Friday, February 17
Long Beach, Calif.
6 p.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
Wichita State
Dirtbags Open 2023 Season Hosting Wichita State
2/16/2023 11:27:00 AM | Baseball
Long Beach State renews an old-time rivalry to begin the new season.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State kicks off their 2023 campaign at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field this weekend as the Dirtbags welcome in Wichita State for their opening series.
Long Beach State (0-0, 0-0 Big West) vs. Wichita State (0-0, 0-0 AAC)
Friday, February 17
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Bohl Diamond at Blair Field
Pitching Matchup: Graham Osman (LBSU) vs. Clark Candiotti (WSU)
Live Stats | Live Stream (ESPN+) | Tickets
Saturday, February 18
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Bohl Diamond at Blair Field
Pitching Matchup: Nico Zeglin (LBSU) vs. Payton Tolle (WSU)
Live Stats | Tickets
Sunday, February 19
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Bohl Diamond at Blair Field
Pitching Matchup: TBA (LBSU) vs. Grant Adler (WSU)
Live Stats | Live Stream (ESPN+) |Tickets
2022 SEASON IN REVIEW
• The 2022 season was full ups and downs for the Dirtbags ranging from a series victory with the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. For the year, they finished 29-27 overall with a 17-13 clip for a fourth place finish in Big West play.
• As has been the story under Coach Valenzuela, the pitching staff was the bright spot of the year. Statistically, they ranked fifth in the nation for most shutouts, seventh lowest in WHIP, ninth lowest in ERA, 17th fewest in hits per nine, and 20th overall in strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• Further, the defense held strong posting a .975 fielding percentage for the season which ranked 37th in the nation.
• The end of the year awards saw five different 'Bags receive honors headlined by Connor Burns being named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year. Fellow returners, Jonathon Long and Rocco Peppi were also recognized, earning All-Big West Honorable Mentions.
2023 SEASON SYNOPSIS
• The upcoming season is an intriguing one for the Dirtbags headlined by 34 new faces occupying the roster compared to just 8 returners who saw time on the field a year ago.
• Schedule wise, Long Beach State will have 28 official home games compared to 20 true road contests and 5 neutral contests. The headliners of the schedule include East Carolina, Grand Canyon, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly, UCLA, and South Florida.
• In terms of the strength of the schedule, the 'Bags will face three teams currently ranked on all the different publications' rankings. Four of their 2023 opponents played in an NCAA Regional with ECU hosting a Super Regional. And 7 of their opponents posted 30-win seasons last year.
AGAINST WICHITA STATE
• Long Beach State and Wichita State have a bit of a storied rivalry where they played each virtually every season from 1994-2015, and even had a matchup at the College World Series.
• Overall, the Dirtbags lead the all-time series 29-25 and are 17-9 when playing at home. While they haven't matched up since the 2015 season, Long Beach has won four straight and nine of the last 10 contests.
SCOUTING THE SHOCKERS
• Wichita State is coming off a lackluster 2022 season where they went 21-36 overall and 9-15 in the American Athletic Conference, earning the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament.
• Looking at some preseason news for the Shockers, they were picked to finish fifth in the Preseason AAC Coaches' Poll. Individually, they had four representatives on the preseason All-Conference team led by Brock Rodden's Player of the Year selection.
• Last year's Shockers team posted a .265/.355/.427 slash line averaging 5.77 runs per game. On the mound, they pitched to a 5.97 ERA with a .274 opponent batting average striking out 475 in 497.2 innings.
SEASON OPENERS
• Long Beach State owns an 18-16 record in season openers during the Dirtbags era (1989-present). When playing at Blair Field, they have been dominant, going 13-3 in season openers in that same time frame. With Coach Valenzuela at the helm, they are 2-1 over his first three seasons.
• Since 1954, when Long Beach State baseball first began, the team has never been shutout in a season opening game. Of their 68 season openers in history, they have scored multiple runs in 63 and scored at least five runs in 32 of them.
BAGS IN THE BIGS
• Long Beach State has had 53 alumni reach the major leagues in their storied career. Jarren Duran and Darren McCaughan were the most recent debuts, coming within a week of each other during the 2021 season.
