Long Beach State University Athletics
Photo by: John Fajardo
13 Dirtbags Set to Play Summer Ball, Six in Prestigious Cape Cod League
6/7/2022 12:12:00 PM | Baseball
Long Beach State will stay busy over the summer with 13 returning student-athletes joining summer ball clubs this month.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Collegiate summer ball is scheduled to begin this month and there will be 13 Dirtbags in total appearing on summer clubs around the country. Six will head to the east coast to play in the prestigious Cape Cod League.
Connor Burns is one of the six student-athletes heading to the Cape, joining the Orleans Firebirds for the summer. The 2022 Big West Defensive Player of the Year played in the Northwoods League last year and will give Orleans their second consecutive season with a Dirtbag after Connor Kokx played for them in 2021.
Juaron Watts-Brown and Eddie Saldivar are also heading to the Cape to be teammates with the Falmouth Commodores. Watts-Brown closed out his debut season as the NCBWA Pitcher of the Month and was named an All-Big West Honorable Mention. The right-hander totaled 111 strikeouts on the year becoming the first Dirtbag to reach the century mark since 2018. Saldivar impressed in his first year at LBSU slashing .293/.376/.378 as the everyday second baseman with 55 hits and a team-leading eight stolen bases.
The pair of Rocco Peppi and Zach Voelker will continue to be teammates over the summer, joining the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in Cape Cod. Peppi was arguably the best hitter on the Dirtbags in his rookie campaign, leading the team with a .321 average on his way to earning an All-Big West Honorable Mention. Voelker faced some struggles on the mound in his first season at LBSU, but tallied four victories on the year and had a stretch of 21 innings from March 8 through April 3 where he surrendered just one run in five appearances.
The sixth and final Dirtbag heading to the Cape Cod League is Jonathon Long. The sophomore corner infielder ended the season with eight hits in the final three games at Davis, finishing the year with a .311 batting average and team-high .411 on-base percentage. He was also named an All-Big West Honorable Mention.
There will be three Dirtbag arms heading to the California Coastal League with Josh Haley and Jack Noble both joining the OC Riptide. Haley became one of the best arms down the stretch, ending his first season at Long Beach with a career-best outing of five innings with seven strikeouts in his Friday start at UC Davis. Noble was consistent all season long and ultimately ended up leading the team with six victories. In 64.1 innings, he posted a 3.36 ERA and racked up 61 strikeouts.
The third CCL member is right-hander Jonathan Carlos. Making the second-most appearances on the team, the junior posted a 2.76 ERA in 32.2 innings.
The Northwoods League will have two Dirtbags with Sebastian Murillo and Tyler White both joining the Rochester Honkers. Murillo played in the NECBL last summer, helping his squad with the league championship. In his sophomore season with the Dirtbags, he posted a .283 average and led the team in runs and walks as the everyday shortstop. White got a good taste of division one baseball, appearing in 28 games in his debut season. The outfielder posted a .319 on-base percentage and was a perfect 4-for-4 in steals.
Peyton Sculze will represent the Dirtbags in the Cal Ripken League, playing for the Bethesda Big Train. The freshman quickly hit his way into the starting lineup in his first year at LBSU. Turning himself into a quality utility man, he appeared in 46 games at both first base and in the outfield.
The final returning Long Beach State student-athlete set for summer ball is junior transfer Dalton Ponce. The right-hander will head to the Valley League to play with the Covington Lumberjacks after posting a 2.95 ERA in his first year reunited with Coach Valenzuela.
Connor Burns is one of the six student-athletes heading to the Cape, joining the Orleans Firebirds for the summer. The 2022 Big West Defensive Player of the Year played in the Northwoods League last year and will give Orleans their second consecutive season with a Dirtbag after Connor Kokx played for them in 2021.
Juaron Watts-Brown and Eddie Saldivar are also heading to the Cape to be teammates with the Falmouth Commodores. Watts-Brown closed out his debut season as the NCBWA Pitcher of the Month and was named an All-Big West Honorable Mention. The right-hander totaled 111 strikeouts on the year becoming the first Dirtbag to reach the century mark since 2018. Saldivar impressed in his first year at LBSU slashing .293/.376/.378 as the everyday second baseman with 55 hits and a team-leading eight stolen bases.
The pair of Rocco Peppi and Zach Voelker will continue to be teammates over the summer, joining the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in Cape Cod. Peppi was arguably the best hitter on the Dirtbags in his rookie campaign, leading the team with a .321 average on his way to earning an All-Big West Honorable Mention. Voelker faced some struggles on the mound in his first season at LBSU, but tallied four victories on the year and had a stretch of 21 innings from March 8 through April 3 where he surrendered just one run in five appearances.
The sixth and final Dirtbag heading to the Cape Cod League is Jonathon Long. The sophomore corner infielder ended the season with eight hits in the final three games at Davis, finishing the year with a .311 batting average and team-high .411 on-base percentage. He was also named an All-Big West Honorable Mention.
There will be three Dirtbag arms heading to the California Coastal League with Josh Haley and Jack Noble both joining the OC Riptide. Haley became one of the best arms down the stretch, ending his first season at Long Beach with a career-best outing of five innings with seven strikeouts in his Friday start at UC Davis. Noble was consistent all season long and ultimately ended up leading the team with six victories. In 64.1 innings, he posted a 3.36 ERA and racked up 61 strikeouts.
The third CCL member is right-hander Jonathan Carlos. Making the second-most appearances on the team, the junior posted a 2.76 ERA in 32.2 innings.
The Northwoods League will have two Dirtbags with Sebastian Murillo and Tyler White both joining the Rochester Honkers. Murillo played in the NECBL last summer, helping his squad with the league championship. In his sophomore season with the Dirtbags, he posted a .283 average and led the team in runs and walks as the everyday shortstop. White got a good taste of division one baseball, appearing in 28 games in his debut season. The outfielder posted a .319 on-base percentage and was a perfect 4-for-4 in steals.
Peyton Sculze will represent the Dirtbags in the Cal Ripken League, playing for the Bethesda Big Train. The freshman quickly hit his way into the starting lineup in his first year at LBSU. Turning himself into a quality utility man, he appeared in 46 games at both first base and in the outfield.
The final returning Long Beach State student-athlete set for summer ball is junior transfer Dalton Ponce. The right-hander will head to the Valley League to play with the Covington Lumberjacks after posting a 2.95 ERA in his first year reunited with Coach Valenzuela.
Summer Ball ??
— LBSU Dirtbags (@LBDirtbags) June 7, 2022
We have 13 Dirtbags set to join a summer ball club this month, including 6?? in the @OfficialCCBL #skoBags pic.twitter.com/w1GoEFhQXh
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballFriends Welcoming TJ Bruce to the Beach
Tuesday, July 02
Dirtbags Baseball Head coach TJ Bruce Welcome Celebration
Thursday, June 27
Dirtbags Baseball: Head coach TJ Bruce Welcome Celebration
Tuesday, June 25
Dirtbags Baseball Game Highlights vs UC Riverside 4/19/2024
Saturday, April 20
