Dirtbags Hit Home Stretch, Host Cal Poly

Final Regular Season Home Weekend On Tap
* Two Top-25 Teams Do Battle At Blair Field This Weekend
* Beach Hit Home Stretch With Seven Games Remaining
* Nation's Top ERA (2.30), Takes Hit, Keeps on Ticking

May 10, 2005

PDF File of the Release

Record: 33-16 Big West: 11-4 | Hi Rank: No. 12 | vs. Ranked Teams: 8-5

Dirtbag Lowdown: The No. 12-ranked Dirtbags (33-16, 11-4 Big West) will hit the home stretch over the next two and a half weeks by hosting No. 19-ranked Cal Poly (31-16, 9-3 Big West) this weekend in a three-game series beginning on Friday at 6:30 p.m. This will be the last regular season home series for The Beach. Two of the nation's top lefthanders will do battle in the opener, as Cesar Ramos (9-5, 2.10) will look to top Mustang ace Garrett Olson (10-3, 2.64). On Saturday at 2 p.m. Marco Estrada (7-1, 2.31) will oppose Cal Poly's Jimmy Shull (7-5, 4.50) as part of Joe Day at the ballpark. Everyone named Joe will be admitted free as the team will yet again honor Dirtbag legend Joe Ballsinger. The Dirtbag wurlitzer hopes it has enough Elvis songs for the day! On Sunday at 1 p.m., Jared Hughes (7-2, 2.42) will oppose Gary Daley (5-1, 4.71). Sunday will also be Senior Day. The Beach continue to lead the nation in ERA (2.30), as the team will play at CS Fullerton in a three-game series starting on May 20 and play a makeup game at USC on Wednesday, May 25 to close out the regular season. The Dirtbags could also see history this weekend as Sean Boatright (Mission Viejo) is just two games away from tying the all-time hit streak, as the junior centerfielder has hit safely in 26-straight games.

Rank and File: The 49ers dropped from a No. 10 ranking in Collegiate Baseball last week to No. 12 in Baseball America, No. 13 in Collegiate Baseball and No. 15 in the Sports Weekly/Coaches Poll. LBSU achieved its highest ranking of the season, No. 9 in Collegiate Baseball, on April 18. They have been in the top-15 every week since April 4. 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.

Tracking 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. Fans are welcome to attend all season long at Cirivello's at 4115 Viking Way, 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. This Wednesday's guests will be Tom Sarti and trainer Nate Peck. A reminder that the show will be moved to May 24 to accommodate the team's May 25 game at USC to end the regular season.

THE OPPOSITION
A Look at Cal Poly: The No. 19-ranked Mustangs enter the series having won seven of their last nine, despite dropping two of three to top-ranked CS Fullerton in San Luis Obispo last weekend... after a 10-9 start, Cal Poly has won 21 of its last 28... Cal Poly enters the weekend at 31-16 and 9-3 in the Big West, as they will play their second ranked team of the season this weekend... Friday ace, lefthander Garret Olson, who carries a 10-3 mark and 2.64 ERA, went he distance on Friday, giving up five hits and three runs in a loss, Jimmy Shull even the series on Saturday with a complete game five-hitter, improving to 7-5 with a 4-5 ERA... Sunday starter Gary Daley is 5-1 with a 4.71 ERA... Mike Bille ranks amongst the nation's leaders in saves with 11, while Olson is one of over a handful of 10-game winners... Cal Poly's ERA stands at 4.17, with a team batting average of .301... outfielder Jimmy Van Ostrand is batting .381 with 23 RBIs, hitting safely in 19 of 21 games, while catcher Kyle Blumenthal leads the club with a .396 average and 43 RBIs... outfielder Matt Cooper has a team-best eight homers and .530 slugging percentage to go along with a .309 average... LBSU has won the last two series with the Mustangs, and five of six overall.

