Long Beach State University Athletics
Photo by: John Fajardo
Dirtbags Picked to Finish Second in Wide Open Big West
1/29/2020 11:55:00 AM | Baseball
Long Beach State is tied for second in the 2020 Big West Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll, which predicts a wide-open Big West Conference. The Dirtbags also received a pair of first-place votes going into the first season for head coach Eric Valenzuela.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Big West Conference revealed the 2020 Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll on Wednesday, and the conference's head coaches foresee a competitive, balanced season on the horizon. Five different teams received first-place votes in the poll, including the Dirtbags, who were slotted for a second-place finish in a tie with Cal Poly.
Cal State Fullerton led the way with three first-place votes and 68 total points, but the margin is thin between the Titans and the rest of the Big West. Long Beach State and Cal Poly each have two first-place votes and 61 points in the poll. UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine each have one first-place vote to round out the top five. There are only 22 points separating the preseason favorites from Hawai'i in sixth place, indicating that it could be a wide-open conference race in 2020.
Long Beach State is entering its first season under new head coach Eric Valenzuela, and the schedule could be advantageous for the Dirtbags. Of the four teams joining LBSU in the preseason top five, three of those teams will visit Long Beach for their Big West series this season. The Dirtbags will also ease into Big West play with a home series against UC Davis starting on Mar. 27, and each of LBSU's first three conference series are against teams picked to finish in the bottom three.
The Dirtbags open the 2020 season on Feb. 14 with a three-game series against Cal. Single-game tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 3. Season tickets are already available, starting at just $99 per seat. For more information on tickets, call or text the Long Beach State Ticket Office at (562) 985-4949.
2020 Coaches Poll Results
1. Cal State Fullerton (3) 68
T2. Cal Poly (2) 61
T2. Long Beach State (2) 61
4. UC Santa Barbara (1) 55
5. UC Irvine (1) 47
6. Hawai'i 46
7. CSUN 32
8. UC Riverside 18
9. UC Davis 17
() First place votes
Cal State Fullerton led the way with three first-place votes and 68 total points, but the margin is thin between the Titans and the rest of the Big West. Long Beach State and Cal Poly each have two first-place votes and 61 points in the poll. UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine each have one first-place vote to round out the top five. There are only 22 points separating the preseason favorites from Hawai'i in sixth place, indicating that it could be a wide-open conference race in 2020.
Long Beach State is entering its first season under new head coach Eric Valenzuela, and the schedule could be advantageous for the Dirtbags. Of the four teams joining LBSU in the preseason top five, three of those teams will visit Long Beach for their Big West series this season. The Dirtbags will also ease into Big West play with a home series against UC Davis starting on Mar. 27, and each of LBSU's first three conference series are against teams picked to finish in the bottom three.
The Dirtbags open the 2020 season on Feb. 14 with a three-game series against Cal. Single-game tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 3. Season tickets are already available, starting at just $99 per seat. For more information on tickets, call or text the Long Beach State Ticket Office at (562) 985-4949.
2020 Coaches Poll Results
1. Cal State Fullerton (3) 68
T2. Cal Poly (2) 61
T2. Long Beach State (2) 61
4. UC Santa Barbara (1) 55
5. UC Irvine (1) 47
6. Hawai'i 46
7. CSUN 32
8. UC Riverside 18
9. UC Davis 17
() First place votes
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