Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags travel to LMU, UNLV this week
3/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 15, 2010
Long Beach, Calif. -
Complete Baseball Release in PDF Format 
Leading Off
Long Beach State, after playing nine straight games at home, travels for the first time in weeks with a four games on the road this week. The team starts with an afternoon game on Tuesday, March 16 against LMU before travelling to UNLV for a three-game set with the Rebels over the weekend. Game times in Vegas begin with a 6 p.m. start for the Friday night tilt before a pair of 1 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday. Check back with www.longbeachstate.com for more information, audio and gametracker for all four games.
Shocking the Shockers
The Dirtbags took their second series of the young season, winning two games over the weekend against Wichita State. Andrew Gagnon struck out 12, part of a 14-K effort from the Long Beach State pitching staff, but Wichita State hit hard when they made contact in an 8-0 Friday night loss for the Dirtbags. The Beach rallied in the next two games, scoring four runs in the eighth inning to come back for a 7-4 win Saturday night. Then the team took a 7-1 lead on the way to a 7-3 win as Branden Pinder earned his first win of the year, allowing one run over seven innings of work. The series win evened Long Beach State's record to 3-3 against ranked opponents, as the Shockers entered the week at No. 21 in the nation.
Gonzo for Gagnon
Sophomore righty Andrew Gagnon has taken over Friday night pitching duties after a trio of solid starts. In his first start, Gagnon took the loss in a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Oregon, striking out four and giving up two earned runs. Since then, Gagnon has pitched two beauties in Dirtbag wins. In Tucson, Gagnon pitched six innings of four-hit ball and had plenty of backing in a 10-3 win. Then, in his best start to date, Gagnon went the distance in a 3-1 victory, allowing three hits and one unearned run. His latest start resulted in a loss, but Gagnon struck out a career-high 12 batters, a mark that is the highest in the last two seasons for a Dirtbag hurler.
Terdo Heating Up
Junior Joey Terdoslavich had a slow start to the season but has come on lately, earning Big West Player of the Week honors after a huge week in leading Long beach State to a 3-1 record. Terdoslavich started the week with a pinch-hit game-winning single against San Diego State, and then piled up two doubles, five RBI and seven hits against Wichita State to lead the Dirtbags past the No. 21 team in the nation. On the week, Terdoslavich hit .615 and had two games with three hits. He also became the second Dirtbag to be honored by the conference, joining Steve Tinoco who was selected as the Player of the Week following the Arizona series.
Scouting Loyola Marymount
Long Beach State plays a familiar opponent Tuesday, as the Dirtbags have an 80-43-2 overall record against the Lions, and have a 33-11 record over the last 20 years. LMU has struggled so far in 2010, posting a 4-10 record including a 1-6 mark at Page Field, the site of Tuesday's contest. The Lions have been held to .268 hitting overall while the staff holds a 6.51 team ERA. Tuesday's starter, Alex Gillingham, leads the team with a 2.81 ERA, while Jonathan Johnson is the team's top hitter with a .356 average. The Dirtbags had a pair of wins over the Lions last season.
Scouting UNLV
Tracking TJ
Senior right fielder TJ Mittelstaedt is on track enter the Long Beach State top five in a number of categories, and has a good shot at breaking the Dirtbag record in a couple categories. Mittelstaedt, with two triples on the year, is just one away from tying Don Anderson's (1962-64) career record for triples with 16. Also within reach is the school's walks record, where Mittelstaedt, with 88, is now fourth after passing former major leaguer Terrmell Sledge. He has one more big leaguer to measure up to at the top of the list in Jason Giambi, the school's record-holder with 116. Mittelstaedt is also nearing the Top 10 in games played, with 155 in his career.
Watching the Weather
Head Coach Mike Weathers is approaching two major career milestones in 2010. With 5 more wins, the skipper picks up win number 300 as the head coach of the Dirtbags. Additionally, 26 more wins over the course of the season will tally up to 600 career wins for Weathers in his 20th year as a head coach of the Dirtbags, Utah and Chapman.
Last Tuesday
Long Beach State's opening half of a two-game home-and-home weekday series with San Diego State went the way of the Dirtbags in a 4-3 lead. Using six pitchers in a staff day, the Dirtbags held San Diego State to three runs, getting two innings from starter Eddie Magallon before turning to the bullpen. Nate Underwood picked up the win for the Dirtbags, throwing three innings of two-hit ball, and David Brown converted his first save opportunity in part with a well-timed pickoff for the second out of the inning.
Schedule Strength
As of this week, the Dirtbags RPI had moved up to 37th, courtesy in large part to a schedule that rated the ninth-strongest through this part of the season. The schedule had a No. 7 strength rating entering the year, and has lived up to its billing, as the Dirtbags have played six ranked opponents in 14 games, spltting them down the middle 3-3. Additionally, Arizona and Oregon have both started receiving votes after Long Beach State had played both squads.
