Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags Ranked No. 20 in Baseball America Preseason Rankings
1/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Baseball America released its 2017 preseason rankings this week, with Long Beach State checking in at No. 20 in the national Top 25. This is the second preseason ranking for the Dirtbags, after Collegiate Baseball slotted LBSU at No. 17 in their Preseason Top 40.
This is the first time Baseball America has ranked the Dirtbags in the preseason poll since 2008, when Long Beach State checked in at No. 13 in the country. LBSU ultimately reached the Top 5 in Baseball America's rankings that season and won the Big West championship.
Last season, the Dirtbags moved up as high as No. 17 in the BA rankings, achieving that mark on Mar. 28 and Apr. 18. LBSU returns several key contributors from a team that went 38-22 and reached an NCAA Regional in 2016. Big West Pitcher of the Year Darren McCaughan, along with a slew of experienced bats should make Long Beach State one of the top teams in the Big West, which boasts three teams in BA's Top 25. Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara are also ranked, giving the Big West as many teams in the Top 25 as the Big 12 (3) and two more than the Big Ten (1).
The Dirtbags will face a total of five teams in the Preseason Top 25: No. 1 TCU, No. 8 Cal State Fullerton, No. 17 North Carolina, No. 19 UC Santa Barbara, and No. 23 Stanford.
The 2017 season opens Feb. 17-19 as the Dirtbags host Oklahoma for a three-game series at Blair Field. Also, this Saturday is the first ever Dirtbags Fan Fest and Alumni Game at Blair Field. Tickets are still available for the event, which features guest speaker Marco Estrada from the Toronto Blue Jays.