• With MLB Spring Training right around the corner, 10 Dirtbags alum find themselves in big league camp. Evan Longoria, Matt Duffy, and Garrett Hampson will be sporting new threads after signing with the Diamondbacks, Royals, and Marlins, respectively. Jeff McNeil is fresh off a batting title and new contract extension that keeps him in New York for at least four more seasons. Duran (Boston) and McCaughan (Seattle) have each earned spring invites.
• The new names among the higher ranks include Nick Avila, who was taken in the Rule 5 Draft by the Chicago White Sox, and Eli Villalobos who skyrocketed through the minors and was added to Miami's 40-man roster. David Baneulos (Minnesota) and Lucas Jacobsen (Texas) were also non-roster invitees for their respective clubs.
THE INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
• Long Beach State has a history on the international stage and they will add to that storied history in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The 20-team premier international tournament will begin in March and feature four former Dirtbags.
• Vance Worley will play for Team Great Britain, Jeff McNeil will play for Team USA, Jarren Duran will play for Team Mexico, and Leonard "LJ" Jones will play for Team Panama giving Long Beach State a nation-leading four alum among all the Division 1 schools.
• The quartet joins Evan Longoria (Team USA, 2009) and Marco Estrada (Team Mexico, 2013) as alumni to compete in the World Baseball Classic.
THE NATIONALLY RANKED RECRUITING CLASS
• The Dirtbags lost 26 players from last season whether it was to the draft, graduation, or the new transfer portal. In filling those spots, the coaching staff brought in 32 new faces for their 2023 recruiting class. The group features 15 transfers and 17 incoming freshmen.
• The group was ranked 26th in the country by Perfect Game and 30th by Collegiate Baseball. The PG ranking is the highest of all mid-majors while the CB ranking is second while both are the second-best among all teams in the West Coast.
LONG-BALL
• Jonathon Long is one of the best bats coming back for the 2023 campaign. The junior is coming off an All-Big West Honorable Mention after slashing .311/.411/.454 finishing second on the team in home runs (6), RBI (37), and walks (25). A model of consistency, he has racked up a .321 average in his two years with LBSU.
• He is also garnering national attention, tabbed as the Preseason Player of the Year choice by both D1Baseball and Perfect Game. He also earned spots on the PG's Preseason All-Conference Team and the Big West's inaugural Preseason Team.
• In D1Baseball's position-by-position rankings, the Orange native was tabbed as the #25 First Baseman in the nation as well as the #10 prospect in the Big West Conference.
BIG ROC
• Rocco Peppi is another big bat coming back to sport the black and gold this season after leading the team in average (.321) and ranking second in hits (68), doubles (11), total bases (94), and on-base percentage (.408).
• The Huntington Beach native is coming off a Big West Honorable Mention as well last season and was tabbed as the #94 Outfielder in the nation by D1Baseball as well as the #14 draft prospect in the country.
THE DOUBLES MACHINE
• Grad transfer, Joey Walls, joins the Dirtbags after an unreal senior season at UNLV last year. Slashing .350/.444/.614, he led the entire nation in doubles with 26 two-baggers to go along with eight homers and 48 RBI. More than just a power threat through, he was also a perfect six-for-six stealing bases.
• Walls' name was also consistently mentioned in preseason news outlets, earning D1Baseball's selection for Big West Newcomer of the Year as well as ranking as the #83 Outfielder in the country.
FEEL THE BURN
• Junior Connor Burns is very well known as one of the best defensive catchers in the nation and is coming off a year where he earned the Big West Defensive Player of the Year as well as being a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
• After making huge offensive strides during the fall, he is expected to skyrocket up the draft projections this year. Along with earning a spot on the inaugural Big West Preseason All-Conference Team, he is noted as the #2 draft prospect in the conference by D1Baseball.
WIZARD OF OS
• Junior transfer Graham Osman has joined the Dirtbags and immediately become the likely ace of the staff. After an absolutely ridiculous summer campaign, he was tabbed as the probable Friday night starter before fall ball even started.
