Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags Finish Home Schedule This Week
5/13/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 13, 2013
Long Beach, Calif. -
Leading Off
Long Beach State continues its final homestand of the season by hosting Pepperdine at 6 p.m. this Tuesday. The Dirtbags then close out their home schedule by hosting UC Riverside over the weekend. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m., with a Saturday game set for 2 p.m. before a final 1 p.m. start on Sunday. All Dirtbag games can be followed through live audio or Gametracker at www.longbeachstate.com.
Bounce Back
The Dirtbags went 3-1 last week, beating the Waves on the road in Malibu on Tuesday before taking their first Big West series with Hawaii over the weekend. Junior Jeff McNeil led Long Beach State on the week, hitting .625 (10-for-16) with six runs scored and four stolen bases, while Juan Avila drove in five RBI on the week. Other highlights included the start Friday by junior Shane Carle, who finished the first complete game for Long Beach State on the season. Going the distance, Carle scattered seven hits and allowed two runs while striking out seven in a 6-2 win.
Senior Spotlight
Sunday marks the final home game for Long Beach State's four seniors, all four of whom have had big roles in 2013. Third baseman Juan Avila is second on the team with 24 RBI despite missing 12 games, and Zach Miller has started 18 games behind the dish for LBSU in 2013. Among the pitching staff, southpaw Landon Hunt leads the team with 23 appearances out of the bullpen, while Eddie Magallon, who along with Avila is a four-year letterwinner, has 12 saves entering the week in his Dirtbag career while posting a 3.45 ERA during the 2013 season.
Scouting Pepperdine
Pepperdine has a similar record to the Dirtbags, making the return trip to Blair Field with a 24-23 overall record. Catcher Kolten Yamaguchi leads the team offensively with a .312 batting average with four home runs, while Austin Davidson is hitting .310 and slugging .484 with six homers. Eric Karch, who took the start last Tuesday in Long Beach State's 5-3 win over the Waves will be on the mound again for Pepperdine. With that win, the Dirtbags now hold a 66-61-2 edge in the all-time series, one of the closest among all teams. Jeff McNeil led the Dirtbags last week with three hits, while Juan Avila drove in a pair of runs.
Jekyll And Hyde
With 49 games played, the Dirtbags have two streaks that stands out; Long Beach State has had relative success against right-handed starters, going 19-14 overall on the year, but has gone 5-11 in games against left-handed starters, accounting for the team's sub-.500 record entering the week. The overall average of the team has been similar against left-handed hitting, but that success has not transferred into victories. In another similar split, the Dirtbags have welcomed playing at Blair Field, going 19-10 overall, but are 5-15 on the road this season.
Scheduling The Best
With seven games remaining on the 2013 slate, the Dirtbags' strength of schedule is still in the nation's top ten, ranking No. 9, according to boydsworld.com. The Dirtbags have now played nine games against two teams currently ranked in the Top 5 and faced five ranked foes in total before the beginning of Big West play. Vanderbilt and Cal State Fullerton are both in the Top 5, while UCLA, Arizona State and Arizona are all still in the rankings this week. The Dirtbags have one final series against a ranked opponent, finishing the season on the road against UC Irvine, ranked No. 25 by the coaches this week.
Snake Bit
Long Beach State started the season with three players out for the year, and has had more bad luck recently, losing two .300 hitters in Michael Hill and Richard Prigatano to injuries. Starting the season, Johnny Bekakis was ineligible, and Ryan Strufing and Kyle Friedrichs were injured, leaving the Dirtbags without three returning All-Big West selections from a season ago, as Strufing and Friedrichs were second-team selections as pitchers and Bekakis was an honorable mention as an outfielder. Two current candidates for awards are also now out for Long Beach State, as Hill broke an ankle at UCLA on April 23, and Prigatano was lost for the remainder of the season at Cal State Fullerton with another break.
