* Beach Host Tony Gwynn's Aztecs on Tuesday
* Final Five Weekends Feature Big West Opponents
* Beach Settle in with No. 4 RPI in the Land, Winners of 9 of 12
April 23, 2007 Record: 23-14 Big West: 4-2 | High Rank: No. 26th (Coaches Poll)
vs. Ranked Teams: 13-11 PDF VERSION OF THE RELEASE
Beach Host SDSU, Return to Big West Play: The No. 26-ranked Dirtbags (23-14, 4-2 Big West) will close out a 13-game home stand on Tuesday against Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn's San Diego State Aztecs (27-17) at 6:30 p.m., before returning to Big West play this weekend when they travel to Pacific (10-31-1, 0-9 Big West) on Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. Tuesday's game will feature Manny McElroy (2-1, 6.75) for LBSU against RHP Charles Nolte (0-0, 9.00). On the weekend, expect some assembalance of LHP Omar Arif (2-5, 2.96), RHP Andrew Liebel (5-2, 1.95) and LHP Shane Peterson (2-1, 2.55) against a set rotation of RHP Jake Wild (1-6, 7.27), LHP Curtis Pasma (0-4, 4.14) and RHP Hunter Carnevale (2-5, 5.43). This weekend will begin a five-week push to end the regular season as 15 of the team's final 17 games are against Big West opponents. The Beach have won nine of 12 heading into the week, playing the toughest schedule in the nation, which has featured 24 games against top-25 opponents. LBSU enters the week with the conference's top ERA, and are one of four teams within two games at the halfway point of first place Cal Poly and CS Fullerton. UPCOMING SCHEDULE
TUESDAY
vs. San Diego State, Blair Field
6:30 p.m.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY-SUNDAY
at Pacific, Stockton, CA
2 p.m. | 1 p.m. | 1 p.m.
ABOUT THE AZTECS (27-17)
BA: 302.; ERA: 3.93; FLD: .958
The former Pacific Coast Athletic Association opponents are currently second, behind TCU, in the Mountain West, at 11-4... SDSU has won five straight and 10 of their last 13... 3B Nick Romero leads the club with a .359 average, while C Frank Lonigro is batting .333 with a team-best six homers and 34 RBIs... Lonigro also has a team-best 13 doubles... Stephen Strasburg has a 1-1 record and 2.36 ERA out fo the pen with seven saves... former LBSU pitcher, Donnie Hume (4-2, 3.07) is a starter on the team, while former LBSU walk-on Brandon Decker is starter in the outfield.
SERIES NOTES: LBSU leads the all-time series since 1989, 6-2 and are 18-16 since 1980 against the program... they have played three times since 2004, with LBSU winning two of three, including a split last year and a win in 2004 when Petco Park opened in San Diego.
ABOUT THE TIGERS (10-31-1, 0-9)
BA: 262.; ERA: 6.25; FLD: .948
The Tigers, who have been depleted by injury and team suspension have lost 14 of their last 17... leading slugger, OF Justin Baum continues to torment opponent pitching, tallying a team-best seven home runs and 28 RBIs, while batting a team-best .363... spot starter, Curtis Pasma has the lowest ERA at 4.14 and an 0-4 record, while Joey Centani is 0-5 wiht a 4.32 ERA in six starts... Ed Sprague's Tigers are playing in a new ballpark this year, built on campus and named Klein Family Field.
SERIES NOTES: LBSU is 52-7 against the Tigers since 1989... Since 2000, LBSU is 20-1 against UOP.
On-Deck: The Beach come home to host surprising up-start and current Big West leader, Cal Poly for a three-game series starting on May 4.
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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 dropped to No. 26 in the coaches poll. The team's RPI was No. 1 for the week of March 20. It is now No. 4. LBSU has been in the top-30 for the entire season.
LAST WEEK
LMU Escapes in Extra Innings: Despite loading the bases in the bottom of the 11th, LMU escaped with a 6-5 Tuesday night victory as the two teams combined to leave 32 runners on base. LBSU was playing without half of its starting infield (Godfrey and Espinosa), but still managed to get six men on base.
Dirtbags Take Series with Scappy Aggies: The No. 25-ranked Dirtbags took two of three from a very scrappy UC Davis squad (W 6-5, L 4-6, W 9-6) in their final non-conference weekend of the year. On Friday, LBSU built up an early 6-1 lead as Omar Arif picked up his first win since February 4, before Bryan Shaw finally closed it out after UCD tallied one in the ninth. On Saturday, it was LBSU's turn to come up just short, as Brad McAtee shut down the LBSU offense for eight innings, before The Beach tagged Eddie Gamboa for two runs in the ninth and put the go-ahead run to the plate. On Sunday, LBSU pounded out 17 hits as every starter had at least one and Shane Peterson (13 games) and Robert Perry (15 games) each extended their hit streaks throughout the weekend. Matt Cline finished off a solid week with four-straight multi-hit games.