• Playing for the Santa Barbara Foresters in the California Collegiate League, he won the ERA title with a microscopic 0.25 ERA. Totaling 35.2 innings in seven starts, he surrendered just one earned run while striking out 37 opposing hitters.
• D1Baseball has him ranked as the #20 draft prospect in the Big West and #7 among the pitching prospects.
THE CHERRY ON TOP
• Sophomore transfer Grant Cherry has arguably the biggest arm on the roster this season. With a fastball that should consistently sit in the mid-90s, he is expected to be a key piece at the backend of the bullpen.
• Despite very limited time on the mound at Tennessee, he held opponents to a .091 average and owned a 13.5 K/9. D1Baseball has him tabbed as the #15 prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft.
GENERAL PATTON
• Myles Patton is arguably the most notable of the incoming freshman class after a remarkable career at Millikan High School. The lefty is coming off back-to-back seasons where he was the 2022 Moore League Player of the Year, 2021 Moore League Pitcher of the Year, and 2021 CIF Player of the Year.
• The local product produced video game numbers in his final two seasons of high school ball posting a 13-5 record and 1.07 ERA. Totaling 143.2 innings, he struck out 190 batters and held opponents to a .159 clip.
• D1Baseball ranked him as the #3 Impact Freshman and he is likely to hold a consistent spot on the weekend rotation.
BACK IN BLACK
• There are just nine returners from the 2022 season with five being position players and four being pitchers.
• Long, Peppi, and Burns are the most notable as mentioned previously but they are joined by infielder Eddie Saldivar and Tyler White to round out the position players. Saldivar hit .293 in 52 games in his rookie campaign with a team-leading eight stolen bases while White saw time primarily as a defensive option in the outfield, playing 38 games and posting a .319 on-base percentage.
• On the mound, Jonathan Carlos leads the way in terms of 2022 appearances, posting a 2.76 ERA in 32.2 innings. Josh Haley (2.36 ERA, 26.2 IP), Dalton Ponce (2.95 ERA, 18.1 IP), and Ethan Clough (3.12 ERA, 26 IP) also return with expected significant roles. Jake Rons has stretched out and will factor into the starting rotation this season after making 17 appearances in 2022.
Long Beach State (0-0, 0-0 Big West) vs. Wichita State (0-0, 0-0 AAC)
Friday, February 17
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Bohl Diamond at Blair Field
Pitching Matchup: Graham Osman (LBSU) vs. Clark Candiotti (WSU)
Live Stats | Live Stream (ESPN+) | Tickets
Saturday, February 18
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Bohl Diamond at Blair Field
Pitching Matchup: Nico Zeglin (LBSU) vs. Payton Tolle (WSU)
Live Stats | Tickets
Sunday, February 19
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Bohl Diamond at Blair Field
Pitching Matchup: TBA (LBSU) vs. Grant Adler (WSU)
Live Stats | Live Stream (ESPN+) |Tickets
2022 SEASON IN REVIEW
• The 2022 season was full ups and downs for the Dirtbags ranging from a series victory with the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. For the year, they finished 29-27 overall with a 17-13 clip for a fourth place finish in Big West play.
• As has been the story under Coach Valenzuela, the pitching staff was the bright spot of the year. Statistically, they ranked fifth in the nation for most shutouts, seventh lowest in WHIP, ninth lowest in ERA, 17th fewest in hits per nine, and 20th overall in strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• Further, the defense held strong posting a .975 fielding percentage for the season which ranked 37th in the nation.
• The end of the year awards saw five different 'Bags receive honors headlined by Connor Burns being named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year. Fellow returners, Jonathon Long and Rocco Peppi were also recognized, earning All-Big West Honorable Mentions.
2023 SEASON SYNOPSIS
• The upcoming season is an intriguing one for the Dirtbags headlined by 34 new faces occupying the roster compared to just 8 returners who saw time on the field a year ago.
• Schedule wise, Long Beach State will have 28 official home games compared to 20 true road contests and 5 neutral contests. The headliners of the schedule include East Carolina, Grand Canyon, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly, UCLA, and South Florida.
