Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags Open Big West Play with Riverside
3/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dirtbags Begin Title Quest with Highlanders Record: 18-10 Big West: 0-0 | Hi Rank: No. 20 | vs. Ranked Teams: 8-4 Dirtbag Lowdown: Back in the top-25, the No. 20-ranked Long Beach State Dirtbags (18-10) will begin conference play this weekend when they host UC Riverside (12-12) for three games at Blair Field. One of the nation's hottest pitcher, lefthander Cesar Ramos (5-3, 1.70 ERA) will get the ball on Friday against either righthander James Simmons (3-1, 2.95) or lefthander Jose Shaw (1-1, 4.35). On Saturday, LBSU will send out undefeated righthander Marco Estrada (5-0, 2.08) against Highlander ace Hayley Winter (4-3, 1.58). On Sunday righthander Jared Hughes (2-2, 3.55), who is coming off career game against CS Fullerton, will oppose righthander Taylor Bills (2-4, 5.32). LBSU will close out the seven-game homestand next Tuesday with a contest against UCLA at 6:30 p.m. The Beach are coming off a series win over previously top-ranked CS Fullerton, which saw the Dirtbag pitching staff limit the Titans to just a .144 opponent batting average. LBSU has won 13 of its last 17 games heading into conference play posting a 2.31 team ERA. Ramos Doubles Up Weekly Award: Lefthander Cesar Ramos was named the Big West's Pitcher of the Week for the second-straight week after outdueling another All-American this week, this time Ricky Romero in 3-2 series opening win over CS Fullerton. Ramos, after four-hitting Wichita State two weeks ago, two-hit the nation's hottest team in winning his third career honor. Rank and File: The Dirtbags re-appeared in all three national polls this week, ranking as high as No. 20 in Collegiate Baseball, No. 22 in Baseball America and No. 24 in the Sports Weekly/Coaches Poll. LBSU achieved its highest ranking on February 18 when it was ranked No. 12 by Sports Weekly. LBSU has slowly climbed the RPI ladder from 117 to 19 over the past five weeks. 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: The Mike Weathers Show will air live from Cirivello's Restaurant at 4115 Viking Way in Long Beach every Wednesday. This will mark the final Wednesday the show will begin at 6:30 p.m., as the talk show will prelude Rancho Cucamonga Quakes games the rest of the season and start at 6 p.m. on KWRM-1370 AM and the internet. This week's guests will be TJ Bruce, Donnie Hume and Chris Jones. Next Wednesday's show, beginning at a new time, at 6 p.m. for the rest of the season, will feature Evan Longoria and Brandon Godfrey. 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. THE OPPOSITION LAST WEEK DIRTBAG BITS Welcome Back Bags: For the first time since the series opener,the Dirtbags played with a full deck of cards, as shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (Sunnyvale) returned from six weeks on the disabled list (left hand) and returned a week early to start at short, Danny Mocny (Santa Rosa) returned from four weeks off to re-habilitate his shoulder, while Sean Boatright started his third straight week in center (hamstring). Not a Bad Non-Conference: The Dirtbags completed virtually its entire non-conference schedule in good order (a three-game series with UC Davis and a Wednesday affair with USC to end the year are the only other non-conference games), as The Beach over the first half of the season took four series over top-15 opponents (Arizona State, Baylor, Wichita State and CS Fullerton) and did so virtually without the middle of the lineup, Sean Boatright (hamstring), Danny Mocny (shoulder) and Troy Tulowitzki (left hand), who all missed time due to injury. Draft Predictions: Baseball America put out its midseason update of top college prospects, and no surprise, but The Beach feature two of the top-20. