Tuesday, March 5
Long Beach, Calif.
1 p.m.

Long Beach State University

vs

Michigan

2019_02_23_Stotler_Brooks_vs_NV_05
Photo by: John Fajardo

Midweek Matinee Sees Dirtbags Host No. 16 Michigan at 1 P.M.

3/4/2019 3:26:00 PM | Baseball

Rain in the forecast has forced Long Beach State’s game against Michigan into an earlier start time on Tuesday. The Dirtbags and Wolverines will play at 1 p.m. on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field as LBSU will be playing its third different ranked opponent of the season.

Tuesday, March 5
Long Beach State vs. No. 16 Michigan
Time: 
1 p.m. (Changed from 6 p.m. due to rain)
Location: Bohl Diamond at Blair Field
Beach Vision Live Stream | Listen: 22 West Radio | Live Stats
 

Probable Pitching Matchup:
LBSU – LHP Basilio Pacheco (0-1, 3.24 ERA)
vs.
MICH – RHP Blake Beers (0-0, 9.00 ERA)
 
 
LAST TIME OUT
•   The Dirtbags suffered a frustrating sweep at No. 10 Ole Miss over the weekend, staying competitive with the Rebels all weekend but dropping all three games. The doubleheader on Saturday was particularly tough to take as LBSU led three times in game one, including a 6-4 lead in the eighth inning before Ole Miss eventually won with a walk-off home run in the ninth.
•   Long Beach State actually out-homered the power-hitting Rebels thanks to a pair of long balls in the series finale. Cole Joy hit a solo home run in the second inning and Jake Vander Wal hit a game-tying two-run shot in the sixth.
•   Senior infielder Laine Huffman made his first career start at second base to open the Ole Miss series. It was his first appearance in the field for LBSU in over a year. He made a major difference at the plate for LBSU over the weekend, recording a base hit in his first two at-bats of every game, going 6-for-9 for the series with three sacrifice bunts mixed in as well.
 
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
•   Michigan was among the final handful of unbeaten teams in all of college baseball before dropping its series finale at CSUN on Sunday afternoon. The Wolverines are still a week-and-a-half away from their home opener, and continue their Big West swing with midweek games scheduled against Long Beach State and UC Irvine this week.
•   The strength for Michigan has been in its pitching so far, with a team ERA of just 1.58 and an impressive 98 strikeouts in 80 innings as a pitching staff. 1B Jordan Brewer and RF Christian Bullock are each hitting .333 to help lead the offense, with a combined 13 stolen bases among them. 3B Jimmy Kerr and C Joe Donavan each had two home runs and 7 RBIs to lead the Wolverines in those categories.
•   Tuesday's probable starter, sophomore RHP Blake Beers, has made just one appearance out of the bullpen this season, allowing a solo home run in his one inning pitched. Made just one start as a freshman but did not record an out against Western Michigan on Mar. 21, walking two batters and hitting another before being pulled.
•   Long Beach State leads the all-time series with Michigan, 2-1. The teams opened the 2015 season with a three-game series at Blair Field with the Dirtbags winning the first two games and Michigan taking the finale, 5-3, in 10 innings.
 
LB IN MLB
•   Long Beach State had more former players in the big leagues than any other college or university from 2010-17, with 13 MLB representatives in 2018, again placing the Dirtbags among the nation's leaders.
•  Three Dirtbags made their MLB debuts last season, all in the span of two weeks. RHP Drew Gagnon debuted for the Mets on July 10, followed by infielder Garrett Hampson's debut on July 21 for the Rockies and INF Jeff McNeil on July 24 for the Mets.
 

Players Mentioned

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