Road Trip Starts With Monday Matchup At SDSU

April 6, 2015

Monday, April 6
Long Beach State at San Diego State
Time:6 p.m.
Location: San Diego, Calif. (Tony Gwynn Stadium)
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THE MATCHUP

The Dirtbags and Aztecs meet for the second time this year but will play in San Diego at Tony Gwynn Field this time around. It is the first trip down to SDSU since 2013.
San Diego State handed the Dirtbags their worst loss this season with a 16-1 rout on March 10 at Blair Field. The Dirtbags trail in the all-time series 50-81-1.
SDSU has remained on a roll, coming into their first of two midweek games this week with a 24-8 record and a 12-3 mark in the Mountain West.
The Aztecs are hitting .295 as a team and averaging almost seven runs per game while the Dirtbags pitching staff has held opponents to a .198 batting average with a 2.56 ERA.

MCCAUGHAN GETS HIS FIRST CALL

Freshman Darren McCaughan will make his first start tonight when the Dirtbags travel down to San Diego. McCaughan has been a key component in the bullpen through the first half of the season.
McCaughan is the bullpen leader for innings pitched with 16 and two-thirds. His 18 strikeouts also lead the bullpen. His 1.62 ERA is third among the regulars out of the pen.

THREE RUNS ON 13 HITS

Three runs on 13 hits sounds more like a single game line with the pitching staff constantly escaping jams. However, that was the Dirtbags pitching line from the weekend.
Over 27 innings, the Dirtbags held CSUN to just three runs on 13 hits.
It is the second-best series performance of the season for the Dirtbags pitching staff. With the help of a no-hitter and a pair of shutouts, the Dirtbags held Wichita State to two runs on nine hits earlier this season.

SINCE THE LAST TIME THESE TWO MET

The Aztecs went off against a usually stingy Long Beach State pitching staff last time they met for a 16-1 win.
In the 11 games since that meeting, the Dirtbags have allowed just 20 runs and two of those 11 games have gone into extra innings.
The Dirtbags also have three of their five shutouts during that stretch to go along with an 8-3 record. Over the last 11 games, Dirtbags pitchers own a collective 1.51 ERA and have held the opposition to a .188 batting average.

OFFENSIVE SURGE

For the last several weeks, the Dirtbags have been looking for a bit more on the offensive end. They found it against CSUN.
The Dirtbags put up six runs in the sixth against CSUN on Saturday to tie their largest inning output of the season. They also put up six runs in the eighth against George Washington on Mar. 11.
The eight runs in the game against CSUN is a season-high as is the seven runs batted in that the Dirtbags combined for in the game.

STEPPING UP AT THE PLATE

A few players have been surging at the plate for the Beach over the last couple of weeks.
Garrett Hampson has hit .326 over the last 10 games and is riding a season-high eight-game hit streak. His longest career hit streak came in 2014 when he had a hit in 10 consecutive games.
Zack Rivera has once again burst out as the biggest run-producer on the team. Over the last six games, Rivera has six RBI with at least one coming in five of those six games.
Rivera continues to lead the team with 18 RBI. Hampson leads the team with 22 runs scored and has crossed the plate eight times in the last 10 games.
Jonathan Serven has been bolstering the bottom half of the order, hitting .294 over the last 10 games. He is also slugging a team-high .441 over that same period with four extra base hits.
Serven has smacked three doubles in the last seven games and now ranks second on the team with five this year.

FROM CESAR RAMOS TO Chris Mathewson

Current Los Angeles Angels pitcher Cesar Ramos and current Dirtbags pitcher Chris Mathewson now share a bond. They are the last two Dirtbags freshmen to go the distance on the mound.
Mathewson went all nine innings of Saturday's 8-1 win, becoming the first freshman to throw a complete since Ramos.
Ramos went all nine innings as a freshman on March 4, 2003. Coincidentally, both pitchers also share the number 27.

LONGEST ROAD TRIP OF THE SEASON BEGINS

The Dirtbags trip to SDSU on Monday starts a five-game road stretch -- the longest of the year for LBSU.
All five games require a quick trip south as the Dirtbags visit UC Irvine this weekend and are back down in San Diego next Tuesday for a midweek matchup with the University of San Diego.
San Diego State is the first road opponent for the Dirtbags who is not ranked in the top-25 (as of last week's polls). The Aztecs were included in the NCBWA's top-30 last week at No. 29.

Calendar

Players Mentioned

Garrett Hampson

Chris Mathewson

Darren McCaughan

Zack Rivera

Jonathan Serven

Long Beach State University Athletics