* Beach Begin Extended Home Stand
* Weathers to be Head Coach for Team USA
* Easter Week Brings Early Series Against Tulsa's Oral Roberts
April 2, 2007 PDF VERSION OF THE RELEASE
Record: 14-11 Big West: 1-2 | High Rank: No. 23rd (Coaches Poll)
vs. Ranked Teams: 11-11
Oral Roberts Begins Home Stand: The No. 23-ranked Dirtbags (14-11, 1-2 Big West) will begin a 13-game home stand this weekend when they host Oral Roberts (14-11 prior a game versus Wichita State) for an early Easter three-game series starting on Thursday and Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. The Dirtbags have dropped three-straight weekend series and have played 22 of their 25 games against top-25 opponents. LBSU will send to the mound RHP Vance Worley (1-1, 3.60) and LHP Omar Arif (1-4, 3.20) against the Golden Eagles, with the possibility of Saturday starter, RHP Manny McElroy (1-1, 9.00) also throwing for the first time since early February. Oral Roberts has not named an rotation, as they host Wichita State on Tuesday. UPCOMING SCHEDULE
THURSDAY
host Oral Roberts
Blair Field | Long Beach, CA | 6:30 p.m.
LB: R-Vance Worley (1-1, 3.60)
ORU: to be announced
FRIDAY
host Oral Roberts
Blair Field | Long Beach, CA | 6:30 p.m.
LB: L-Omar Arif (1-4, 3.20)
ORU: to be announced
SATURDAY
host Oral Roberts
Blair Field | Long Beach, CA | 1 p.m.
LB: to be announced
ORU: to be announced
ABOUT THE EAGLES (14-11):
BA: .244; ERA: 4.22; FLD: .974
Oral Roberts, from Tulsa, will host Wichita State on Tuesday... ORU was ranked in the top-25 to start the year, but a strech when they lost eight of 10 dropped them out... since then, ORU has won 10 of 14... Jake Kajaulelio leads the club with a .309 average and 22 runs, while Brian Van Krik has a team-best five homers and 20 RBIs on the season... RHP Chance Chapman tied a school-record with 17 strikeouts in a Tuesday start against Arkansas last week as he was named a National Player of the Week... Chapman has a 0.95 ERA in 13 appearances and three starts this year... Jeremy Hefner is 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA in six starts, striking out 45 and walking just 10... another starter, Michael Jarmna is 2-3 with a 4.11 ERA in six starts... Chris Ashman, a fourth starter with six starts, is 0-4 with 5.68 ERA.
ORU SERIES NOTES: The last time the two teams played was during the Reagan Adminstration, going 1-3 in 1981, 1983 and
On-Deck: LBSU hosts Pepperdine for one and a half games on Tuesday (with the continuation game starting at 6:30 p.m.) and then host CS Northridge in a Big West series next weekend. The first Pepperdine game will have the Waves as the home team in the bottom of the ninth and the scored tied at 7-7.
Anyone Craving a Dirtbag Game?: Individual and group packages for the 2007 season are on sale online at www.longbeachstate.com and by calling the ticket office at (562) 985-4949. Over 10 dates this season the program is averaging an impressive 2028 per game.
Courting the Rankings: The Dirtbags are currently No. 23 in the Coaches Poll for the second straight week. They are No. 27 in Collegiate Baseball and dropped out of Baseball America's poll. The team's RPI was No. 1 for the week of March 20. It is now No. 3. LBSU has been ranked in the top-20 ever since February 12. LBSU began the year ranked No. 30 for the first two weeks.
Weathers to Coach Team USA: Head Coach Mike Weathers will be the head coach for U.S.A. Baseball this summer, which combines the best freshmen and sophomores in the country. The team, which plays from mid-June to early August, will participate in the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and in a tournament in the Netherlands. The team is based out of Durham, NC. This is the third time Weathers has been involved with USA Baseball, playing on the team in the 1970's and serving as an assistant in 2003.
