. It was the first time in Big West history that both the Titans and 49ers were swept on the same weekend, dating back to the start of the Big West in 1986. On Tuesday, The Beach will send to the hill, RHP Daniel Eisentrager (6-3, 3.98) on Tuesday against an undetermined LMU starter. For the weekend, LHP Abe Alvarez (8-2, 2.63) will go against RHP Tyler Fitch (7-4, 4.50) in the opener at 5 p.m. On Saturday, RHP Nate Beucler (2-2, 3.27) will face off against Brett Larson (1-2, 8.78), who is making only his fourth start of the season, while Sunday will feature RHP Jered Weaver (5-3, 4.92) against RHP Kevin Correia (8-3, 4.95). The Wright Stuff: Senior LF Chris Wright (Valencia), knows he will end up amongst the school's all-time leaders in numerous different categories, but with just three more hits, Wright will break Chuck Lopez's (1997-2001) all-time record of 245 hits and become the 49ers all-time hit king. UPCOMING OPPONENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS unranked | Record: 17-27, 10-10 WCC
Head Coach: Frank Cruz, 6th season, 166-173
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Team Notes: LMU enters the week at 17-27, losers of eight of their last 11, since losing to LBSU on April 9... the Lions lost two out of three to Santa Clara last weekend... the team's ERA has ballooned to 7.02... they are fielding at a .957 clip and hitting just .296. Players to Watch (adapted from Baseball America): 1B Kris Zacuto is considered the best pure hitter and best defensive first baseman in the WCC... Zacuto is third on the team with a .311 average with a team-best 16 doubles and 28 RBIs... SS Billy Lockin is batting a team-best .351 with 34 runs and 29 RBIs... OF Joe Frazee is batting .299... Tommy Perez leads the club with seven homers and 35 RBIs, hitting .287... RHP Justin Abreu is 3-4 with a 5.84 ERA, while RHP Vincent Cordova is 6-3 with a 5.10 ERA, both start and relieve... Cordova has the team's lowest ERA. Series Notes: The Beach lead the all-time series against the Lions, 49-34 including 24 of 31 since 1989. LBSU won the matchup at Blair 5-3. Most Famous Baseball Alum: Chris Donnels, 3B NY Mets -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UC IRVINE ANTEATERS unranked | Record: 24-23-1, 9-6 BWC
Head Coach: Rich Price (211-222-1, 8th season)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team Notes: The Mustangs are ranked first in the conference in both batting average (.321) and fielding percentage (.967)... Cal Poly sits in fifth place in the Big West, behind Fullerton and LBSU... they are eighth in pitching (6.21 ERA)... the team swept Sacramento State last weekend and have won nine of their last 13... Cal Poly took two out of three from Northridge and Pacific, swept Sac State, and lost two out of three to Fullerton and Irvine. Players to Watch (adapted from Baseball America): DH Bryan Gant leads the club with a .401 mark and 45 runs and is second with 30 RBIs... C Kyle Wilson leads the club with 41 RBIs, nine homers and 16 doubles and is third in hitting with a .357 average... on the mound, starters RHP Tyler Fitch (4.50) and RHP Kevin Correia (4.95) have sub-5.00 ERAs... Fitch is 7-4, while Correia is 8-3... the team has just two saves this season... out of the bullpen, RHP Nolan Moser has a 4.70 ERA in 18 appearances, while RHP Mike Bille is 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 11 appearances. Series Notes: The Beach lead the all-time series 32-21-1 and are 24-5 (.828) since 1989... last year, LBSU swept the series at Blair Field. Most Famous Baseball Alum: Hall of Fame, Ozzie Smith, SS, Cardinals RECENT GAMES April 27, 28, 29 (LONG BEACH, CA)
First-year UC Irvine swept the three-game series from The Beach, defeating LBSU 5-4, 9-3 and 11-9 dropping LBSU into a tie for third place (with Fullerton who were swept by newly crowned first place Northridge). In the first game, Irvine got to starter Abe Alvarez with four runs over the first 4.0 innings, but LBSU chipped away, coming back from a 5-0 deficit. On Saturday, Irvine scored three in the first before the Dirtbags closed to 4-2 in the fourth. But The Beach could not inch any closer as they managed just six hits and committed four errors. On Sunday, LBSU nearly salvaged one, coming back from a 7-3 deficit to take a 9-8 lead off a three-run homer from Kevin Randel in the eighth inning. But Irvine scored three in the top of the ninth to re-take the lead. The Beach did have three RBIs a piece from Randel and Jeremy Reed. Both Reed and starting infielder Tim Hutting extended their hit streaks to 11 games. LBSU hit .272 for the series and had a 6.67 ERA. April 24 (LONG BEACH, CA) The Dirtbags brought back football for a night, defeating visiting San Diego, 21-3 and sweeping the series from the Toreros. In the game, LBSU, for what is believed to be only the third time in school-history, scored double-digits in an inning when they went up 10-0 in the first. The Beach batted around again in the fourth with eight runs. Three players (Reed, Randel, Covarrubias) nearly hit for the cycle, each needing one different hit. LBSU racked out 24 hits as Daniel Eisentrager rebounded to toss 5.0, one-hit innings, striking out seven. Every starter had at least two hits. Covarrubias also drove in six and had four runs, while Chris Wright had four RBIs. BEACH NOTES