LAST WEEK
Gauchos Have Beach's Number Again: For the second-straight season, UC Santa Barbara had the 49ers number (and won't give it back). After sweeping the series last season at Blair Field, the Gauchos broke The Beach's 10-series win streak by taking two of three (L 6-8, L 6-7, W 4-3) in Goleta. UCSB got to the Dirtbags' two aces, tagging Cesar Ramos and then Marco Estrada for seven runs a piece. The offense did come around batting .318 with five homers, but the pitching staff, which entered with a 2.07 ERA, still led the nation after the weekend, but took a hit, hurling a 6.12 ERA and giving up five homers. Neil Jamison was able to pick up the win on Sunday, after Jared Hughes gave up two runs over five innings, as Troy Tulowitzki drove in the game-winner in the ninth with a single, the eighth time this season LBSU had won in its final at-bat. The series also saw the return of Brandon Godfrey who drove in three drove. Sean Boatright rode his hit streak to 26 straight games.

DIRTBAG BITS
A Month at the Top: The Dirtbag pitching staff has now led the nation in team ERA for the last month, as this week's numbers come in at 2.30. LBSU is an impressive 29-3 when holding opponents to three runs or fewer. The Beach have ranked fourth (2004) and fifth (2003) nationally in ERA over the past two seasons. All three of the team's starters, Cesar Ramos (twice), Marco Estrada, and Jared Hughes, have been named Big West Pitchers of the Week this season as the trio all rank amongst the nation's leaders in wins and ERA.

MLB.com Puts Out Projections: According to MLB.com's first draft projections, the Dirtbags could have two (or possibly three) players drafted in the first round of the June Amateur Draft. According to MLB.com, All-American shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (Sunnyvale) has soared from a late top-10 pick to begin the year (Baseball America) to maybe the No. 3 pick by the Mariners. All-American lefthander Cesar Ramos (Pico Rivera) could go to the Padres as the No. 18 pick, as he has also watched his stock rise from a late first round pick to begin the year. LBSU also has another alum possibly in the mix, as last year's National Pitcher of the Year Jered Weaver, the 12th overall pick by the Angels in 2004, has yet to sign.

Regional Bidding: Yet again the Dirtbags have bid to host an NCAA Regional and Super Regional, something they have done in each of the past two seasons. A ticket order form is available online at www.longbeachstate.com. Site announcements for the 16 regionals will be announced on the ESPN2 ticker at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 29. The full 64-team bracket will be announced on Monday, May 30 on ESPN2 at 8:30 a.m. The team will gather at Cirivello's at 4115 Viking Way in Long Beach to watch the selection show on Memorial Day. Fans are encouraged to attend as the team will also have a live internet broadcast immediately following.

Record Within Reach: Junior center fielder Sean Boatright (Mission Viejo) made it through another weekend with a hit and enters the Cal Poly series on a 26-game hit streak, the fourth longest in school-history. He can break the record on Senior Day on Sunday. The streak trails just three former 49ers, Todd Guggiana's 27-game streak in 1989 and the record 28-game streaks of All-American Rob Townley (1979) and Todd Jennings (2003). Boatright has watched his average rise from .250 to its current mark of .321 over that time. He leads the team in doubles (14) and RBIs (28).

Friday Nights Belong to Ramos: Despite a rare off day by ace lefthander Cesar Ramos (Pico Rivera) that yielded seven runs and 10 hits at UCSB, Ramos continues to rank 10th nationally with a 9-5 record and 31st overall in ERA (2.10). Ramos, a two-time Big West Pitcher of the Week, who is amongst numerous National Player of the Year watch lists, has struck out 83 and walked just 13 on the season. Opponents are batting .215 against him. Ramos won five straight over mid-March to mid-April and has gone 6-2 over his last eight starts.

Hughes Continues to Roll: Righthander Jared Hughes (Laguna Beach) continues to develop into one of the top young arms in the nation, hitting his stride midway through his sophomore season. Hughes has not lost since March 20, having gone 6-0 in seven starts, which has included a two-hit, 10-strikeout performance at UC Irvine, nine strikeouts over UC Davis and 20.2 consecutive scoreless innings. Hughes is 7-2 on the season with 2.42 ERA, both amongst the national leaders, as he as struck out 76 and walked 21 on the season.

