Long Beach State University Athletics
Big West Coaches Pick Dirtbags To Finish Fifth
1/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 30, 2014
IRVINE, Calif. - The Long Beach State Dirtbags were picked to finish fifth in a poll of the Big West Conference coaches, the conference announced on Thursday. Cal State Fullerton was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the poll.
Long Beach State picked up 49 points in the poll, just six behind UC Irvine. The Dirtbags return six position starters from last year and will welcome back two All-Big West selections on the mound. Both Ryan Strufing and Kyle Friedrichs missed all of 2013 but will be back on the mound when the 2014 season gets underway.
Seniors Michael Hill and Ino Patron will be back in the lineup as will junior Richard Prigatano to lead the Dirtbags at the plate. All three hit above .300 last year with Patron leading the team with 30 RBI. Johnny Bekakis, another All-Big West performer in 2012, will also return to the lineup after missing the entire season in 2013.
Cal State Fullerton received the maximum of eight first-place votes (coaches could not vote for their own team) to top the poll. Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara, who both made the postseason last year, followed in that order with 68 and 60 points, respectively. UC Irvine picked up the ninth first place vote and compiled 55 points.
Directly following the Dirtbags in sixth place was Hawai'i with 33 points. UC Riverside was slated seventh with 27 points and Cal State Northridge took eighth with 25 points. UC Davis rounded out the poll in ninth with 15 points.
The Dirtbags welcome in No. 8 Vanderbilt to Blair Field for a three-game series to start the season on Feb. 14-16.
2014 Coaches Poll Results
1. Cal State Fullerton (8) 73
2. Cal Poly 68
3. UC Santa Barbara 60
4. UC Irvine (1) 55
5. Long Beach State 49
6. Hawai'i 33
7. UC Riverside 27
8. Cal State Northridge 25
9. UC Davis 15
