Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags begin fall practice, prep for the 2011 season
10/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 8, 2010
Long Beach, Calif. - First-year head coach Troy Buckley and the Long Beach State baseball team begin their work for the 2011 season as practice for the full team officially begins today.
Long Beach State welcomes back 14 players from the 2010 squad and have brought in 24 new players as competition begins for the roster spots and starting jobs for the 2011 squad. Full information on all players is available here.
The Dirtbags bring back four starters from the 2010 season. Second-team All-Big West starting pitcher Andrew Gagnon is slated to reprise his role as the team's ace, after posting a 3.28 ERA and 65 strikeouts. Gagnon is also coming off of a strong summer ball performance, where he tied for the Cape Cod League lead in wins and was selected as the starting pitcher for the league's All-Star Game, held in Fenway Park.
Also returning from the rotation is redshirt junior Branden Pinder, who tied with Gagnon for the team lead with 15 starts. The 49ers bring back two field starters in outfielder Brennan Metzger and infielder Kirk Singer. Metzger started in 52 games for the Dirtbags, and had a team-high 19-game hitting streak as well as leading the team in doubles. He was also plunked 20 times, ranking among the national leaders and helping hit to a .409 OBP on the year. Singer was a surprise breakout player for the Dirtbags, hitting .315 with five home runs while making 37 starts at four different positions.
Other returners include sophomore Matt Duffy, who started 20 games down the stretch for Long Beach State in the infield, as well as a pair of sophomore relievers in Nate Underwood and Eddie Magallon, who combined for nine starts during the season.