Weekend to Forget in Irvine: The Beach dropped their third-straight weekend series, losing at No. 24-ranked UC Irvine (L 9-4, L 4-0, W 12-4), before breaking out of a mini two-game funk to thump the home team 12-4 in the finale. On Friday, LBSU made four errors en route to a 9-4 loss. After taking an early 2-0 lead and tying it again at 4-4 in the fourth, UCI slowly inched ahead for the first win of the series. On Saturday, LBSU dropped its first Big West opening series since 1994 and had its first 0-2 start since 1988 following a 4-0 loss to Wes Etheridge and UCI. The Beach scattered nine hits in the game and left 10, but also committed another three errors, giving them 16 over a span of 14 over nine games. On Sunday, it was the youngsters turn to turn things around, as Shane Peterson (1-1) picked up his weekend win of the season with five strong innings, in which he retired 10 in a row after two first inning runs and freshmen Steve Tinoco (three hits), Taylor Krick (four RBIs) and TJ Mittelstaedt (2-for-2 with four walks) all contributed. Sophomore relievers Dustin Rasco (Sunday) and David Roberts (Saturday) both tossed two shutout innings of relief on the weekend.
Making the Club: With 13 Major Leaguers last year, 2007 should be another good year for Dirtbags in the Majors. With Opening Day this week, former first round pick Troy Tulowitzki will be the starting shortstop for the Rockies, while veterans Chris Gomez (Orioles), Steve Trachsel (Orioles), Jason Giambi (Yankees), Jered Weaver (Angels) and Bobby Crosby (A's) all return for another season in the Majors. In addition, Paul McAnulty and Terrmel Sledge have both made the Padres following strong springs.
Scoring Late: With the team winning so many games in the late innings, LBSU has gotten to opposing bullpens. The Dirtbags are outscoring their opponents 21-13 in the eighth and 21-9 in the ninth.
Freshmen of Orange County: Of the team's 13 freshmen this season, Orange County natives, OF Steve Tinoco (Coto de Caza) and 3B Taylor Krick (Villa Park) have each earned extended playing time this season. Tinoco is batting .346 in 12 starts this year, while Krick is hitting .378 in 10 starts at the hot corner. The two have combined to drive in 21 runs. TJ Mittelstaedt (Mission Viejo) thanks to four walks on Sunday has six walks in 22 plate appearances this year as a converted infielder turned outfielder, who has fought his way into the lineup over the last two weeks.
Staying in the OC: Senior catcher Brian Capon (Anaheim) continues to get time behind the plate, battling with sophomore Kip Masuda and junior Travis Howell for playing time. Capon leads the three with a respectable .261 batting average and has driven in five runs over six starts.
Around the County to the North: Junior first baseman Brandon Godfrey (Los Alamitos) currently leads the club with a .320 averaging starting 19 times at first base this season. Godfrey is one of six players with at least 10 RBIs this season. Godfrey came into the year with just seven errors over his first two seasons (and a .990 fielding percentage), so his seven errors at the midway point are an anomaly.
And Now to the County Seat: Shortstop Danny Espinosa (Santa Ana) enters the week with a team-best 18 RBIs on the season, as along with OF Robert Perry, is the only player to start all 25 games. Espinosa is batting .313 on the season with 17 runs.
Multi-Hitting Perry: Senior Robert Perry (Sunnyvale) currently leads the club with 11 multi-hit games while batting .310 over 25 starts, primarily in center. Perry, who will bat near the top of the order this weekend, has scored a team-best 20 runs. He also has a team-best 15 walks.
Peterson Solid Yet Again: With two more multi-hit games this weekend, sophomore utility player Shane Peterson (Temecula) has four multi-hit games over his last six games. Peterson has also produced a solid effort from the mound, allowing just two runs over his last four starts (16 innings). He threw a personal-best five innings in his last start against UC Irvine, picking up his first win since April 25, 2006.
Television for the Dirtbags: The Beach will twice be on College Sports Television twice this spring, at San Diego State on May 8 and at CS Fullerton on May 25. In addition, Cox TV in Orange County televised Friday's game vs. UC Irvine. CSTV.com, its online venture, also provides webcasts and gametracker software for following other LBSU games this season.
Scheduling Changes: Get an eraser out, as the team's continuation with Pepperdine in the ninth inning and the team's regularly schedule game versus the Waves will be on April 10. It all starts at 6:30 p.m. The team's home game against UC Riverside has been moved up an hour to 1 p.m.
Getting Older by the Minute: Against top-25 teams, the Dirtbags have already played 14 games within two runs, winning three one-run affairs in extra innings (top-10 ranked Rice and Texas) and are 6-6 overall in one-run games. The entire Wichita State series was decided by single runs each game.
Comeback Kids: The Dirtbags have already come back from two seven-run deficits this year (at Pepperdine and against Texas). The team's win at Wichita State in the ninth last Friday was the team's fifth win in its last at-bat. Six of the team's victories have had LBSU coming from behind to win.