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is listed as the sixth-best college player, while lefthander Cesar Ramos is the 19th-best player and seventh-best pitcher in the country. Ramos is Red Hot: Lefthander Cesar Ramos (Pico Rivera) has established himself as one of the nation's best pitchers, after outdueling two straight All-Americans over the past two weeks with a combined six hits allowed. Ramos (5-3, 1.70 ERA) has won three of his last four starts and has posted a 1.16 ERA over his last six starts. Ramos has reached the seventh inning in his last five starts, hurling back-to-back complete games. Opponents are batting .210 against the lefthander, as he has struck out 49 and walked just nine this season. Ramos' 23 wins ties him with former Dirtbag Abe Alvarez for the all-time wins record by a 49er lefthander. Anderson's Streak Proves He's Human: Setup man Brian Anderson (Aliso Viejo) proved he as human last week, giving up his first run of the season and first in 26.1 consecutive innings, dating back to the 2004 Super Regional. Anderson, who also had a streak of 23 innings in 2003-04, has a 0.40 ERA in 16 appearances to open the weekend. Hughes Has a Coming Out Party: Righthander Jared Hughes (Laguna Beach) showed he had what it takes to pitch in big game situations, pitching a four-hit complete game against CS Fullerton to lead the Dirtbags to the series win. Hughes, who had given up 13 runs over his previous three starts, gave up just one run last Saturday. Hughes is now 2-2 with a 3.55 ERA on the season. Jamison's Best at the End: Righthanded closer Neil Jamison (San Diego) has been perfect in seven save opportunities this season, giving the two-year closer 22 in his four-year career (third all-time). A former eighth round pick of the Mets, Jamison currently ranks second in the Big West in saves and should, when NCAA statistics are released in April, amongst the nation's leaders for the second-straight year. Jamison has opponents batting .146 against him as he has yet to allow a run in 13 appearances and 12.0 innings. Shutting Down the Offense: The Dirtbag pitching staff holding CS Fullerton to a .144 team batting average is nothing new for the 49ers, as LBSU is a combined 14-3 when holding opponents to three runs over fewer. LBSU is also winning the close ones, going 9-4 in one-run affairs. Receiving His Dues: Junior catcher Chris Jones (Fresno), who 10 Division-I games prior to the season, has doubled that in just starts this year (20), playing in 23 games on the season and ranking fourth in the Big West in batting at .355 to enter the week. Jones has hit safely in 14 of the last 15 games. Godfrey Continues to Hit: Redshirt freshman Brandon Godfrey (Los Alamitos) should a bit of leather at first base this past weekend, making some great diving stops, especially Thursday night to end the Titans' ninth inning, flipping to Cesar Ramos to complete a two-hitter. Godfrey is also getting adjusted to college ball, ranking 10th in the Big West in batting with a .337 average to enter the week, starting 25 of 26 games at first base. Godfrey also leads the team with 16 RBIs. Not A Lot Will Get By These Guys: The Dirtbags' leftside of the infield with All-American Troy Tulowitzki (Sunnyvale) at short and Evan Longoria (Downey) at third base may be the toughest leftside to get the ball through. Longoria, a junior college shortstop, started 18 games at short for an injured Tulowitzki, and has shown his defensive skills both at third and at short this season. Tulowitzki has been named Baseball America's top shortstop in the Big West for each of the previous two seasons. Senior Danny Mocny (Santa Rosa) is also not a bad third baseman (who can also play the outfield), as he was named honorable mention All-Big West last season at the hot corner. We Remember You Guys: Aside from the established former Dirtbags in the Major Leagues, a four-some are trying to make Big League rosters for the first time in lefthanders Abe Alvarez (Red Sox) and Russel Rohlicek (Cubs) and outfielders Jeremy Reed (Mariners), Paul McAnulty (Padres). All are on spring training rosters to start the week. 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 and Baseball America National Player of the Year Awards. 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). LBSU is the only school that had: the American League Rookie of the Year, Bobby Crosby, the last player to get a hit for the Montreal Expos (Terrmel Sledge) and a player with a World Series ring (Abe Alvarez). 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. He was the 12th overall pick by the Angels in the 2004 draft. |
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