Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Host Aztecs This Weekend for Three
2/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dirtbags Host San Diego State this Weekend Record: 5-6 Big West: 0-0 | Hi Rank: No. 22 | vs. Ranked Teams: 2-1 Dirtbag Lowdown: No. 22-ranked Dirtbags (5-6) will try to get back on track when they host Poly High graduate and former Major Leaguer Tony Gwynn's San Diego State Aztecs (2-8) beginning on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Lefthander Cesar Ramos (2-2, 2.74) will get the call in the opener against SDSU righthander Bruce Billings (1-1, 5.87). On Saturday righthander Marco Estrada (1-0, 2.21) will battle against former 49er pitcher lefthander Alex Hinshaw (0-2, 9.28), while on Sunday righthander Jared Hughes (0-0, 0.00) will make his second start of the season against righthander Andres Esquibel (1-2, 5.27). Next Tuesday will mark the team's first midweek affair, when The Beach hosts Pepperdine with righthander Cody Evans (0-2, 2.25) slated to go. Tuesday will also mark the end of a seven-game road trip. LBSU has lost five straight and will likely be without three of their hitters. Rank and File: The Dirtbags fell to No. 22 in the Sports Weekly/Coaches Poll this week and fell completely out of the national polls for Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. LBSU achieved its highest ranking on February 18 when it was ranked No. 12 by Sports Weekly. A New Radio Home For The Beach: Long Beach State will have most of its schedule on KWRM-1370 AM this season. All night games as well as Sunday games (started in progress at 2 p.m.) will be on the larger signal. The games can still be heard through the Long Beach State website at www.longbeachstate.com as well as at every ballpark LBSU plays in with a normal radio. Veteran radio announcer Rob Buska will serve as the play-by-play man. Fans can all track the game live with CSTV's Gametracker software. Mike Weathers Show: Long Beach State skipper, Mike Weathers, 404 career wins and all, will have his own one-hour talk show every Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. live from Cirivello's Restaurant at 4115 Viking Way in Long Beach. This week's show features outfielder Steve Velazco. Fans are welcome to attend all season long as Rob Buska and Coach Weathers will take your questions and offer giveaways, which will include autographed baseballs, jerseys, tickets and more. The show can always be heard on the internet. LAST WEEK Tulowitzki Out Five to Six Weeks: All-American shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (Sunnyvale) will have surgery this week on his left hand (hamate) and be out for five to six weeks. The junior is expected back at the start of conference play to begin April. Tulowitzki has the same injury second baseman Chuck Sindlinger had last season. Sophomore Evan Longoria (Downey) will fill in at short. Tulowitzki, who entered the season with 88 career RBIs, is a first team pre-season All-American after starting for Team USA last summer and earning Regional Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in the 2004 playoffs. He was batting .526 over the first five games. Boatright Slow to Come Back: Junior outfielder Sean Boatright (Mission Viejo), who strained a hamstring in the season opener chasing down a drive to centerfield, remains out and is very questionable for this weekend. Boatright, who has missed parts of the last two seasons, batted .330 last season, earning all-regional tournament honors. Boatright pinch-hit in the final at-bat of Sunday's doubleheader, grounding into a double play. Mocny Re-Injures Shoulder: Third baseman Danny Mocny (Santa Rosa) was forced to leave last Sunday's first game against Cal after landing hard on his left shoulder in the early going of game one. It is the same shoulder he injured in fall ball in the outfield. Mocny is very questionable for the weekend as The Beach are without three of their big bats, as Mocny, Troy Tulowitzki and Sean Boatright combined for 93 RBIs last season. Duo Named to Clemens Award Watch List: The award that Jered Weaver won last year, may just go to another Dirtbag, as two hurlers, lefthander Cesar Ramos (Pico Rivera) and righthanded closer Neil Jamison (San Diego) are both on the initial watch list for the Roger Clemens Award. Ramos