McElroy Expected Back: Saturday starter RHP Manny McElory (1-0, 9.00) who has been out since the third week of the season with a torn rib cage in his back is expected back for the Oral Robert series. McElroy was a former junior college All-American at Bakersfield City College last year. He was on the roster last week at UC Irvine
Boyd is It Tough: After having arguably the toughest schedule in Division-I baseball last season, LBSU gets the dubious honor again, as according to Boyds World, the Dirtbags strength of schedule was No. 1 nationally to begin the year.
You Don't See That Everyday: The team's three-straight one-run games in one series is a rarity, and maybe even a first. Since 1980 (the team's recorded history), LBSU has played three-straight one-run games just three times, 1996 against Washington State, Pepperdine and Ohio State and in 1985 and 1981.
There's a First: 1B Brandon Godfrey and SS Danny Espinosa became the first set of teammates to each have five hits in a game when they did so on March 11 at Arizona State as part of a 23-hit attack.
And Your Name is?: After seeing 35 players head off to professional baseball over the last four seasons, this year's team is very young, featuring 21 underclassmen. Two of those sophomores, shortstop Danny Espinosa and righthander Vance Worley, are two of the Big West's top prospects for the 2008 draft. Another sophomore, designated hitter Shane Peterson, is the program's top returning hitter (.328). The pitching staff features seven freshmen and five sophomores.
Best Young Talent: Baseball America put out its annual list of top-100 young players and Long Beach State alums, Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki are in the publciation's top-15. Longoria, who ended 2006 in Double-A after being taken third overall in 2006, is rated as the seventh-best young prospect, while Colorado Rockies shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki, is No. 15.
Major League Talent: Long Beach State Baseball,which has produced 28 Major Leaguers all-time, had 13 former players in The Show last year, amongst the most in Division-I baseball. Since 1999, according to Baseball America's research, LBSU has had the eighth-most Major Leaguers (18).
Organized Talent: Eight former players are amongst their organization's top-30 prospects. Not including Rockie shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki, who is the top prospect in that organization, 2006 first round pick, Evan Longoria is No. 2 in Tampa Bay and former lefthanded reliever, Steve Hammond, is No. 7 in Milwaukee. Among others: in the top-20 are Cesar Ramos (No.10 in San Diego), Andrew Carpener (No. 17 in Philadelphia), Paul McAnulty (No. 18 in San Diego) and Brian Anderson (No. 19 in San Francisco).
First is Always Best: According to Baseball America, since 1999, the Long Beach State program has produced the fourth-most first round picks (Crosby, Weaver, Tulowitzki, Longoria), being only outdistanced by Stanford (6), Rice (5) and USC (5). The first three have all made the Majors, while Longoria finished off his first professional season in Double-A.
Post-Season Success: Since the birth of Dirtbag Baseball in 1989, the program has reached four College World Series, two Super Regionals and 15 NCAA Regionals. Despite missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six seasons in 2006, the Dirtbags have reached more College World Series then all but nine other programs since 1989. As part of Baseball America's research, they placed the Dirtbags at No. 15 nationally based on the program's success from 1999 to the present (the expansion to the 64-team field).
Video Killed the Radio Star: EA Sports came out with their latest edition of its MVP 2007 College Baseball Game and Angels rookie and former National Player of the Year (and alum) Jered Weaver is on the cover. Weaver won his first nines starts as a Major Leaguer.
Dirbags Picked in the Middle of the Pack: According to the conference's coaches, LBSU is picked as the fourth-best squad in the Big West. Baseball America agrees with that assestment, while Rivals.com has LBSU ranked third.
On the Air and on the Net: Every game this season will be over the internet at www.longbeachstate.com. The games will also be available through CSTV's Gametracker software and CSTV's Webcast software. The webcast will be a static camera behind home plate as fans can see the action at Blair Field and on a given Tuesday night can open their front doors to really feel like they are at the friendly confines.
Baseball to Endow Scholarship for Coach: The baseball program is in the process of endowing a scholarship named after former Head Coach Bob Wuesthoff (1964-69), who led the 49ers to their first conference title in 1964. The seven-man committee of former players and coaches, led by LBSU's first coach John McConnell has already raised over $120,000 en route to $150,000 over five years. Those interested can call (562) 985-4662 for more information.
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