Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags Travel To Play Pepperdine On Tuesday
5/6/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 6, 2013
Long Beach, Calif. -
Leading Off
Long Beach State will start its final midweek series on Tuesday, playing at Pepperdine on May 7 at 3 p.m. before the Waves return to Blair Field next week. Sandwiched inbetween those two games, the Dirtbags will host new Big West member Hawai'i for three games at Blair Field. That series will begin Friday at 6 p.m., continue Saturday at 2 p.m., and then finish on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. All Dirtbag games can be followed through live audio or Gametracker at www.longbeachstate.com.
A Step Back
The Dirtbags had a tough challenge in store for them, traveling to No. 4 Cal State Fullerton, but Long Beach State was unable to pick up a win in three chances at Goodwin Field and slipped to .500 in Big West play following their final series with the Titans. Long Beach State had two solid chances, falling in a one-run game on Friday 3-2 before dropping a 2-1 decision on Saturday despite a phenomenal pitching performance from Jake Stassi. The series then concluded with a 9-4 defeat at the hands of the Titans on Sunday. Prior to the series, however, the Dirtbags had won nine of their last 12 games, and will look to return to that form in the upcoming week. Over the last ten games, the Dirtbags have been led by a trio of active players, with leadoff batter Jeff McNeil hitting .378, followed by Ino Patron at .350 and one of the season's breakout players, second baseman Colton Vaughn, who is hitting .345 in the team's last ten games and had three hits, including a double and triple in last Friday's game at Cal State Fullerton.
Scouting Pepperdine
Pepperdine enters Tuesday's game with a record over .500 at 23-20, and are 14-10 this season at Eddy Field Stadium. Kolten Yamaguchi leads the offense with a .317 average, but the team's strength has been in its pitching with a 3.54 ERA overall. In one of Long Beach State's closest all-time series, the Dirtbags hold a 65-61-2 edge, but lost both meetings with the Waves last season, including a 12-2 loss in Malibu a year ago.
Jekyll And Hyde
With 45 games played, the Dirtbags have two streaks that stands out; Long Beach State has had relative success against right-handed starters, going 16-13 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 17-9 overall, but are now 4-15 on the road this season.
Scheduling The Best
Despite the three losses, Long Beach State's series last weekend bumped the team's Strength of Schedule all the way to No. 5 in the nation, 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. 23 by the coaches this week.
MLB Update
2008 Long Beach State All-American Shane Peterson was called up by the Oakland Athletics on April 16, giving the Dirtbags 12 former players in Major League Baseball during the 2013 season. Long Beach State has four former All-Stars playing this season, as Jason Giambi extends his career with the Cleveland Indians, while Evan Longoria (TB), Jered Weaver (LAA) and Troy Tulowitzki (COL) are all having solid seasons with their current clubs. Other current big-leaguers include Jason Vargas (LAA), Marco Estrada (MIL), Danny Espinosa (WAS), Vance Worley (MIN), Bryan Shaw (CLE), Jared Hughes (PIT) and Cesar Ramos (TB). Long Beach State has had the most former players active in Major League Baseball since the 2010 season.
