Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags Face Defending National Champs In Split Series
4/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 3, 2014
Friday, Apr. 4
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Stadium: Blair Field
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Saturday, Apr. 5
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Stadium: Jackie Robinson Stadium
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Sunday, Apr. 6
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Stadium: Blair Field
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@LBDIRTBAGS TAKE ON DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS IN SPLIT SERIES
After playing their last nine games on the road, Long Beach State finally returns home this weekend for a split series with UCLA. The Dirtbags will host No. 17 UCLA on Friday night at 6 p.m. and on Sunday at 1 p.m. Saturday's game will be played at 2 p.m. at UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins are 17-10 on the season and narrowly defeated the Dirtbags 2-1 just over a week ago at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
BUCKLEY GOING FOR 100TH WIN
Long Beach State head coach Troy Buckley will be going for his 100th career win this week. Buckley owns a 99-95 record in his fourth season at the helm of the Long Beach State program. With a 2-1 start to the Big West season last week, Buckley also improved to 44-34 in Big West games.
A RARE SERIES WITH UCLA
The Dirtbags and Bruins are familiar opponents but have usually faced off against one another in the middle of the week. In fact, the Dirtbags and Bruins have played just two three-game series in the last 30 years. In 1981, UCLA swept a three-game series from LBSU. In 2008, the Dirtbags returned the favor with a split series sweep of UCLA. Despite playing midweek games through most the history between these two teams, LBSU and UCLA have matched up 100 times with the Bruins holding a 60-40 advantage.
DIRTBAGS PLAYING WITH THE SLIMMEST OF MARGINS
The nine game road trip that just wrapped up proved to be one heartbreaker after another for Long Beach State. The Dirtbags finished 3-6 on the trip but could have easily put together a much more attractive record. Only one of those six losses was by more than one run. Two of those three victories were also won by just a single run. And the Dirtbags last three home games prior to the trip - two one-run victories and an extra inning loss by, you guessed it, one run. Ten of their last 12 contests have been decided by one run. Nearly half of the Dirtbags games this year (13-of-27 so far) have been decided by a run with another six decided by four runs or less. In those game decided by four runs or less, the Dirtbags own an 8-11 record.
PRIGATANO IS @LBSUATHLETICS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Junior Richard Prigatano had a big week in leading the Dirtbags to a couple of wins and a 2-1 start in Big West play. He scored five times during the Dirtbags Big West opening series at Cal State Northridge and drove in five more runs. He hit .455 last weekend with a double and triple while also drawing a pair of walks.
MORE ON PRIGATANO'S BIG WEEK
Richard Prigatano had a weekend to remember at Cal State Northridge and part of it made its way into the Long Beach State record book. Prigatano stole four bases during his monster Friday afternoon game to tie the Dirtbag record for stolen bases in a game. Only one other Dirtbag has swiped four bags in one contest (Rolando Avila in 1994). Prigatano also had four RBI in the game and scored four times. With Tuesday's game at UCLA included, the junior right fielder had .467 with six RBI on the week and extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He also got it done on the defensive end, gunning down a baserunner trying to get first to third on a base hit into right.
STRUFING BACK INTO THE ROTATION
Junior Ryan Strufing has jumped back into the starting weekend rotation for the Dirtbags has he continues to work his way back from injury. Strufing went nearly 22 months between starts, pitching 8.2 innings on May 26, 2012 and then pitching two innings on March 25, 2014 against UCLA. Strufing went four innings in a start at Cal State Northridge last weekend. With both Nick Sabo and Jason Alexander slated to miss their starts for the second time in as many weeks, Strufing will get the ball on Sunday while senior Josh Frye will take the mound on Saturday for his second career start.
DIRTBAGS IN THE MLB
The Long Beach State Dirtbags have 10 former players on a Major League Baseball Opening Day roster to open the 2014 season. A few more are also on 40-man rosters but will not start the season in the majors. Long Beach State has had more alumni in the majors in each of the last four seasons than any other college or university. Last season, 14 Dirtbags played in the majors with Atlanta's Joey Terdoslavich and Oakland's Shane Peterson making their major league debuts. Over the years, 44 alumni of the Long Beach State baseball program have made their way up to Major League Baseball.
Here is a list of this year's Dirtbags on Opening Day rosters:
Danny Espinosa (Washington National)
Marco Estrada (Milwaukee Brewers)
Jason Giambi (Cleveland Indians)**starting the season on the DL
Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay Rays)
Cesar Ramos (Tampa Bay Rays)
Bryan Shaw (Cleveland Indians)
Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado Rockies)
Jason Vargas (Kansas City Royals)
Nick Vincent (San Diego Padres)
Jered Weaver (Los Angeles Angels)
YES, WE'RE REALLY CALLED THAT
The OFFICIAL nickname of the Long Beach State baseball program is the Dirtbags.
