* Dirtbags Headed Out on Five-Game Road Trip
* Beach In First Place in the Big West
* Beach to Play on National TV, CSTV, Winners of 8 in a Row
May 7, 2007 PDF VERSION Record: 30-14 Big West: 10-2 | High Rank: No. 16 (Collegiate Baseball)
vs. Ranked Teams: 13-11
The Beach Hits the Road: The No. 16-ranked Dirtbags (30-14, 10-2 Big West), winners of eight straight to begin the week, will head to San Diego State (27-25) in a nationally televised game on College Sports Television on Tuesday at 6 p.m., before heading to nemesis UC Santa Barbara (21-22, 9-6 Big West) from Friday through Sunday. Tuesday will feature LHP Omar Arif (3-5, 3.12) against RHP Charles Nolte (0-2, 7.90). LBSU will likely have RHP Manny McElroy (4-1, 3.79) and RHP Andrew Liebel (7-2, 2.47) starting on the weekend. The Beach have already surpassed their win total from last year, doing so with 15 underclassmen, while entering the week with a one game lead over UC Riverside in the conference standings. LBSU will play eight of their final 11 regular season games on the road, where they are 11-8 this season. The Dirtbags have also won against the toughest schedule in the country, going 13-11 against top-25 teams this season. UPCOMING SCHEDULE
TUESDAY (CSTV GAME)
at San Diego State, 6 p.m.
ABOUT THE AZTECS (27-25)
BA: 2.94.; ERA: 4.24; FLD: .961
The Aztecs enter Tuesday's game having lost eight straight starting with LBSU's 4-0 decision on April 24... SDSU had won the previous five straight... OF Pat Colwell leds the club with a .341 average, while 3B Nick Romero is batting .337 with a team-best 44 RBIs and six homers, five triples and 12 doubles... Stephen Strasburg has a 2.70 ERA in 22 appwarances, while AAron Brady has a 2.92 ERA... Tony Gwynn's club is 11-10 in the Mountain West after dropping two straight series at TCU and to UNLV.
SERIES NOTES: LBSU leads the all-time series since 1989 14-8, having won the earlier meeting this year 4-0 behind a three-hit shutout by Manny McElroy and Adam Wilk.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY-SUNDAY
at UC Santa Barbara
2 p.m. | 1 p.m. | 1 p.m.
ABOUT THE GAUCHOS (21-22, 9-6)
BA: 286.; ERA: 5.68; FLD: .965
Bob Brontsema's club is coming off a series win at CS Fullerton last weekend... UCSB heads into the weekend having won 10 of 14... they previously won a series at CS Northridge and sit two and a half games back of LBSU in the standings... 1B Robbie Blauer leads the club with 35 RBIs and a .389 average (second in the Big West), while OF Chris Fox is batting .327 with 31 runs and 22 RBIs... on the mound, Justin Segal has seven saves and a 4.06 ERA in 26 relief appearances... the starters have featured Miek Ford (2-1, 6.13) and Jeff Braun (2-6, 6.36) each wiht 10 starts, while Steve Morlock (3-5, 4.26) and Chuck Higgins (3-5, 4.26) have been in the mix.
SERIES NOTES: Since 1989, LBSU leads the all-time series 43-21, but have been a thorn in the Dirtbags side over the last few years... UCSB is 15-6 since 2000.
On-Deck: The Beach travel to Loyola Marymount on May 15, before hosting UC Riverside on May 18 in the final regular season home series. LBSU closes out the regular season at CS Fullerton.
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.
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 enter the week with a No. 16 ranking in Collegiate Baseball, No. 22 spot from world headquarters in Durham, NC and Baseball America and No. 23 in the Coaches Poll. This is the team's highest ranking of the season. LBSU has an RPI of No. 6 to enter the week. LBSU had a No. 1 RPI on March 20.
LAST WEEK
Dirtbags Knock Back Cal Poly: The Beach pounded out a .349 batting average as they distanced themselves from previous front-runner, Cal Poly, with a sweep (W 8-3, W 15-4, W 12-7). Shane Peterson extended his hit streak to 20 games following the weekend, while Travis Howell had a big week, going 5-for-10 and Matt Cline scored seven runs while batting .444. In the series opener Manny McElroy pitched seven strong innings, while Travis Howell drove in three of the five runs in the sixth. On Saturday, The Beach again broke the game open early, going up 7-0 early and never looking back. Andrew Liebel after a slow start, retired 15 of 17, before tiring in the seventh to pick up second win as a starter. On Sunday The Beach took the sweep as seven batters drove in at least one run. LBSU scored 10 runs in the sixth to come back from a 4-0 deficit and lead them to the sweep.
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. Weathers is five wins away from 500 career wins.
We've Played the Top-25: Maybe the best judge of the top-25 is Long Beach State, who has played nine current members of the top-26 and three additional teams who were ranked at some point during the season. Four of the opponents are currently ranked in the top-10, No. 3 Rice, No. 6 Texas, and No. 9 (depending on the poll) Arizona State and Wichita State. LBSU has split the four series against those opponents.