The Coach: Mike Weathers enters his first year as head coach of the Dirtbags, taking over for Dave Snow, who retired in July. Weathers previously served as the team's top lieutenant for the previous nine seasons under Snow. Weathers is 305-295 record in 11+ years as a head coach. Win No. 300 came on April 3 vs. LMU (5-3). Weathers was a head coach at Utah for two seasons in the early 80's and at Chapman from 1984 to 1992. Rank and File: The Beach dropped to No. 26 in Collegiate Baseball and No. 30 in the USA Today Coaches Poll this week after reaching No. 13 in the polls two weeks ago. LBSU is unranked by Baseball America. LBSU had spent three weeks in all three polls, the first time since February 12, 2001. Currently nine opponents are receiving national recognition in the polls, including five in the top-35. Pitching Notes: The 49ers continue to lead the Big West in pitching with a 3.49 ERA, which currently ranks in the top-20 nationally... over the last seven contests, Beach starters have compiled a 7.11 ERA in 31.2 innings, averaging just 4.2 innings per start... the bullpen hasn't fared much better, compiling a 5.40 ERA... LBSU had been fourth in the country with a 2.99 ERA two weeks ago... sophomore LHP Abe Alvarez (Fontana) continues to rank amongst Big West leaders with an 8-2 record and a 2.63 ERA... Alvarez has also creeped into the top-10 in strikeouts with 62... senior RHP Nate Beucler is 2-2 with a 3.27 ERA overall, with a 3.07 ERA as a starter... junior RHP Daniel Eisentrager (Elk Grove) is coming off a strong outing against San Diego, going 5.0 innings of one-hit, seven strikeout baseball to lower is ERA to 3.98 and improved to 6-3... freshman RHP Jered Weaver (Simi Valley) is 5-3 with a 4.92 ERA in 12 starts... from the bullpen, junior RHP Carlos Muniz (Wilmington) and senior RHP Chris Demaria (Torrance) lead Big West relievers with a 0.57 ERA and 1.10 ERA, respectively... RHP Josh Alliston (4.97 ERA) is one of only five Big West relievers to appear in 20 or more games. Hitting Notes: The Beach are in a virtual tie for the Big West conference team batting title (.320)... junior IF Tim Hutting (Newhall) has made the most of his opportunities after injuries have put three starters on the DL... Hutting is riding an 11-game hit streak and hitting .418 overall... junior OF Jeremy Reed (LaVerne) has raised his average to .327 and leads the club in RBIs (32) for the first time this season, thanks to his own 11-game hit streak... Reed is also the team leader in runs (38) and steals (14)... senior OF Chris Wright (Valencia) had his 10-game hit streak snapped on Sunday, and is currently hitting .344, three hits from breaking the school-record for hits... senior OF/3B Nick Covarrubias (West Covina) leads the squad with a .360 average and 38 runs, as one of only three players to start all 41 games... Covarrubias leads the club with 18 doubles and 32 RBIs... junior 1B Paul McAnulty (Oxnard) is batting .339 with 29 RBIs and a team-best .548 slugging percentage... junior SS Kevin Randel (Montclair) leads the team with five homers. Defensive Notes: The team has a .958 fielding percentage, sixth-best in the Big West... the team is 2-8 when making three or more errors in a game, including six at LSU in early March. A Little Help From My Friends: The last complete game by The Beach was on March 17, 2000 when Jeff Leuenberger beat Nevada 6-1. Entering the week, it has been 135 games since that time. The team has thrown eight combined shutouts. Also, it is the first time since 1990 that five players have posted saves for The Beach. In 1989, the team's first CWS appearance, LBSU had six pitchers with one or more saves. Fighting Only the Best: As usual, Long Beach State's schedule is one of the toughest in the country. The Dirtbags will face off against previously or current top-25 foes USC, Miami, LSU, Wichita State, CS Fullerton, CS Northridge Arizona, and San Diego. According to boydsworld.com, Long Beach State had the second toughest non-conference schedule in the country (LMU is No. 1) entering the season. No surprise, eight of the 10 are on the West Coast. The BWC is considered the second toughest conference behind the West Coast Conference, and according to this week's polls