Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags Look To Extend Winning Streak Against LMU
3/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Long Beach State Game Notes
Tuesday, March 3
Time: 6p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Stadium: Blair Field
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THE MATCHUP
· Long Beach State and LMU meet for the 138th time on Tuesday with Long Beach State leading the all-time series 85-50-2.
· LMU took both midweek matchups last year, winning 4-3 in LA and 8-2 at Blair Field.
· Both teams are 1-1 in midweek contests this season but the Lions are coming off of their first series loss of the season while the Dirtbags are coming off of a sweep.
HISTORIC DAY FOR MATHEWSON LEADS TO BIG WEST HONORS
· For his role in the first no-hitter in Long Beach State history, freshman Chris Mathewson was selected as the Big West's Pitcher of the Week.
· Mathewson made just his second career start last Sunday and did not allow a hit through seven innings against Wichita State. He had eight strikeouts, one walk, and hit two batters with a pitch.
· Mathewson faced just 22 batters in seven innings (one over the minimum) as two of the three Shockers to reach first were retired on the basepaths.
· Mathewson retired the first 11 batters he faced in order and also sat down the last six he faced in order.
NO-HITTER HISTORY
· Long Beach State has sent over two dozen pitchers into the major leagues but none accomplished the feat that two freshmen with 8.1 combined innings of prior experience did on Sunday.
· Freshmen Chris Mathewson and Darren McCaughan combined for the first no-hitter in Long Beach State history against Wichita State. In just his second career start, Mathewson threw seven no-hit innings. McCaughan threw the final two and retired all six batters he faced in his fourth career appearance out of the bullpen.
· Both Mathewson and McCaughan had season-highs in innings pitched and strikeouts. Mathewson fanned eight and McCaughan struck out three.
· Only three Shockers reached first base in the game and none advanced. Both runners in the fifth were retired on the basepaths as the Shockers sent only 28 men to the plate in the game (one above the minimum).
· After the two runners reached base in the fifth, Mathewson and McCaughan retired the last 12 Shockers in order with half of those batters striking out.
NO-HITTER AN EXCLAMATION POINT ON SOLID WEEK ON THE MOUND
· While the no-hitter stole the spotlight last week, the pitching was strong all week long. In four games last week, the Dirtbags allowed three runs (two of them earned) on 11 hits while going 3-1.
· UCLA and Wichita State combined for a .096 batting average against Dirtbags pitchers last week. Long Beach State posted a 0.51 ERA for the week against UCLA, who was one of the hottest offensive teams in the country, and Wichita State, who came in to the series hitting .308 as a team.
· Ryan Cruz took a no-hitter into the sixth inning at UCLA last Tuesday before Mathewson and McCaughan pulled off the feat on Sunday.
· Free passes were not given out a high rate either as Dirtbags pitchers struck out 40 and walked only nine and plunking four with a pitch.
PITCHING STATS IN PERSPECTIVE
· A near no-hitter and an accomplished no-hitter have Long Beach State ranking at or near the top of several pitching categories this week.
· The Dirtbags lead the nation in holding opponents to less than five hits per nine innings this season.
· They rank sixth in the nation with an average of 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings after racking up double digit strikeouts twice over the weekend.
· LBSU ranks fifth in the nation with an average of 0.85 walks plus hits per innings pitched (WHIP).
· The Dirtbags four-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio also ranks 11th nationally while they are also one of just 30 teams to pitch multiple shutouts this season.
STILL PUTTING UP Ks
· Long Beach State continues to lead the Big West with 120 strikeouts on the season. That is an average of just under 11 Ks per game.
· The Dirtbags had double digit strikeouts in two games of the three-game series with Wichita State. Three pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts on Friday while Mathewson and McCaughan combined for 11 in Sunday's no-hitter.
· Kyle Friedrichs made his third consecutive start with at least 10 strikeouts as he fanned 12 on Friday night. He struck out the last five batters he faced between the sixth and seventh innings to end another dominating performance.
· In his 20 innings pitched over three starts, Friedrichs ranks second in the nation with 34 strikeouts.
TUESDAYS WITH CRUZ
· Junior Ryan Cruz has been dominant in a pair of Tuesday starts on the mound. He owns a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings pitched with 15 strikeouts compared to four walks.
· Cruz took a no-hitter into the sixth at UCLA against a Bruin team that was averaging almost 11 runs per game.
· He gave up just two hits but one was a home run that provided the only run of the game on either side.
· He has allowed just three hits in his two starts as Pepperdine and UCLA have combined to hit just .091 against him.
HAMPSON SWINGING A HOT BAT
· Sophomore Garrett Hampson quickly put an 0-for-4 day at UCLA behind him as he went off over the weekend for a .545 batting average against Wichita State.
· He had six hits, including a triple, scored three times and drove in four more runs to help the Dirtbags to their first series sweep of the season.
· He took over the team lead with a .342 batting average and 10 runs batted in through 11 games this year. He also leads the squad with seven stolen bases and 12 runs scored.
LUNDQUIST MAKES DIRTBAG DEBUT
· Brock Lundquist made his presence known in a big way last weekend, going 3-for-4 with a run scored in his Dirtbag debut on Friday.
· On Saturday, he doubled in his first at bat to record a hit in four of his first five plate appearances as a Dirtbag. He drew a walk and was later hit by a pitch in the game before flying out in his last at bat. He has reached base in six of his eight plate appearances this season.
WE ARE THE DIRTBAGS
· The OFFICIAL nickname of the Long Beach State baseball program is the Dirtbags.
