Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags Face Final Midweek Test at No. 11 UCLA
5/7/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Tuesday, May 8
Long Beach State at No. 11 UCLA
Time: 6 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Jackie Robinson Stadium)
Pac-12 Network Stream | Listen: 22 West Radio | Live Stats
Probable Pitching Matchup:
LBSU - RHP Jake Lopez (0-0, 5.17 ERA)
vs.
UCLA - RHP Jack Ralston (0-3, 5.73 ERA)
LAST TIME OUT
• The Dirtbags earned their first sweep of the season over UC Riverside last weekend, going on the road to take all three games from the Highlanders. The Dirtbags are now just a game back of second place in the Big West standings with three weekend series remaining.
• Junior Clayton Andrews was brilliant in Saturday's game, serving as the starting pitcher and designated hitter. Andrews set a new career high with 13 strikeouts in the win, tossing eight innings of one-run baseball while surrendering no walks and five hits. At the plate, he was 4-for-5 with a walk, meaning he reached base as many times as the Highlanders did while he was on the mound. On Monday, it was announced that Andrews earned Big West Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time this season.
• Freshman Leonard Jones continued his hot streak at the plate, collecting eight RBIs during the UC Riverside series. The first baseman had three hits in each of the first two games, and two more hits on Sunday to give him six multi-hit games in his last seven. Jones also added his first career home run in the first inning of the series finale, staking LBSU to a 3-0 lead. He was named Big West Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
• UCLA has been consistently ranked in the Top 10 this season with a 30-13 overall record, but the Bruins are coming off three straight losses at the hands of Arizona last weekend. UCLA has been very tough to beat at home this season, with an 18-5 record at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
• Sophomore 2B Chase Strumpf leads the Bruins offensively with a .385 batting average and is one of six Bruins hitting over .300 this year. Strumpf has a team-best 10 home runs and 44 RBIs as well. Junior CF Daniel Amaral leads UCLA with 11 stolen bases and the Bruins are 47.61 in stolen base attempts this year.
• The Dirtbags won the previous meeting in Long Beach, 5-2, on April 10. Jacob Hughey drove in three runs and was also the starting pitcher, going 6.0 innings while allowing just two runs and recording a career-high seven strikeouts.
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).
