Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags Open Seven-Game Homestand By Hosting Hawai'i
5/8/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 8, 2013
Long Beach, Calif. -
Leading Off
The Dirtbags welcome Hawai'i to Blair Field for the first Big West series between the teams as Long Beach State kicks off its final homestand of the season. Blair Field will be the site for Long Beach State's next seven games, starting Friday against the Rainbows at 6 p.m. The series then continues Saturday with a 2 p.m. start before finishing at 1 p.m. on Sunday. All Dirtbag games can be followed through live audio or Gametracker at www.longbeachstate.com.
Bounce Back
Long Beach State played the first half of a two-game home and home midweek series with Pepperdine Tuesday, and rallied from a tough weekend against No. 4 Cal State Fullerton to snap a losing streak, beating the Waves 5-3. Junior Jeff McNeil led the offense with three hits and an RBI, scoring twice, while senior Juan Avila went 2-for-5 with two RBI to help in the effort. On the mound, Ty Provencher pitched a career-high 2.1 innings to collect the win, giving up a pair of hits, while Jon Maciel earned his sixth save of the season, retiring nine batters in a row after allowing a base hit to Pepperdine's Sam Meyer.
Scouting Hawai'i
Hawai'i has struggled in its first season in the Big West, posting an 11-31 overall record, but the Rainbows are 6-12 in league play this season. The Rainbows are led by Marc Flores, who was hitting .269 with two home runs and 12 RBI this season. Hawai'i is in its first season in the Big West, moving from the WAC. Long Beach State is 5-2 all-time against the Rainbows. The teams last played in 2011, with Long Beach State winning a 4-3 decision in Blair Field as Jeff Yamaguchi led the way for the Dirtbags with a pair of hits.
Jekyll And Hyde
With 46 games played, the Dirtbags have two streaks that stands out; Long Beach State has had relative success against right-handed starters, going 17-13 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 5-15 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.
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.
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.