is also on the watch list for the Wallace National Player of the Year Award. Rain, Rain Go Away: The Dirtbags have not played well when the skies open up, forcing the team to re-schedule. When it's clear and The Beach are able to play a three-game series on time, LBSU is 5-0, winning two at Arizona State and three against Saint Mary's. In a sign of things to come, LBSU was leading ASU in the middle game of the series, only to watch a rain delay change the team's moment (and score). More amazing is the team is fielding at a .989 clip with a 2.15 ERA when when doesn't disrupt things. When it rains, well, you know, LBSU has made 12 errors for a .950 fielding percentage giving up 17 unearned runs and lost six games. Godfrey Steps Up at First: Redshirt freshman Brandon Godfrey (Cypress) has earned his spot at first by starting the season with a .343 batting average over the first nine games, driving in seven runs. With the number of injuries to the infield, LBSU's first baseman (including Godfrey) have taken throws from seven different infielders. Roll ‘Em and Get Dirty with Chuck: Junior second baseman Chuck Sindlinger (Reno) is the only Dirtbag to start every game this season, starting all 11 games at second base and rebounding after that hand injury last season to bat .313 with eight runs and seven RBIs to start. Sindlinger, who has taken most of his tosses at short from Troy Tulowitzki over the previous three years, has teamed with Evan Longoria over the previous two weeks. Ramos Looks to Break Streak: For only the second time in his career, Cesar Ramos (Pico Rivera) lost two straight when he took the series opening loss against the Bears despite just three runs (one earned). Ramos last start against the Aztecs, at Petco Park last season, was a shutout. Ramos, a pre-season All-American is 20-10 all-time at Long Beach State as the eighth 20-game winner in school-history. Hughes Solid in First Two LBSU Appearances: Santa Clara transfer righthander Jared Hughes (Laguna Beach) will be making his second start for The Beach and third appearance and has yet to give up an earned run over his first 11.0 innings. Opponents are batting just .222 against him. Good Problem to Have: With the emergence of Jared Hughes and the strength of righthanders Marco Estrada (San Fernando) and Cody Evans (Huntington Beach), the Dirtbags have four legitimate starters and three spots in the rotation. Estrada has produced a 2.21 ERA over four appearances, while Evans has a 2.25 ERA over four appearances. With Tuesdays beginning, everyone should get enough innings. Jamison Solid Out of the Pen: Righthanded closer Neil Jamison (San Diego) has been solid out of the pen this season, tying for the team lead in wins (2-0) and compiling the Dirtbags only save of the season. Jamison has not allowed a run in four appearances to begin the weekend and ranks third all-time in career appearances (81) and saves (16). Anderson Gets it Done Out of the Pen: Maybe the best setup man in the country, righthander Brian Anderson (Aliso Viejo) does not let a lot of runners get home. After posting a 2.98 ERA last season, he has yet to allow a run in six appearances this year as opponents are just 2-for-26 (.077). PRE-SEASON INDICATORS Pre-Season All-Conference: In Baseball America's annual college preview, LBSU has two players picked by the publication to be all-conference selections, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (Sunnyvale) and lefthander Cesar Ramos (Pico Rivera). Tulowitzki is also slated to be the conference's Player of the Year, while Ramos will have to battle with CS Fullerton's Ricky Romero to keep the Pitcher of the Year honors in the family. Tulowitzki (1st), Ramos (2nd) and Neil Jamison (San Diego) are expected to be three of the top five players drafted out of the Big West next June. Top Newcomers to The Beach: The 49ers have two of the top five newcomers in the Big West, according to Baseball America, potential weekend starters righthanders Jared Hughes (Laguna Beach) and Cody Evans (Huntington Beach). Hughes is tabbed as the third-best 2006 prospect out of the Big West in the June Amateur Draft. Top Rated Players: Baseball America has put out its annual list of top players, and it's no surprise Long Beach State is amongst the nation's brightest. