Long Beach State University Athletics
Friday, March 17
La Jolla, Calif.
6 p.m.
Long Beach State University
at
UC San Diego
Photo by: John Fajardo
Dirtbags to Start Conference Play at UC San Diego
3/16/2023 1:39:00 PM | Baseball
Long Beach State begins Big West play this weekend.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State is set to begin their Big West schedule this weekend heading to La Jolla for a three-game series with UC San Diego. The Dirtbags have won seven of their last nine games going into the conference opener.
Long Beach State (10-5, 0-0 BW) at UC San Diego (9-6, 0-0 BW)
Friday, March 17
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Triton Ballpark (La Jolla, Calif.)
Pitching Matchup: Graham Osman (LBSU) vs. Michael Mitchell (UCSD)
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
Saturday, March 18
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Triton Ballpark (La Jolla, Calif.)
Pitching Matchup: Nico Zeglin (LBSU) vs. Nic Greyson (UCSD)
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
Sunday, March 19
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Triton Ballpark (La Jolla, Calif.)
Pitching Matchup: TBA (LBSU) vs. Anthony Eyanson (UCSD)
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.
MIDWEEK MASHIN'
• The Dirtbags went to Riverside for a Wednesday night matchup with California Baptist and the night turned into a bit of a home run derby. Six balls left the yard at James Totman Stadium with LBSU hitting four of them.
• Cole Santander was one of the home run hitters, launching a pinch hit, game-tying solo shot in the top of the eighth which ultimately led to extra innings. Jack Hammond one-upped it with a game-winning moonshot in the top of the tenth to give the Dirtbags an 8-6 victory in extra innings.
• The trio of Josh Haley, Ethan Clough, and Kellan Montgomery were vital out of the bullpen combining for 4.1 scoreless innings not allowing a Lancer hit. Montgomery threw the final two innings, perfect, with four strikeouts to record the first win of his collegiate career.
NATIONALLY RANKED STAFF...AGAIN
• 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 the third Big West series between Long Beach State and UC San Diego with nine meetings in their history. The Dirtbags lead the all-time series 6-3, but lost the series at home last season.
• When playing in La Jolla, the Dirtbags are 3-1 with a 28-19 run differential.
SCOUTING THE TRITONS
• 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 (10-5, 0-0 BW) at UC San Diego (9-6, 0-0 BW)
Friday, March 17
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Triton Ballpark (La Jolla, Calif.)
Pitching Matchup: Graham Osman (LBSU) vs. Michael Mitchell (UCSD)
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
Saturday, March 18
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Triton Ballpark (La Jolla, Calif.)
Pitching Matchup: Nico Zeglin (LBSU) vs. Nic Greyson (UCSD)
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
Sunday, March 19
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Triton Ballpark (La Jolla, Calif.)
Pitching Matchup: TBA (LBSU) vs. Anthony Eyanson (UCSD)
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.
MIDWEEK MASHIN'
• The Dirtbags went to Riverside for a Wednesday night matchup with California Baptist and the night turned into a bit of a home run derby. Six balls left the yard at James Totman Stadium with LBSU hitting four of them.
• Cole Santander was one of the home run hitters, launching a pinch hit, game-tying solo shot in the top of the eighth which ultimately led to extra innings. Jack Hammond one-upped it with a game-winning moonshot in the top of the tenth to give the Dirtbags an 8-6 victory in extra innings.
• The trio of Josh Haley, Ethan Clough, and Kellan Montgomery were vital out of the bullpen combining for 4.1 scoreless innings not allowing a Lancer hit. Montgomery threw the final two innings, perfect, with four strikeouts to record the first win of his collegiate career.
NATIONALLY RANKED STAFF...AGAIN
• 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 the third Big West series between Long Beach State and UC San Diego with nine meetings in their history. The Dirtbags lead the all-time series 6-3, but lost the series at home last season.
• When playing in La Jolla, the Dirtbags are 3-1 with a 28-19 run differential.
SCOUTING THE TRITONS
• 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
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