Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbag to Play Quartet This Week
4/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Quartet of Games on Tap This Week Record: 24-11 Big West: 5-1 | Hi Rank: No. 14 | vs. Ranked Teams: 8-4 Dirtbag Lowdown: The first place Dirtbags (24-11, 5-1 Big West) will play five of their next eight games on the road, beginning at Pepperdine (22-10) in a non-conference affair on Tuesday at 3 p.m. LBSU will then return to Big West play and Blair Field for a three game series with last place CS Northridge (12-17-1, 0-6 Big West) beginning on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday's game will feature righthander Cody Evans (0-2, 2.52 ERA) against spot starter James Johnson (1-0, 0.56). Friday will feature the Big West's winningest pitcher, lefthander Cesar Ramos (7-3, 1.67) against righthander Joe Rocchio (2-5, 4.96). On Saturday, righthander Marco Estrada (5-0, 1.77) will look to remain perfect against fellow rightie Craig Baker (4-4, 6.80) at 2 p.m. Saturday will also be the site of the fifth annual Dirtbag Car Show feature vintage cars outside of Blair Field from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. On Sunday, Big West Pitcher of the Week, righthander Jared Hughes (4-2, 2.67), will get the ball at 1 p.m. against lefthander Jimmy Brettle (0-4, 6.26). The Beach have won seven of its last eight. Hughes Named Big West's Top Arm: Sophomore righthander Jared Hughes (Laguna Beach) was named the Big West's Pitcher of the Week following a two-hit, series clinching shutout at UC Irvine last Sunday. The righthander allowed just two balls out of the infield all day (a flyout in the second and a single in the ninth) in striking out a career-best 10. Hughes pitched to just four over the minimum as he had a one-hitter through eight innings, before his second hit, a single in the ninth over third was erased with a double play. It was the first conference honor for Hughes and third this season for the Dirtbag pitching staff following two by Cesar Ramos. Rank and File: The Beach moved up in two polls and dropped to No. 14 in Collegiate Baseball in this week's national polls. LBSU moved up to No. .16 in Baseball America and to No. 17 in the Sports Weekly/Coaches Poll. The Beach returned to the top-25 in all three polls on March 28, after ranking between No. 25 and No. 29 in the coaches poll for the previous month. LBSU achieved its highest ranking on February 18 when it was ranked No. 12 by Sports Weekly. LBSU ‘s RPI has quietly increased 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 now air a half hour earlier starting at 6 p.m. this week and throughout the rest of the season, as it will lead into Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Baseball for the rest of the season on KWRM-1370 AM. This week's guests will be pitcher Cody Evans and outfielder Zach Barger. 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 A Look at CS Northridge: The Matadors have lost seven straight for former 49er assistant Steve Rousey, entering Friday's contest at 12-17-1 and 0-6 and in last place in the Big West... CSUN's enters the series with a .283 batting average and .940 fielding percentage to go along with a 6.11 team ERA... relievers Peter Eberhardt (3-1, 2.08) and Matt Gaylor (1-0, 4.56) are the only relievers with ERAs under 5.00, while Friday's starter, righthander Joe Rocchio is 2-5 with a 4.96 ERA... ERik Hagstrom is batting .356 with a team-best 17 RBIs, while Paul Wilson is batting .328... CSUN has already made 72 errors this season... CSUN made 12 errors in a sweep by CS Fullerton last weekend... Jimmy Brettle gave up seven runs (four earned) in his start on Sunday as the CSUN defense made six errors on Sunday after CS Fullerton pounded out 24 hits in a 24-0 win on Saturday.. Joe Rocchio gave up seven runs (five earned) in Friday as the Matadors made four more errors... LBSU has won seven of the last nine, including a sweep last year in Northridge. LAST WEEK Pitching Does in UC Irvine: The No. 13-ranked Dirtbags took its ninth series of the season, winning two of three at UC Irvine (W 3-2, L 3-4 (11), W 10-0). Pitching was the name of the game as Cesar Ramos pitched 8.0 strong innings for his seventh win of the year, while Troy Tulowitzki's bat led to all three runs. Tulowitzki drove in two runs, including another homer, and had an intentional walk lead to another. On Saturday, Steve Hammond's bases loaded walk in the 11th inning proved to be the difference as the Dirtbag bullpen twice gave up leads in the late innings. The Beach had taken a 3-2 lead with an unearned run in the top of the 11th and had 2-0 with two runs in the second. On Sunday, The Beach pounded out 16 hits in a 10-0 win, as one would have done for Big West Pitcher of the Week Jared Hughes who pitched a two-hit shutout. Hughes struck out a career-best 10 and had a one-hitter through eight innings, pitching to four over the minimum. Sean Boatright extended his hit streak to 12 games over the weekend. One of the Early Season's Top Games: The Dirtbags 1-0 win