have three teams in the top-25 (CSF, LB, CSUN). Eight of this year's opponents are currently ranked in the top-50. This Year's Team is Versatile: This year's team features incredible depth with many players being able to play multiple positions. They include: OF/1B Jeremy Reed, C/IF Tood Jennings, OF/3B Nick Covarrubias, IF/OF Steve Velazco and infielders Kevin Randel, Nick Orlandos, Adam Heether and Tim Hutting. If needed, Hutting can also catch. Hurling Past the Competition: Nate Beucler became the third LBSU hurler to be named BWC Pitcher of the Week, after a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings in the week prior to April 15. Beucler is the fourth Dirtbag honored this season, joining pitchers Abe Alvarez (Feb. 4) and Jered Weaver (Mar. 12) and OF/3B Nick Covarrubias (Apr. 1). Baseball America's Picks: Last year Baseball America selected SS Bobby Crosby as the pre-season Big West Player of the Year and a top draft pick, well they were right, so here's this year's picks. Jeremy Reed is BA's pre-season pick for BWC Player of the Year, and according to their experts the Big West's best pure hitter and best baserunner. Reed is also the top draft pick in 2002 out of the Big West. Reed is the 36th-best junior in the country, Mike Hofius is the 49th-best sophomore, and Josh Alliston is the 28th-best senior. Alliston is the BWC's 10th-best 2002 prospect. Beach Picked to Finish Second: The Big West Coaches picked Long Beach State to finish second in the Big West this year. According to Baseball America, they expected The Beach to finish fourth, while Collegiate Baseball picked LBSU third. CS Fullerton is picked to finish first in each of the publications. The next tier featured newcomer UC Irvine, CS Northridge, UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside and Cal Poly. The bottom tier was Sacramento State and Pacific. Forever Enshrined: The Beach retired the jerseys of their last two skippers early this season. No. 25 John Gonsalves, who coached The Beach from 1970-1988 and compiled a 452-634-16 record had is number retired on February 2, while No. 18 Dave Snow, who coached from 1989-2001 and coined the term Dirtbags compiling a 510-294-1 record, had his jersey retired on February 10. Reed Has Successful Summer: OF/1B Jeremy Reed (LaVerne) was the second straight Dirtbag to start for the summer National team, when he did so this summer. Reed led the team with a .366 average, 22 runs, 37 hits, a .505 slugging percentage and nine steals. Reed also hit safely in 21 of 26 starts, had a 10-game hit streak and had 12 multi-hit games. Reed was name a pre-season third team All-American by Baseball America. Making it to the Show: American League MVP and current Yankee Jason Giambi (1990-92) is the most famous former Dirtbag in the Majors. Also in the Big Leagues are SS Chris Gomez (1992), with the Devil Rays, RHP Steve Trachsel (1991) with the Mets and OF/1B Jeff Liefer (1993-95) with White Sox. Coming to a Ballpark Near You: The Beach also feature a number of players in the minor leagues (not including independent ball). Those players who have played in a minor league contest in 2002 (and not on the DL), are: Bryan Kennedy (Quad City), Kaulana Kuhaulua (Quad City), Bobby Crosby (Modesto), Terrmel Sledge (Harrisburg), Jason Knupfer (Scranton), Russel Rohlicek (Michigan), Chad Bentz (Brevard County), Jeremy Ward (Tucson), Mike Gallo (Lexington), Max Tremblay (Michigan), Matt Montgomery (Altoona), Marcus Jones (Midland) and Rocky Biddle (Birmingham). Drafting For the Future: Last year's team saw 10 players drafted, of which eight signed. SS Bobby Crosby was a first round (25th pick overall) of the A's, while Southpaws Russel Rohlicek (6th) and Chad Bentz (7th) were drafted in the first 10 rounds. RHP Josh Alliston (19th) and LHP Bobby Cramer (38th) both chose to stay for their senior seasons. BASEBALL AMERICA 1. Clemson 2. Rice 3. Wake Forest 4. South Carolina 5. Alabama 6. Florida State 7. Texas 8. Houston 9. Stanford 10. Florida 11. Ole Miss 12. Wichita State 13. Georgia Tech 14. East Carolina 15. North Carolina 16. CS Northridge 17. Nebraska 18. CS Fullerton 19. FL Atlantic 20. USC USA TODAY / ESPN COACHES POLL 1. Clemson 2. Rice 3. Wake Forest 4. Stanford 5. Florida State 6. South Carolina 7. Alabama 8. Texas 9. Ole Miss 10. Georgia Tech 11. Houston 12. Florida 13. Wichita State 14. CS Fullerton 15. Baylor 16. Nebraska 17. Arizona State 18. Oklahoma 19. Texas A&M 26. LONG BEACH COLLEGIATE BASEBALL 1. Clemson 2. Rice 3. Florida State 4. Wake Forest 5. Alabama 6. South Carolina 7. Texas 8. Stanford 9. Georgia Tech 10. Houston 11. Florida 12. Wichita State 13. Ole Miss 14. Nebraska 15. Baylor 16. North Carolina 17. East Carolina 18. CS Fullerton 19. Arizona State 20. CS Northridge 30. LONG BEACH |