TEAM NOTES
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.
Worley to Miss More Time: Friday night starter Vance Worley (1-1, 3.40) is projected to miss a majority of time after injuring his elbow in a start against Oral Roberts. Worley was originally only to miss two starts, but now is projected to be out until early May.
Godfrey Out as Well: Starting first baseman Brandon Godfrey is slated to be out until early May with a broken wrist suffered during the CS Northridge series. Godfrey is batting .290 on the season in 26 starts at first.
Espinosa Returns: The disabled list got a little smaller with the return of Big West Freshman of the Year, SS Danny Espinosa, who played for the first time in six games during the weekend series against UC Davis. Espinosa, who ranks amongst Big West leaders in slugging (.517) and on-base (.428), is batting .319 on the year.
Streaking Forward: The Beach have a few Dirtbags with extended hit streaks to enter the week. Robert Perry enters the week with a 15-game hit streak, as his average has settled at .311, while Shane Peterson's 13-game hit streak has made his 3-for-38 start a distant memory, as he is now batting .295 on the year with 20 RBIs (third on the team). Both were second team All-Big West selections last year.
Bullpen Aces: Despite the fact that Dirtbag starters have combined for just seven wins this year, the relief core has more than made up for the difference. With a conference-leading 3.38 ERA and a top-20 national ERA as well, relievers Bryan Shaw (1.74), Andrew Liebel (1.95) and David Roberts (2.49) have combined for a 12-4 record.
Cline Pushes Forward: Senior second baseman Matt Cline has made some noise as of late, pushing across six multi-hit games over a current eight-game hit streak, while raising his batting average to a team-best .342 on the year.
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.
Something to Consider: With 23 wins this season, LBSU has done so without its starting centerfielder (Chris Nelson) for five weeks, without two thirds of its starting rotation for parts of the year (McElroy-six weeks, Worley-at least a month), a starting first baseman (Godfrey-out at least three weeks) and a shortstop (Espinosa-six games). And at the end of the day, LBSU has been ranked in the top-30 all year with the toughest schedule in the nation.
Versatility: The Beach have used a number of players in different roles over the past few years, leading to the team's added depth. Consider 3B Taylor Krick is a converted catcher, OF TJ Mittelstaedt was a prep infielder, 1B Brandon Godfrey was a high school shortstop, and junior college transfers 2B Matt Cline, and SS/3B Jason Tweedy were both shortstops at their last level. Shane Peterson was a prep centerfielder, pitcher and first baseman, who has pitched, played left and first while at LBSU.
Time to Project: Baseball America came out with its first prediction for the NCAA Regional, and it has LBSU going to Stillwater, OK as the third seed against Texas Christian, Oral Roberts and host Oklahoma State. LBSU has played six of Baseball America's top-16 seeds and two of its eight national seeds (Rice and Texas). Sebaseball.com projected their picks on April 10 with LBSU headed to Tucson to face the Wildcats, Illinois-Chicago and Texas Tech. Rivals.com had The Beach hosting on April 16, a regional featuring UCLA, San Diego and LA Tech.
Solid Against the Best: According to Boyd's World's latest RPI projections, LBSU has an RPI of four and is a combined 10-10 against opponents with RPIs of 30 or better. LBSU is an impressive 8-2 against the Pac-10.
Making the Club: LBSU had eight players in the Majors to start the year. Former first round pick Troy Tulowitzki is 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 both made the Padres following strong springs.
Barn Storming: According to research done by the Daily Breeze, LBSU currently has 21 former players in the minor leagues to start the season. Amongst those in Triple-A are: Abe Alvarez (Red Sox), Mike Gallo (Rockies), Jeremy Reed (Mariners), Kasey Olenberger (Angels) and Jason Vargas (Mets).
Winning it Late: Nine times this season LBSU has won a game in their last at-bat. Second baseman Matt Cline has done it twice (at Rice in the 11th inning and last weekend versus Oral Roberts in the ninth). The team has also seen game-winning hits from Bobby McMurray (Texas), Brian Capon (Texas, two), Jason Corder (Cal), Brandon Godfrey (Wichita State) and Steve Tinoco (CS Fullerton).
Scheduling Changes: The team's home game against UC Riverside has been moved up an hour to 1 p.m. to accommodate LBSU's annual fund raiser that night, Jewels of the Night.
Getting Older by the Minute: LBSU is a combined 9-8 in one-run games this season and have won four of six games in extra innings (top-10 ranked Rice and Texas and lastly against Pepperdine). The entire Wichita State series was decided by single runs each game.
OLDER TIDBITS OF WISDOM
Comeback Kids: The Dirtbags have already come back from two seven-run deficits this year (at Pepperdine and against Texas). They won both of those games in extra innings, two of five extra inning games this season.
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.
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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