at Wichita State behind a four-hitter by Cesar Ramos was tabbed as one of the season's best games so far, according to Baseball Americia's mid-season report. More of Durham's picks can be found at their website at baseballamerica.com or by picking up a publication on news stands now. Mid-Season All-Americans: Baseball America tabbed two pitchers on the Dirtbag pitching staff as mid-season All-Americans, with closer Neil Jamison getting a first team nod and Cesar Ramos, one of the publication's National Players to Watch, earning a spot on the second team. Pitching Rich Season: The Dirtbags over the previous month, which has included 13 games and a 10-3 record, have compiled a 1.68 team ERA. The Dirtbags three starters, Cesar Ramos (1.29 last four starts), Marco Estrada (1.35) and Jared Hughes (1.93) have combined to go 8-1 on the mound as opponents are batting a combined .202 against the entire staff. On a whole when national statistics are released on Tuesday, LBSU should lead the nation with a 2.07 team ERA. On the year, The Beach have held opponents to 10 or less runs in a SERIES seven times, including the last five. Ramos Continues Hot Streak: The front-end of the Dirtbag rotation is led by All-American lefthander Cesar Ramos (Pico Rivera), who won his fourth in a row this past weekend to move to 7-3 with a 1.67 ERA. Ramos has compiled an even more impressive 1.03 ERA over his last four starts, all wins, and over amongst other, fellow All-Americans Mike Pelfrey (Wichita State) and Ricky Romero (CS Fullerton). The 49ers' all-time winningest lefthander has also picked up his strikeout numbers, striking out 24 in his last three starts. Any Given Sunday: No. 3 starter Jared Hughes (Laguna Beach) has been equally impressive since beating No. 1-ranked CS Fullerton on March 26. Including that start, Hughes has compiled an 0.72 ERA, which has included two complete games, just nine total hits given up and 22 total strikeouts over 25.0 innings. On the year, the sophomore transfer from Santa Clara is 4-2 with a 2.67 as his ERA has dropped from 4.34 over the last three weeks. And It's Tougher on Saturday: The Dirtbags' Saturday starter Marco Estrada (San Fernando), despite not figuring in a decision over his last three starts, has compiled a 1.37 ERA over that time to lower his ERA to 1.77 on the season. Estrada moved to 5-0 back on March 19 at Wichita State and has been stuck out five wins ever since. Estrada has reached the sixth inning in eight of his 10 starts. Boatright Rides Hit Streak: Centerfielder Sean Boatright (Mission Viejo) has begun his assault on opposing pitchers, which took a little time off (three weeks) to begin the year due to a hamstring injury. Boatright enters the week with a 12-game hit streak, which has seen him raise his average to .323 on the year. His seven doubles and one homer has raised his slugging percentage to .430. Tulowitzki Dazzling Again: Prior to missing six weeks with a hamate bone injury to his lefthander, All-American shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (Sunnyvale) was 10 for his first 19. After a slow start, Tulowitzki has hit safely in six of his last seven games to put his average at .339 on the season. Tulowitzki's slugging percentage sits at .589 thanks to six doubles, one triple and two homers in just 15 games. Jones in the Clutch: Catcher Chris Jones (Fresno) continues to lead the club in hitting, at .340, to go along with a team-best 17 RBIs and 12 runs. Twice Jones' heroics have led to last at-bat rallies, as a bunt single earlier in the year and an infield single against UC Riverside both have led to the winning run crossing the plate. Six Dirtbags Open the Season in the Majors: Long Beach State baseball had six former players on opening day rosters in the Major Leagues highlighted by reigning American League Rookie of the Year Bobby Crosby (Athletics) and former AL MVP Jason Giambi (Yankees). Crosby is beginning his second full season, while Giambi is in his 11th. The elder statesmen are Chris Gomez with the Orioles and Steve Trachsel with the Mets, both have 13 years in the Majors. Terrmel Sledge (Nationals) is beginning his second season, while Jeremy Reed is slated to be a starting outfielder for the Mariners in his fist full season. LBSU had 11 major leaugers last season, the third-most by any college in the country. A number of other players are on the cusp, including: Mike Gallo (Astros minor leagues), Abe Alvarez (Red Sox), Paul McAnulty (Padres), Russel Rohlicek (Cubs), and Jeff Liefer (Indians). Strong Pre-Season, Considering: 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-three weeks), Danny Mocny (shoulder-four weeks) and Troy Tulowitzki (left hand-six weeks), who all missed time due to injury. The trio returned for the first time against CS Fullerton to close out March. Draft Predictions: Baseball America put out its mid-season 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. National Watch Lists: 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. |
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