Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags host Arizona for three games this weekend
2/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 23, 2011
Long Beach, Calif. -
Complete Baseball Release in PDF Format 
Leading Off
Long Beach State gets its first two days off after four straight games before taking on another ranked foe in No. 17 Arizona at Blair Field over the weekend with a slightly different schedule, playing Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. The Saturday game time was changed to accommodate fans wishing to attend both the Dirtbags game as well as the Men's Basketball game on Saturday evening. All four games can be followed via gametracker or live audio through www.longbeachstate.com.
The Rubber Game
The Dirtbags split the first two games of the season with Cal State Fullerton, setting up a third game Monday to win the series as the Friday night contest was rescheduled after getting rained out. In the opener on the road at Fullerton, defending Big West Pitcher of the Year Noe Ramirez outlasted Long Beach State's candidate, Andrew Gagnon, in an outstanding pitchers duel, winning 2-1. The Dirtbags struck first, scoring a single run in the first inning, but after six scoreless innings, the Titans pushed across a pair to get the win. The following day at Blair Field, it was the Dirtbags' turn to mount a comeback. Trailing 4-0, Long Beach State pulled to within two at 4-2, and then put up a five-spot in the sixth inning on the way to an 8-5 win. Matt Duffy had three RBI singles, setting career highs for the sophomore in both categories while driving in the first two runs and the go-ahead run on Sunday.
Scouting Arizona
Strong starting pitching has been the key for Arizona over the last year, leaning on right-handers Kurt Heyer, Kyle Simon and Tyler Hale for a return to the Top 25 for the Wildcats. In the first three games of the season, the Wildcats crushed the North Dakota State Bison at home, so Arizona will get their first true test of the season against the Dirtbags. Long Beach State had great success in Tucson, Ariz. last season against the Wildcats, winning the first two games of the series before the finale was rained out. The Dirtbags rallied on Friday night to defeat the Wildcats in 2010, scoring four runs over the final four innings to beat Arizona 8-7, and then the next day had one of their best and most efficient scoring days of the season in a 10-3 win over Arizona, defeating Simon as the Wildcats used the same rotation last season. The two wins for Long Beach State evened up the all-time series with Arizona at 19-19, but in the Dirtbag era, things have been heavily slanted in favor of LBSU, with the Dirtbags winning 17 of 21 games.
Top Of The Lineup
Four games into the season, the top four spots of the Dirtbag lineup have been completely stable, with each player meeting the specific roles of each spot. Junior Brennan Metzger has a team-high .500 on-base percentage and a .364 batting average in the leadoff spot, and has been moved over successfully by a classic push-along batter in Jeff McNeil, who has four sacrifice hits in four games in 2011. Holding down the three and four spots in the lineup are infielder Matt Duffy and ultility player Mike Marjama. Duffy and Marjama have both picked up at least one hit in every game this season, and each have identical .375 batting averages through the first four games of the season.
Fresh Faces
With just 12 returning players from the 2010 squad, Long Beach State's team has the newest look of any squad since the original Dirtbag team under Dave Snow in 1989. Long Beach State brings back one redshirt and welcomes in five junior college transfers and 17 freshman, looking to build immediately from new head coach Troy Buckley's initial recruiting class. JC transfers Shawn Stuart and Matt Johnson will be in the rotation to begin the year, and third baseman/catcher Mike Marjama will be counted on to help shore up the middle of the Dirtbag lineup. Among the freshman, Moore League MVP Jeff Yamaguchi will compete for a starting job immediately at first-base with Ino Patron, another freshman, replacing departed senior Steve Tinoco. Also starting as a freshman is Jeff McNeil, who has anchored the No. 2 spot in the lineup in the early part of the season.
