Friday, March 24
Riverside, Calif.
6:30 p.m.
Long Beach State University
at
UC Riverside
Photo by: John Fajardo
Dirtbags Head to UC Riverside for Second Big West Matchup
3/23/2023 1:44:00 PM | Baseball
Long Beach State will look to bounce back after being swept in their conference opener.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – For their second week of the conference schedule, the Dirtbags are set to go east and play a three-game series at UC Riverside. Long Beach State enters the weekend with a 17-game winning streak against the Highlanders.
Long Beach State (11-8, 0-3 Big West) at UC Riverside (5-11, 0-0 Big West)
Friday, March 24
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Riverside Sports Complex
Live Stats
Saturday, March 25
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Riverside Sports Complex
Live Stats
Sunday, March 26
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Riverside Sports Complex
Live Stats
ABOUT THE 'BAGS
• The Dirtbags enter their second week of conference play with an 11-8 overall record after defeating Fresno State in their midweek game this past Wednesday. However, they sit at 0-3 in conference play.
• The offense owns a .264/.354/.432 slash line with 124 runs in their 19 games. Of the team's 171 hits, 65 have gone for extra bases, including 20 home runs which ranks second-most in the Big West. Their 41 doubles also ranks tied for second in the league.
• The pitching staff has scuffled as of late, surrendering at least six runs in their last five games after consecutive shutouts of South Florida. Collectively, they have a 4.70 ERA and a .254 opponent batting average. In 168.1 innings of work, they have totaled 189 strikeouts.
LAST WEEKEND
• Long Beach State had a rough weekend, dropping all three games at UC San Diego. The Dirtbags were outscored 30-8 in the series and the Tritons scored first each game.
• The Dirtbags were two outs away from winning the opener, but UCSD rallied for four runs and a walkoff victory. On Saturday and Sunday, the only Dirtbag runs came on solo home runs falling in a pair of lopsided scores, 14-2 and 10-1.
MIDWEEK MASHING
• The offense carried the Dirtbags to a Wednesday night victory, topping Fresno State, 10-6, in their midweek at Blair.
• Totaling 12 hits, Long Beach State had five multi-hit performances in their lineup led by Joey Walls Jr. going 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and four RBI.
• On the mound, the woes continued, but had bright spots with Dalton Ponce (2 IP, H, OR, 2K), Josh Haley (W, 1.1 IP, 2H, 0R, 2K), and Kellan Montgomery (S, 1.1 IP, H, 0R, 2K).
IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• The Dirtbags, primarily the pitching staff, have found themselves statistically ranked among the Top 50 in the Valenzuela Era and that has continued once again this season.
• The team's three shutout victories ranks tied for ninth most in the nation, while their 14 sacrifice flies is 13th most. They also rank in the Top 50 in strikeout-to-walk ratio and walks per nine.
• Knocking on the door of the Top 50 teams statistically, they are 53rd in strikeouts per nine, 55th in sacrifice bunts, and 59th in doubles per game and WHIP.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
• UC Riverside has not played a game in over a week with their last matchup being a midweek with UC San Diego last Tuesday. They enter their conference opening series with a 5-11 overall record on a four-game losing streak.
• The offense is hitting .254 on the season with minimal power as 35 of their 130 hits have gone for extra bases. In their 16 games, they have scored just 67 runs, just over four runs per game.
• On the mound, the team has a 6.15 ERA and .282 opponent's batting average. In 136 innings, they have 95 strikeouts compared to 64 walks. Outside of Tucker Juline (0.98 ERA in 18.1 innings), no UCR pitcher has an ERA south of 3.20.
AGAINST THE OPPONENT
• The Dirtbags and Highlanders have met 113 times in program history with Long Beach State dominating the all-time series, 77-35-1 overall and 33-19-1 when playing in Riverside.
• The Dirtbags have won the last 17 meetings and last eight at the Highlanders' home field. In the Valenzuela Era, LBSU has outscored UCR 54-18 in seven games.
Full Game Notes
Long Beach State (11-8, 0-3 Big West) at UC Riverside (5-11, 0-0 Big West)
Friday, March 24
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Riverside Sports Complex
Live Stats
Saturday, March 25
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Riverside Sports Complex
Live Stats
Sunday, March 26
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Riverside Sports Complex
Live Stats
ABOUT THE 'BAGS
• The Dirtbags enter their second week of conference play with an 11-8 overall record after defeating Fresno State in their midweek game this past Wednesday. However, they sit at 0-3 in conference play.
• The offense owns a .264/.354/.432 slash line with 124 runs in their 19 games. Of the team's 171 hits, 65 have gone for extra bases, including 20 home runs which ranks second-most in the Big West. Their 41 doubles also ranks tied for second in the league.
• The pitching staff has scuffled as of late, surrendering at least six runs in their last five games after consecutive shutouts of South Florida. Collectively, they have a 4.70 ERA and a .254 opponent batting average. In 168.1 innings of work, they have totaled 189 strikeouts.
LAST WEEKEND
• Long Beach State had a rough weekend, dropping all three games at UC San Diego. The Dirtbags were outscored 30-8 in the series and the Tritons scored first each game.
• The Dirtbags were two outs away from winning the opener, but UCSD rallied for four runs and a walkoff victory. On Saturday and Sunday, the only Dirtbag runs came on solo home runs falling in a pair of lopsided scores, 14-2 and 10-1.
MIDWEEK MASHING
• The offense carried the Dirtbags to a Wednesday night victory, topping Fresno State, 10-6, in their midweek at Blair.
• Totaling 12 hits, Long Beach State had five multi-hit performances in their lineup led by Joey Walls Jr. going 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and four RBI.
• On the mound, the woes continued, but had bright spots with Dalton Ponce (2 IP, H, OR, 2K), Josh Haley (W, 1.1 IP, 2H, 0R, 2K), and Kellan Montgomery (S, 1.1 IP, H, 0R, 2K).
IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• The Dirtbags, primarily the pitching staff, have found themselves statistically ranked among the Top 50 in the Valenzuela Era and that has continued once again this season.
• The team's three shutout victories ranks tied for ninth most in the nation, while their 14 sacrifice flies is 13th most. They also rank in the Top 50 in strikeout-to-walk ratio and walks per nine.
• Knocking on the door of the Top 50 teams statistically, they are 53rd in strikeouts per nine, 55th in sacrifice bunts, and 59th in doubles per game and WHIP.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
• UC Riverside has not played a game in over a week with their last matchup being a midweek with UC San Diego last Tuesday. They enter their conference opening series with a 5-11 overall record on a four-game losing streak.
• The offense is hitting .254 on the season with minimal power as 35 of their 130 hits have gone for extra bases. In their 16 games, they have scored just 67 runs, just over four runs per game.
• On the mound, the team has a 6.15 ERA and .282 opponent's batting average. In 136 innings, they have 95 strikeouts compared to 64 walks. Outside of Tucker Juline (0.98 ERA in 18.1 innings), no UCR pitcher has an ERA south of 3.20.
AGAINST THE OPPONENT
• The Dirtbags and Highlanders have met 113 times in program history with Long Beach State dominating the all-time series, 77-35-1 overall and 33-19-1 when playing in Riverside.
• The Dirtbags have won the last 17 meetings and last eight at the Highlanders' home field. In the Valenzuela Era, LBSU has outscored UCR 54-18 in seven games.
Full Game Notes
Players Mentioned
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