Long Beach State University Athletics
Jason Vargas Contributes $100,000 to Blair Field Renovations
1/20/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jason Vargas has made a major contribution to the ongoing Blair Field renovation project, giving $100,000 to support Dirtbags Baseball. Vargas joins the growing list of former Dirtbags who have contributed to the project, including a handful of active MLB stars.
Vargas spent just one season at the Beach, but made the most of his time as a Dirtbag. The lefthander made 17 starts on the mound in 2004, tossing 111.0 innings while posting a 2.46 ERA. He was a 2nd Round pick in the 2004 MLB Draft, making his MLB debut the next season with the Florida Marlins. Vargas is now in the midst of an 11-year career in the big leagues, winning a World Series title with the Royals in 2015.
"I'm very grateful to Long Beach State for helping me improve as a player," Vargas said. "I learned a lot during my time as a Dirtbag, and those lessons have been extremely valuable throughout my career. I'm fortunate to be able to give back to Long Beach State and the renovations at Blair Field, and hopefully this will help future Dirtbags reach their potential."
During his time at Long Beach State, Vargas worked under the tutelage of then-pitching coach Troy Buckley, who is preparing for his seventh season as Dirtbags head coach in 2017.
"We are very appreciative of Jason's donation to the renovation project at Blair Field," said Buckley. "Jason's generous gift is just another example of his constant loyalty and investment for this program."
During that 2004 season, Vargas was on a pitching staff with two other current MLB pitchers, Cesar Ramos and Jered Weaver, forming what's regarded as the best pitching staff in Dirtbags history.
Vargas joins a growing list of Dirtbags alums who have given back to the renovation project, along with MLB All-Stars Evan Longoria, Troy Tulowitzki, and Jered Weaver.
Blair Field will be open to fans on Saturday, Jan. 28 for the first ever Dirtbags Fan Fest. Guest speaker Marco Estrada will be in attendance, fresh off his All-Star campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays. Tickets for the fan fest are on sale now, and supporters will get the chance to see inside the brand new Troy & Danyll Tulowitzki Batting Facility.
