Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags Take First Midweek Trip to LMU
3/19/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Tuesday, March 20
Long Beach State at LMU
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Page Stadium)
Live Stream | Listen: 22 West Radio |
Probable Pitching Matchup:
LBSU – LHP Adam Seminaris (1-2, 3.38 ERA)
vs.
LMU – LHP Mark Finkelnburg (0-0, 3.86 ERA)
LAST TIME OUT
• The Dirtbags earned their first series win of the season over the weekend, securing a 1-0 victory over Tulane on Sunday. LBSU erupted for a 13-2 win on Friday night, recording 15 hits to support starter Zak Baayoun's seven scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts on the mound. Clayton Andrews had four hits and three runs scored in Friday's win while freshman Chris Jimenez added three RBIs.
• Redshirt junior Tyler Radcliffe earned Big West Pitcher of the Week honors for his start on Sunday. The Long Beach native threw a career-high 7.0 innings, holding Tulane scoreless on just one hit. He also approached his career high with six strikeouts in LBSU's 1-0 victory.
• Long Beach State has won three straight midweek games (vs. Arizona State, Vanderbilt, and Washington State) for a 3-2 mark on the season, but has yet to play one away from home.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
• LMU got off to a slow start to the 2018 season, losing its first four games and sitting with a 3-10 overall record. Since then, the Lions have rattled off six straight victories, including a road sweep of West Coast Conference foe BYU over the weekend.
• Senior C/DH Niko Pacheco leads the team with a .353 batting average in just 34 at-bats. Senior 1B and cleanup hitter Jamey Smart is hitting .333 with a team-leading 15 RBIs.
• Probable Tuesday starter Mark Finkelnburg will be making his first start of the season. The 6-foot-8 sophomore lefthander has allowed opponents to hit just .167 against him, but has also issued six walks in just 7.0 innings of work.
• These teams did not play last season, but have plenty of history. Long Beach State leads the all-time series with the Lions 86-50-2. LBSU's last visit to Page Stadium was an exciting 5-4 victory on May 17, 2016.
BOHL DIAMOND AT BLAIR FIELD
• Long Beach State received a multi-million dollar donation during the offseason from longtime supporter Marilyn Bohl. In recognition of her generous gift, , the Dirtbags' home field has been renamed Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.
• Bohl has been actively involved in supporting the Blair Field renovation project for years, and previously gave a one million dollar gift to help kick off the initial phase of the renovations prior to the 2016 season.
• So far, the renovation efforts have included a new outfield fence, the Troy & Danyll Tulowitzki Batting Facility, the Jered Weaver Bullpen, and improvements to the Dirtbags locker room. Future plans include new stadium lighting, improved field drainage, a new multi-purpose team room along the left field line, plus restroom and seating upgrades.
LB IN MLB
• For the eighth consecutive year, Long Beach State had more players in the major leagues than any other college or university. There were 15 former Dirtbags who played in the major leagues in 2017 and the all-time total for Long Beach State is 48 big league representatives.
• There were two former Dirtbags who made their MLB debuts in 2017. First, it was RHP Shane Carle who appeared for the Colorado Rockies on April 14. Later in the season, C Mike Marjama made his debut with the Seattle Mariners on September 3.
• Kansas City Royals lefthander Jason Vargas made his first All-Star Game appearance during the 2017 season. The Dirtbags will be giving away commemorative Vargas bobbleheads prior at the UC Irvine game on April 7.
