Tuesday, March 7
Los Angeles, Calif.
5 p.m.
Long Beach State University
at
UCLA
Photo by: Ashley Herman
Dirtbags Head to No. 10 UCLA for Midweek Matchup
3/6/2023 4:53:00 PM | Baseball
Long Beach State will face their second top ten opponent of the season.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State is set for another big road contest this week as they head to Los Angeles for a midweek matchup with No. 10 UCLA. Both the Dirtbags and Bruins enter the week riding four-game win streaks.
Long Beach State (7-3) at No. 10 UCLA (9-2)
Tuesday, March 7
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Jackie Robinson Stadium
Pitching Matchup: Jake Rons (LBSU) vs. Michael Barnett (UCLA)
Live Stats | Listen | Watch
LAST TIME OUT
• The Dirtbags go into their second midweek of the season with a 7-3 overall record and riding a four-game win streak. Last weekend, they were crowned LeClair Classic Champions sweeping their weekend in Greenville, N.C.
• Their first game of the tournament was a beatdown of Georgetown that resulted in an 18-3 victory for the 'Bags. The lineup had four multi-hit efforts and every single starter recorded a hit and run scored.
• Saturday, they played the night cap against the hosts and No. 9 ranked East Carolina. In a tightly contested contest, Long Beach came out on top 3-2 on the backs of Rocco Peppi and the bullpen.
• The finale saw the offense explode once again with a 10-4 victory over Indiana to complete the weekend sweep. Jack Hammond led a group of four multi-hit performances finishing a triple shy of the cycle with four RBI.
NO FREE PASSES
• The pitching staff continues to be a strength for the Dirtbags since Coach Valenzuela took over. This season they rank 21st in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.23) and 22nd in walks per nine (3.01). They also own the 35th best team WHIP at 1.26.
• Overall, the pitching staff also ranks 40th with a 3.71 earned run average and has had 17 different arms on the mound in the early season. That mark also ranks second in the Big West.
RED HOT BATS
• Long Beach State's offense had an incredible week last week, headlined by 31 runs in three games at the LeClair Classic. Over their last six games, the Dirtbags have scored double-digit runs in four of them and are now average 7.4 runs per game.
• In that six-game stretch, the team is slashing .321/.409/.524 with 26 extra-base hits and 55 runs scored.
• As a team, they rank second in the conference with a .290 average and .481 slugging percentage. They also rank third in hits, doubles, triples, and total bases.
AGAINST THE OPPONENT
• This is the 118th matchup between Long Beach State and UCLA with the Bruins leading the series, 70-47. In the Dirtbags era, they are even at 34-34.
• When playing at Jackie Robinson Stadium, LBSU is 18-38 and have not won on the road since May 8, 2018.
• The Dirtbags won the last meeting against the Bruins on May 3, 2022 on a walkoff home run in the 12th inning at Blair. UCLA won the other midweek matchup last season, 3-0 at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
• UCLA enters the week with a 9-2 record and winners of four straight games. They are a unanimous Top 20 team among the major national polls, sitting as high as No. 10 according to Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game.
• The Bruin offense owns a .277/.414/.449 slash line averaging just over eight runs per game. They have belted 15 home runs to go along 16 stolen bases. Duce Gourson ranks among the best on the team with a .400 average, 15 runs scored, and .547 on-base percentage.
• The pitching staff has been nearly unhittable to start the year with an NCAA-leading 1.67 ERA. They also rank fourth with a 5.43 K/BB, fifth with a 0.98 WHIP, and seventh with a 2.13 BB/9. Projected starter Michael Barnett owns a 0.93 ERA in 9.2 inings thus far, totaling 11 strikeouts.
Full Game Notes
Long Beach State (7-3) at No. 10 UCLA (9-2)
Tuesday, March 7
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Jackie Robinson Stadium
Pitching Matchup: Jake Rons (LBSU) vs. Michael Barnett (UCLA)
Live Stats | Listen | Watch
LAST TIME OUT
• The Dirtbags go into their second midweek of the season with a 7-3 overall record and riding a four-game win streak. Last weekend, they were crowned LeClair Classic Champions sweeping their weekend in Greenville, N.C.
• Their first game of the tournament was a beatdown of Georgetown that resulted in an 18-3 victory for the 'Bags. The lineup had four multi-hit efforts and every single starter recorded a hit and run scored.
• Saturday, they played the night cap against the hosts and No. 9 ranked East Carolina. In a tightly contested contest, Long Beach came out on top 3-2 on the backs of Rocco Peppi and the bullpen.
• The finale saw the offense explode once again with a 10-4 victory over Indiana to complete the weekend sweep. Jack Hammond led a group of four multi-hit performances finishing a triple shy of the cycle with four RBI.
NO FREE PASSES
• The pitching staff continues to be a strength for the Dirtbags since Coach Valenzuela took over. This season they rank 21st in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.23) and 22nd in walks per nine (3.01). They also own the 35th best team WHIP at 1.26.
• Overall, the pitching staff also ranks 40th with a 3.71 earned run average and has had 17 different arms on the mound in the early season. That mark also ranks second in the Big West.
RED HOT BATS
• Long Beach State's offense had an incredible week last week, headlined by 31 runs in three games at the LeClair Classic. Over their last six games, the Dirtbags have scored double-digit runs in four of them and are now average 7.4 runs per game.
• In that six-game stretch, the team is slashing .321/.409/.524 with 26 extra-base hits and 55 runs scored.
• As a team, they rank second in the conference with a .290 average and .481 slugging percentage. They also rank third in hits, doubles, triples, and total bases.
AGAINST THE OPPONENT
• This is the 118th matchup between Long Beach State and UCLA with the Bruins leading the series, 70-47. In the Dirtbags era, they are even at 34-34.
• When playing at Jackie Robinson Stadium, LBSU is 18-38 and have not won on the road since May 8, 2018.
• The Dirtbags won the last meeting against the Bruins on May 3, 2022 on a walkoff home run in the 12th inning at Blair. UCLA won the other midweek matchup last season, 3-0 at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
• UCLA enters the week with a 9-2 record and winners of four straight games. They are a unanimous Top 20 team among the major national polls, sitting as high as No. 10 according to Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game.
• The Bruin offense owns a .277/.414/.449 slash line averaging just over eight runs per game. They have belted 15 home runs to go along 16 stolen bases. Duce Gourson ranks among the best on the team with a .400 average, 15 runs scored, and .547 on-base percentage.
• The pitching staff has been nearly unhittable to start the year with an NCAA-leading 1.67 ERA. They also rank fourth with a 5.43 K/BB, fifth with a 0.98 WHIP, and seventh with a 2.13 BB/9. Projected starter Michael Barnett owns a 0.93 ERA in 9.2 inings thus far, totaling 11 strikeouts.
Full Game Notes
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