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. The team's senior day will be the next day.
Peterson Continues Streak: Sophomore Shane Peterson (Temecula) enters the week with a 20-game hit streak, as the utility player is now one of just nine 49ers to have a streak that long. Current Giants prospect, Todd Jennings, and former 1970's All-American hit in a record 28 straight games. Peterson has watch is average sky rocket after a 3-for-38 start, as he is now batting .324 with 28 runs and 31 RBIs.
One of the Top Double Play Combos?: Senior second baseman Matt Cline (Huntington Beach) and sophomore shortstop Danny Espinosa (Santa Ana) are making a run as one of the nation's top double play combos. Cline is batting a team-best .350 with 28 runs, while Espinosa has driven in 31 runs and scored 29 runs, while slugging at a .537 clip. Espinosa ranks amongst Big West leaders in slugging (.537), while Cline ranks amongst the conference's best in on-base percentage (.450).
Cline Amongst the Rankings: Senior second baseman Matt Cline (Huntington Beach) has produced the fifth-best on-base percentage (.450) in the Big West this season, thanks to a .350 average (eighth in the Big West), a conference-best 14 hit by pitches and 13 walks. Cline also ranks second in the Big West in sacrifice bunts (14).
Howell Takes Over Starting Job: Junior transfer Travis Howell (Los Gatos) has taken over the starting job behind the plate over the last three weeks. The beginning of the year saw LBSU rotate between Howell, Brian Capon and Kip Masuda, with each batting below .200. Howell has been on a hot streak as of late, as he is now batting .288 in 23 starts.
Getting Hot at the Right Time: In Big West play, three players are batting over .400 over in Big West play led by freshman TJ Mittelstaedt (.481) and his 14 walks, Travis Howell and his .452 average at catcher and Shane Peterson's .420 hitting clip. Four other players are batting over .300.
Perry Moves from Leadoff to Middle: Senior outfielder Robert Perry (Sunnyvale), with the emergence of TJ Mittelstaedt from the top of the order, has moved into the middle of the lineup and has continued to pay off. He leads the club with 34 runs and has driven in a team-best 31 runs, after driving in six last Saturday against Cal Poly. Perry is batting .311 to enter the week as the only player to start all 44 games.
McElroy Back to Normal: RHP Manny McElroy, who missed six weeks (strained rib cage in back), may finally getting back to normal, as he went seven strong innings on Friday against Cal Poly. McElroy is now 4-1 on the season with a 3.79 ERA. He is 3-1 since returning from injury in early April. McElroy is 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA over six appearances and five starts since the start of Big West play.
Liebel Earns Starting Role: After 54 career relief appearances, Andrew Liebel (Pomona) has been solid in his first two career starts. At Pacific, he went into the eighth to pick up the win, while last Saturday, he pitched six scoreless innings, before tiring in the seventh. Liebel has gone 7-2 overall, winning twice as a starter, with a 2.47 ERA. Liebel has a team-best 69.1 innings pitched.
Pitching Staff By Committee: The Dirtbags have won a number of games because of their bullpen, leading them to one of the nation's top-20 ERAs (3.39). Bryan Shaw (4), Andrew Liebel (5), David Roberts (3) have combined for 12 wins from the bullpen all with ERAs under 3.00. Adam Wilk has an additional three wins with a 3.67 ERA over 18 appearances.
Worley and Godfrey Remain Out: 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 until mid May. Starting first baseman Brandon Godfrey is slated to be out until mid-May as well with a broken wrist suffered during the CS Northridge series. Godfrey is batting .290 on the season in 26 starts at first. The cast was taken off during the week of April 30.
Time to Project, Again: According to the lasted pundits, LBSU will host Fresno State, Pepperdine and Oklahoma State in one regional, according to Rivals.com, while Sebaseball.com has LBSU hosting Fresno State, UCLA and Wake Forest. LBSU last hosted an NCAA Regional in 2005. Baseball America also had The Beach hosting UCLA, Oral Roberts and Manhattan.
Something to Consider: With 30 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.
Winning it Late: 10 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, too), Jason Corder (Cal), Brandon Godfrey (Wichita State), Taylor Krick (Pacific) and Steve Tinoco (CS Fullerton).
Getting Older by the Minute: LBSU is a combined 9-8 in one-run games this season and have won five of seven 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. Two games have gone 14 innings.
OLDER TIDBITS OF WISDOM
How About This 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. On April 29, LBSU did it again when TJ Mittelstaedt and Shane Peterson have five hits a piece as part of a 22-hit attack at Pacific.
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.
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.
How about That: Dirtbag alum, Troy Tulowitzki, became the 13th Major Leaguer all-time to turn an unassisted triple play, when he did so against the Braves on April 29. Tulowitzki is in his first season as the starting shortstop for the Rockies.
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).
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.
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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