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (Sunnyvale) is the sixth-best junior, while lefthander Cesar Ramos (Pico Rivera) is the 18th-best junior. Righthander Neil Jamison (San Diego) is rated as the third-best senior, while Jared Hughes (Laguna Beach) is the 31st-best sophomore. For the second straight year Tulowitzki's is the conference's top defensive shortstop with the best arm. Ramos has the best control in the conference. We Knew We Had A Few in the Majors: With four former players making their debuts in 2004, upping the total to a record 11, Long Beach State baseball knew it had a few former players in the Major Leagues. But when the publication came out with its list of alumni playing in the majors, The Beach made out with the third-most Major Leaguers in the nation, behind USC (14 Major Leaguers) and Stanford (12). Last year LBSU is the only school that had: the American League Rookie of the Year though, Bobby Crosby, the last player to get a hit for the Montreal Expos (Terrmel Sledge) and a player with a World Series share (Abe Alvarez). Solid Experience in the Field: The Dirtbags return five starters to the field, three of which who earned all-Regional Tournament honors in the team's win at Palo Alto last season. Junior Troy Tulowitzki (Sunnyvale) will be flipping to second baseman Chuck Sindlinger (Reno), who has 74 career starts, while third baseman Danny Mocny (Santa Rosa) earned honorable mention All-Big West honors last season after batting .318. In the outfield, Sean Boatright (Mission Viejo) will play center, after batting .330 in 30 games, while Steve Velazco (San Marcos) will take his 126 career games to right field. Boatright, Mocny and Tulowitzki all earned all-regional tournament honors last season, while Tulowitzki being named MVP. Velazco had the game-winning RBI in the team's first win of the 2004 playoffs, in the ninth inning over St. John's. Bullpen Stronger Than Ever: The bullpen will yet again be strong, especially at the end of games. Neil Jamison (15 saves) and junior college transfer Macro Estrada (San Fernando) can both start or relief, while senior Brian Anderson had a 2.98 ERA as a setup man last season. All three can also close. LBSU will also feature a rarity, in three lefthanders in sophomore Brandon Villalobos (Glendora), and transfers Steve Hammond (Martinez) and Donnie Hume (Vacaville). How Good We Had It: An unfamiliar spot (or two) for The Beach this season will be at first and catcher, as the team looks to replace two long-time known anchors. At first, redshirt freshman Brandon Godfrey (Cypress) and junior Scott Bradley (Walnut Creek) are the leading candidates to replace four-year starter Mike Hofius, while others could also be in the mix. Three players, Godfrey, Bradley and Kyle Bradburry (Mustang, OK) all started in the ASU series. At receiver, it may be Tito Cruz' (Glendale) time to shine, after backing up draftees Todd Jennings (second round pick) and Brad Davis (fifth) the past couple of seasons. Cruz is the most experienced with 35 games of Division-I experience, but will also have backup Chris Jones (Fresno), and transfers Jordan Struble (Murietta) and Tom Sarti (Elk Grove) to contend with. Drafting Dirtbags as easy as 1-2-3: LBSU produced its most successful draft class of all-time in 2004 as seven players were drafted on June 7 and 8, highlighted by the Anaheim Angels selection of Jered Weaver as the 12th overall pick. Weaver was the second highest Dirtbag to be drafted. With Jason Vargas (2nd), John Bowker (3rd) and Brad Davis (5th) all going in the first five rounds, most selected first five rounds of action in LBSU history. Current righthander Neil Jamison was drafted in the eighth round and decided to go back to The Beach, while National Player of the Year, Jered Weaver, continues to be in talks with the Los Angeles Angels on Anaheim. Weaver Named Nation's Top Player: In 2004 righthander Jered Weaver (Simi Valley) was named a first team All-American by Sports Weekly and Collegiate Baseball, becoming the first LBSU player to be two-time first team All-American. Weaver was named the Player of the Year by eight different organizations, including the Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Trophy and the Roger Clemens Award, also a first for the LBSU program. |
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