• In terms of the strength of the schedule, the 'Bags will face three teams currently ranked on all the different publications' rankings. Four of their 2023 opponents played in an NCAA Regional with ECU hosting a Super Regional. And 7 of their opponents posted 30-win seasons last year.
AGAINST WICHITA STATE
• Long Beach State and Wichita State have a bit of a storied rivalry where they played each virtually every season from 1994-2015, and even had a matchup at the College World Series.
• Overall, the Dirtbags lead the all-time series 29-25 and are 17-9 when playing at home. While they haven't matched up since the 2015 season, Long Beach has won four straight and nine of the last 10 contests.
SCOUTING THE SHOCKERS
• Wichita State is coming off a lackluster 2022 season where they went 21-36 overall and 9-15 in the American Athletic Conference, earning the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament.
• Looking at some preseason news for the Shockers, they were picked to finish fifth in the Preseason AAC Coaches' Poll. Individually, they had four representatives on the preseason All-Conference team led by Brock Rodden's Player of the Year selection.
• Last year's Shockers team posted a .265/.355/.427 slash line averaging 5.77 runs per game. On the mound, they pitched to a 5.97 ERA with a .274 opponent batting average striking out 475 in 497.2 innings.
SEASON OPENERS
• Long Beach State owns an 18-16 record in season openers during the Dirtbags era (1989-present). When playing at Blair Field, they have been dominant, going 13-3 in season openers in that same time frame. With Coach Valenzuela at the helm, they are 2-1 over his first three seasons.
• Since 1954, when Long Beach State baseball first began, the team has never been shutout in a season opening game. Of their 68 season openers in history, they have scored multiple runs in 63 and scored at least five runs in 32 of them.
BAGS IN THE BIGS
• Long Beach State has had 53 alumni reach the major leagues in their storied career. Jarren Duran and Darren McCaughan were the most recent debuts, coming within a week of each other during the 2021 season.
• With MLB Spring Training right around the corner, 10 Dirtbags alum find themselves in big league camp. Evan Longoria, Matt Duffy, and Garrett Hampson will be sporting new threads after signing with the Diamondbacks, Royals, and Marlins, respectively. Jeff McNeil is fresh off a batting title and new contract extension that keeps him in New York for at least four more seasons. Duran (Boston) and McCaughan (Seattle) have each earned spring invites.
• The new names among the higher ranks include Nick Avila, who was taken in the Rule 5 Draft by the Chicago White Sox, and Eli Villalobos who skyrocketed through the minors and was added to Miami's 40-man roster. David Baneulos (Minnesota) and Lucas Jacobsen (Texas) were also non-roster invitees for their respective clubs.
THE INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
• Long Beach State has a history on the international stage and they will add to that storied history in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The 20-team premier international tournament will begin in March and feature four former Dirtbags.
• Vance Worley will play for Team Great Britain, Jeff McNeil will play for Team USA, Jarren Duran will play for Team Mexico, and Leonard "LJ" Jones will play for Team Panama giving Long Beach State a nation-leading four alum among all the Division 1 schools.
• The quartet joins Evan Longoria (Team USA, 2009) and Marco Estrada (Team Mexico, 2013) as alumni to compete in the World Baseball Classic.
THE NATIONALLY RANKED RECRUITING CLASS
• The Dirtbags lost 26 players from last season whether it was to the draft, graduation, or the new transfer portal. In filling those spots, the coaching staff brought in 32 new faces for their 2023 recruiting class. The group features 15 transfers and 17 incoming freshmen.
• The group was ranked 26th in the country by Perfect Game and 30th by Collegiate Baseball. The PG ranking is the highest of all mid-majors while the CB ranking is second while both are the second-best among all teams in the West Coast.
LONG-BALL
• Jonathon Long is one of the best bats coming back for the 2023 campaign. The junior is coming off an All-Big West Honorable Mention after slashing .311/.411/.454 finishing second on the team in home runs (6), RBI (37), and walks (25). A model of consistency, he has racked up a .321 average in his two years with LBSU.