Middle Game Just as Tough: No one knew how good the team's starting rotation would look with two thirds of its rotation drafted, but junior righthander Marco Estrada (San Fernando) as definitely filled in nicely going 7-1 with a 2.31 ERA over 14 starts this season. Estrada is the team's leader in strikeouts with 95 and has walked just 24 on the season. Estrada has struck out at least seven opponents in six of his last eight starts, including a career-best 11 against CS Northridge on April 16. Estrada had been undefeated on the season before giving up a season-high seven runs in his last start on Saturday.

Good to the Last Drop: The Dirtbags are a remarkable 26-1 when leading after six innings, mostly because of the team's deep bullpen and long-lasting starters. LBSU starters have reached the seventh 23 times this season (going 16-2), while closer Neil Jamison (San Diego) and setup man Brian Anderson (Aliso Viejo) have combined for a 7-0 record and 11 saves.

And to Think He Missed 20 Games: Despite missing 20 games of the season because of a left hand injury to his hamate bone, All-American shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (Sunnyvale), last year's Regional MVP at Stanford, is currently first on the team in homers (7), batting (.372) and slugging (.673) and second in runs (26), RBIs (24) and doubles (11). Since returning to the lineup for the team's series win over CS Fullerton, Tulowitzki has hit safely in 19 of the last 24 games.

Godfrey Returns to First Base: Redshirt freshman Brandon Godfrey (Los Alamitos), who missed 10 games due to a violation of team rules, returned to the lineup last week and hit a two-run single in his first game back and then a solo home run as part of a 4-for-12 week with three RBIs. Godfrey is batting .331 on the year in 36 starts at first.

Versatility the Name of the Game: With injuries to start the year and the constant shuffling of the lineup, this team may be the most versatile in recent memory. Starting with Evan Lonogoria (third/shortstop) and Tito Cruz (third/catcher), and continuing with Danny Mocny (third/outfield) and most recently Scott Bradley (first base/outfield) and Cruz at first base, this team has a lot of options. This does not include backup catchers Jordan Struble and Tom Sarti, who have yet to start at receiver, but have both started in the outfield. Second and catcher have been the most stable positions, with Chuck Sindlinger starting 46 games at second and Chris Jones starting 37 games at catcher.

Jamison Closes in on Second Place: With 25 career saves to his credit (including 10 this season), senior closer Neil Jamison (San Diego) will tie current Brewer farmhand Josh Alliston (1999-2002) for second place all-time with his next save. Both closers are well away from all-time leader Gabe Gonzalez (1992-95) and his 46 career saves. Jamison, a nominee for Stopper of the Year, has already surpassed Alliston in games pitched with 99 in his career and could become just the second pitcher in 49er history with 100 career games pitched (Gonzalez has 121). Setup man Brian Anderson has 68 career games, fifth-best all-time.

Double Trouble for Opponents: Long Beach State baseball is trying to make history this season. With lefthander Cesar Ramos (Pico Rivera) being named to the Golden Spikes Award watch list, LBSU is trying to become the first program to have back-to-back Players of the Year. Ramos, who ranks amongst the nation's leaders in wins and ERA, is trying to follow up the performance of former teammate Jered Weaver in 2004, as Ramos is on the same watch list's (Baseball America, The Clemens Award and the Golden Spikes Award) that Weaver was on last year.

Crosby Gives Back, Again: Oakland Athletics shortstop Bobby Crosby gave back yet again to his alma mater, donating the $20,000 he earned for winning the Rookie of the Year last season, back to The Beach. Crosby continued a tradition of recent Dirtbags in giving back to their program when he gave $10,000 of his signing bonus to LBSU following the 2001 draft. The shortstop even has his own bobblehead, on display in the SID office, courtesy of the A's PR department and next to the likenesses of Jason Giambi, Misty May, President Bob Maxson and Govenator Arnold Swarzeenegger.

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 America'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.

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). The elder statesmen are Chris Gomez with the Orioles and Steve Trachsel with the Mets, both with 13 years in the Majors. Terrmel Sledge (Nationals) is beginning his second season, while Jeremy Reed is in his first year with the Mariners. LBSU had 11 major leaguers last season, the third-most by any college in the country.

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.

Top Rated Players: Baseball America 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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