Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags travel to San Diego State, Pacific
4/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 21, 2009
Long Beach, Calif. -
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Under The Bright Lights
The Dirtbags, while having played on local television before, get their first National exposure of the 2009 season on the road Tuesday when the team plays San Diego State. Carried on CBS College Sports, the Dirtbags will look to avenge a April 7 loss to the Aztecs, a 4-3 defeat at Blair Field. The Aztecs have become a national storyline due to head coach Tony Gywnn along with ace Stephen Strasburg, the hard-throwing righty presumed to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft.
Leading Off
Following Long Beach State's time in San Diego, the team will make another trip, heading north to Stockton, Calif. to take on Pacific in a three-game Big West series. The team's will play two evening contests starting at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday before closing out the series Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games can be followed by live stats, audio or video through www.longbeachstate.com .
Scouting San Diego State
San Diego State's national stock dropped slightly after a Mountain West series loss on the road at New Mexico. Regardless, the Aztecs still rank No. 19 in the latest Baseball America poll and remain in the mix primarily due to Stephen Strasburg. The right-hander won again on Friday to improve to 8-0 with 121 strikeouts on the season. Offensively, the team is led by Erik Castro, hitting ,378 with seven home runs and 35 RBI, trailed closely by Cory Vaughn, hitting .324 with seven home runs and 37 RBI.
Long Beach State vs. the Aztecs
One of the rare series that Long Beach State trails, San Diego State holds a 44-76-1 advantage over the life of the series. Long Beach State has one more recently, holding a 17-9 record in the Dirtbag era, but lost the last matchup between the teams earlier this year. The Aztecs scored two runs in the first inning, and after Long Beach State tied the game twice, the Aztecs put a run across in the ninth to get a 4-3 win. Catcher John Hill led the 49ers in their effort in that game, going 3-for-4, while Brandon Meredith had 3 RBI for SDSU.
Scouting Pacific
Pacific has quietly put together a quality season, with a 7-5 record in conference, currently good for third place behind UC Irvine and Cal Poly. The Tigers are hitting .316 as a team and are led by Nick Longmire and Kurt Wideman who start the week just under .400 at .395 and .381 respectively.
Long Beach State vs. the Tigers
Long Beach State holds a large advantage in the series, winning 69-21 and has won 58-7 since 1989, dominating their conference opponent. That held true las season as well, as the Dirtbags pounded out a series sweep at Blair, winning 10-3, 14-13, and 7-6.
Keeping It Small
Dirtbag Baseball has always been about doing the little things, and Long Beach State has filled its quota this year. In the most recent NCAA statistics, Long Beach State is 14th in the nation in stolen bases with 80, and is 10th in the country in sacrifice bunts with 41 on the year. Just halfway through the year, the team already has their sights set on the Long Beach State stolen base record, 123 bags in 1980.
Wilk's Gem
Junior pitcher Adam Wilk was named the Big West Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 13-20 as announced by the conference office Monday. The Big West honored the left-hander after an impressive performance in Long Beach State's 1-0 win over Cal State Northridge last Friday. Wilk pitched eight scoreless innings while striking out six, giving up just four hits and retiring the last 12 batters he faced.
Defeating the Matadors
The Dirtbags earned a second conference series win, beating Cal State Northridge in two of three games. Wilk's performance in the opener gave Long Beach State the first win, and after a 3-1 loss in game two, Jordan Casas' three RBI helped the Dirtbags win 5-2. Casas hit .500 on the week, and also stole four bases to help Long Beach State to a 3-1 record, including a Monday win over Pepperdine.
The Truly Big West
The Big West is living up to its reputation as one of the best college baseball conferences in the nation. UC Irvine became the second team in the conference this season to be ranked No. 1, and the league currently has three teams ranked with the Anteaters, Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly.
Around The League
UC Irvine swept UC Riverside to maintain a three-game lead in the standings at 11-1, ahead of Cal Poly at 8-4. Long Beach State is currently in sixth place, but will have an opportunity to move up against Pacific. The Dirtbags lead the league in stolen bases with 80, their top category, and individually, Casas is third with 17 steals and Wilk's 2.61 ERA also ranks third.