• He is also garnering national attention, tabbed as the Preseason Player of the Year choice by both D1Baseball and Perfect Game. He also earned spots on the PG's Preseason All-Conference Team and the Big West's inaugural Preseason Team.
• In D1Baseball's position-by-position rankings, the Orange native was tabbed as the #25 First Baseman in the nation as well as the #10 prospect in the Big West Conference.
BIG ROC
• Rocco Peppi is another big bat coming back to sport the black and gold this season after leading the team in average (.321) and ranking second in hits (68), doubles (11), total bases (94), and on-base percentage (.408).
• The Huntington Beach native is coming off a Big West Honorable Mention as well last season and was tabbed as the #94 Outfielder in the nation by D1Baseball as well as the #14 draft prospect in the country.
THE DOUBLES MACHINE
• Grad transfer, Joey Walls, joins the Dirtbags after an unreal senior season at UNLV last year. Slashing .350/.444/.614, he led the entire nation in doubles with 26 two-baggers to go along with eight homers and 48 RBI. More than just a power threat through, he was also a perfect six-for-six stealing bases.
• Walls' name was also consistently mentioned in preseason news outlets, earning D1Baseball's selection for Big West Newcomer of the Year as well as ranking as the #83 Outfielder in the country.
FEEL THE BURN
• Junior Connor Burns is very well known as one of the best defensive catchers in the nation and is coming off a year where he earned the Big West Defensive Player of the Year as well as being a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
• After making huge offensive strides during the fall, he is expected to skyrocket up the draft projections this year. Along with earning a spot on the inaugural Big West Preseason All-Conference Team, he is noted as the #2 draft prospect in the conference by D1Baseball.
WIZARD OF OS
• Junior transfer Graham Osman has joined the Dirtbags and immediately become the likely ace of the staff. After an absolutely ridiculous summer campaign, he was tabbed as the probable Friday night starter before fall ball even started.
• Playing for the Santa Barbara Foresters in the California Collegiate League, he won the ERA title with a microscopic 0.25 ERA. Totaling 35.2 innings in seven starts, he surrendered just one earned run while striking out 37 opposing hitters.
• D1Baseball has him ranked as the #20 draft prospect in the Big West and #7 among the pitching prospects.
THE CHERRY ON TOP
• Sophomore transfer Grant Cherry has arguably the biggest arm on the roster this season. With a fastball that should consistently sit in the mid-90s, he is expected to be a key piece at the backend of the bullpen.
• Despite very limited time on the mound at Tennessee, he held opponents to a .091 average and owned a 13.5 K/9. D1Baseball has him tabbed as the #15 prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft.
GENERAL PATTON
• Myles Patton is arguably the most notable of the incoming freshman class after a remarkable career at Millikan High School. The lefty is coming off back-to-back seasons where he was the 2022 Moore League Player of the Year, 2021 Moore League Pitcher of the Year, and 2021 CIF Player of the Year.
• The local product produced video game numbers in his final two seasons of high school ball posting a 13-5 record and 1.07 ERA. Totaling 143.2 innings, he struck out 190 batters and held opponents to a .159 clip.
• D1Baseball ranked him as the #3 Impact Freshman and he is likely to hold a consistent spot on the weekend rotation.
BACK IN BLACK
• There are just nine returners from the 2022 season with five being position players and four being pitchers.
• Long, Peppi, and Burns are the most notable as mentioned previously but they are joined by infielder Eddie Saldivar and Tyler White to round out the position players. Saldivar hit .293 in 52 games in his rookie campaign with a team-leading eight stolen bases while White saw time primarily as a defensive option in the outfield, playing 38 games and posting a .319 on-base percentage.
• On the mound, Jonathan Carlos leads the way in terms of 2022 appearances, posting a 2.76 ERA in 32.2 innings. Josh Haley (2.36 ERA, 26.2 IP), Dalton Ponce (2.95 ERA, 18.1 IP), and Ethan Clough (3.12 ERA, 26 IP) also return with expected significant roles. Jake Rons has stretched out and will factor into the starting rotation this season after making 17 appearances in 2022.
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