Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State Visits USC on Tuesday Night
4/23/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Tuesday, April 24
Long Beach State at USC
Time: 6 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Dedeaux Field)
Pac-12 Network Stream | Listen: 22 West Radio | Live Stats
Probable Pitching Matchup:
LBSU – LHP Jacob Hughey (1-0, 4.18 ERA)
vs.
USC – LHP John Beller (3-0, 2.77 ERA)
LAST TIME OUT
• Long Beach State lost all three games over the weekend at Cal Poly, suffering its second sweep of the season. The Dirtbags scored just eight runs in the three-game series, stranding 24 men on base.
• Prior to last weekend, Long Beach State defeated LMU in its final midweek home game of the season, winning 9-6. The Dirtbags had just four hits in the game, but took advantage of a season-high 10 walks to do plenty of damage against the Lions. Clayton Andrews was 2-for-3 with two walks and two RBIs while Brooks Stotler drove in four runs, including a bases-clearing triple in a four run eighth inning for LBSU.
• Starting pitcher Jacob Hughey struggled in the first inning, allowing four runs on four hits, but he settled in for the remainder of his start, allowing just one hit over four shutout innings the rest of the night to keep the Dirtbags in the game.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
• USC is coming off a tough weekend as well, suffering a sweep at the hands of crosstown rivals UCLA. The Trojans were outscored 42-6 in the series, suffering their second sweep of the year. Interestingly, USC's last midweek game was also against LMU, a 6-1 win for the Trojans last Wednesday night.
• Probable Tuesday starter John Beller dominated the Lions in that game, throwing eight innings of two-hit ball, allowing just one unearned run while piling up nine strikeouts. Lars Nootbar homered and Dillon Paulson went deep twice in the victory. Paulson leads the Trojans with six home runs and 26 RBIs on the year.
• USC won the previous meeting between these teams on Feb. 20 in Long Beach, 5-1. Matthew Acosta drove in three runs for USC, and there were just five hits combined between the two teams as the bullpens dominated.
HUGHEY AND THE NEWS
• Redshirt sophomore Jacob Hughey rewrote the Dirtbags record books at Fresno State, leading LBSU to a 24-10 win going 6-for-7 at the plate with six runs scored and five RBIs. All were career highs and the performance came in just his fourth career start as a hitter. Hughey's six hits tied Jaron Madison for the program record for hits in a game, set back in 1998. Hughey also became the first Dirtbags player ever to score six runs in a game.
• On the mound, Hughey made his first start of the season Apr. 10 against No. 17 UCLA, racking up career highs in innings (6.0) and strikeouts (7) as LBSU dropped the Bruins, 5-2. Hughey also had a pair of hits and three RBIs in the win.
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 university in 2017. There were 15 former Dirtbags who played in the majors in 2017, and the all-time total for LBSU 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.
• Long Beach State began the 2018 season with 10 former players on MLB rosters, with a handful of others waiting in the minor leagues. LBSU's list of current big leaguers is: Shane Carle (Atlanta), Matt Duffy (Tampa Bay), Marco Estrada (Toronto), Jared Hughes (Cincinnati), Evan Longoria (San Francisco), Mike Marjama (Seattle), Bryan Shaw (Colorado), Troy Tulowitzki (Toronto), Jason Vargas (New York Mets), and Nick Vincent (Seattle).
