Wednesday, March 15
Riverside, Calif.
6:30 p.m.
Long Beach State University
at
California Baptist
Photo by: John Fajardo
Dirtbags Head to Riverside for Midweek Against California Baptist
3/14/2023 4:18:00 PM | Baseball
Originally, a Tuesday matchup, rains postponed the game one day to Wednesday.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Dirtbags are heading to Riverside for a Wednesday night contest with California Baptist ahead of their conference opener this weekend. The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday night, but rain storms postponed it one day.
Long Beach State (9-5) at California Baptist (8-7)
Wednesday, March 15
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: James Totman Stadium
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND
• The Dirtbags come off their fourth consecutive winning weekend to start the season after taking two of three from South Florida in another rain-altered series.
• Game one was a pitching clinic as Graham Osman, Sky Wells, and Jonathan Carlos combined for a two-hit shutout of the Bulls. Offensively, four Dirtbags posted multi-hit efforts led by Rocco Peppi's 2-for-4 day with two runs and two RBI.
• Game two of the series was game one of a Sunday doubleheader and saw Nico Zeglin post a masterful performance. The right-hander threw seven no-hit innings while striking out 13 Bulls hitters as LBSU was just three outs shy of a combined no-hitter.
• The series finale was won by South Florida, 6-2, despite seven innings of one-run ball from the Long Beach bullpen. Tyler White was the standout, going 2-for-4 at the plate with the first home run of his collegiate career.
NATIONALLY RANKED STAFF
• The pitching staff continues to be a strength for the Dirtbags since Coach Valenzuela took over. As they have been, the arms rank among the best in the NCAA from a statistical standpoint.
• The team's three shutouts currently ranks as the fifth most in the country while their 3.61 ERA currently ranks 29th.
• Limiting baserunners and striking out a lot of hitters, the Dirtbags currently rank 13th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.50), 19th in walks per nine (3.03), 21st in WHIP (1.23), 44th in K/9 (10.6), and 54th in hits allowed per nine (8.01)
CONFERENCE PLAY IS HERE
• Long Beach State begins Big West play this weekend as they head to UC San Diego for a three-game series to open up their conference schedule. By overall record, the Dirtbags currently own the fourth-best win percentage in the league.
• Statistically, Long Beach ranks in the top three of the conference in almost every category headlined by the most shutouts thrown (3) and the second-lowest ERA behind preseason favorite UCSB.
AGAINST THE OPPONENT
• This will be just the third time Long Beach State and California Baptist matchup in program history with a 1-1 all-time record.
• LBSU won the first meeting back in 1983, but CBU won the most recent matchup, 6-1, last year at Blair Field.
SCOUTING THE LANCERS
• California Baptist is 8-7 overall and coming off a series win in their WAC opener against UT Rio Grand Valley this past weekend. The Lancers also own series wins over Oklahoma and Seton Hall this year.
• The offense is hitting .250 on the year with a .725 OPS. Of the team's 126 hits, 44 have gone for extra bases including 12 home runs. Garrett Ostrander leads the team hitting .417 this season.
• The pitching staff owns a 5.65 team ERA with opponents hitting .267 against them. In 129 innings of work, they have registered 122 strikeouts compared to 71 walks.
Full Game Notes
Long Beach State (9-5) at California Baptist (8-7)
Wednesday, March 15
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: James Totman Stadium
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND
• The Dirtbags come off their fourth consecutive winning weekend to start the season after taking two of three from South Florida in another rain-altered series.
• Game one was a pitching clinic as Graham Osman, Sky Wells, and Jonathan Carlos combined for a two-hit shutout of the Bulls. Offensively, four Dirtbags posted multi-hit efforts led by Rocco Peppi's 2-for-4 day with two runs and two RBI.
• Game two of the series was game one of a Sunday doubleheader and saw Nico Zeglin post a masterful performance. The right-hander threw seven no-hit innings while striking out 13 Bulls hitters as LBSU was just three outs shy of a combined no-hitter.
• The series finale was won by South Florida, 6-2, despite seven innings of one-run ball from the Long Beach bullpen. Tyler White was the standout, going 2-for-4 at the plate with the first home run of his collegiate career.
NATIONALLY RANKED STAFF
• The pitching staff continues to be a strength for the Dirtbags since Coach Valenzuela took over. As they have been, the arms rank among the best in the NCAA from a statistical standpoint.
• The team's three shutouts currently ranks as the fifth most in the country while their 3.61 ERA currently ranks 29th.
• Limiting baserunners and striking out a lot of hitters, the Dirtbags currently rank 13th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.50), 19th in walks per nine (3.03), 21st in WHIP (1.23), 44th in K/9 (10.6), and 54th in hits allowed per nine (8.01)
CONFERENCE PLAY IS HERE
• Long Beach State begins Big West play this weekend as they head to UC San Diego for a three-game series to open up their conference schedule. By overall record, the Dirtbags currently own the fourth-best win percentage in the league.
• Statistically, Long Beach ranks in the top three of the conference in almost every category headlined by the most shutouts thrown (3) and the second-lowest ERA behind preseason favorite UCSB.
AGAINST THE OPPONENT
• This will be just the third time Long Beach State and California Baptist matchup in program history with a 1-1 all-time record.
• LBSU won the first meeting back in 1983, but CBU won the most recent matchup, 6-1, last year at Blair Field.
SCOUTING THE LANCERS
• California Baptist is 8-7 overall and coming off a series win in their WAC opener against UT Rio Grand Valley this past weekend. The Lancers also own series wins over Oklahoma and Seton Hall this year.
• The offense is hitting .250 on the year with a .725 OPS. Of the team's 126 hits, 44 have gone for extra bases including 12 home runs. Garrett Ostrander leads the team hitting .417 this season.
• The pitching staff owns a 5.65 team ERA with opponents hitting .267 against them. In 129 innings of work, they have registered 122 strikeouts compared to 71 walks.
Full Game Notes
Players Mentioned
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