Dirtbags Ends Homestand with No. 22 UCLA on Tuesday

Tuesday, April 4

Long Beach, Calif.

6 p.m.

Long Beach State University

UCLA

Photo by: John Fajardo

4/3/2023 4:59:00 PM | Baseball

Game Notes

Tuesday will be a rematch between the Dirtbags and Bruins.

By: Collin Robinson, Associate Director of Athletic Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State's five-game homestand comes to an end on Tuesday, hosting No. 22 ranked UCLA at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. The Dirtbags enter the matchup on an eight-game winning streak while the Bruins are currently on a seven-game losing streak.

Long Beach State (18-8) vs. No. 22 UCLA (16-8)
Tuesday, April 4
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Bohl Diamond at Blair Field
Pitching Matchup: Grant Cherry (LBSU) vs. Michael Barnett (UCLA)
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+

ABOUT THE 'BAGS
• The Dirtbags enter the week on an eight-game winning streak and owners of an 18-8 overall record and 6-3 mark in Big West play. Of their four victories last week, three came via walkoff including a pair of Jonathon Long walkoff home runs.
• The offense owns a .267/.357/.444 slash line with 176 runs in their 26 games. Of the team's 237 hits, 86 have gone for extra bases, including 33 home runs which ranks second-most in the Big West.
• The pitching staff now owns a 4.26 team ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. In 232.1 innings pitched, they have racked up a Big West leading 262 strikeouts compared to 89 walks.

LAST WEEKEND
• Long Beach State continued their winning ways with another Big West sweep, taking all three games from Cal Poly over the weekend. Two of the three wins over the Mustangs came in walkoff fashion.
• Game one was the Jack Hammond game as the sophomore transfer went 5-for-5 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI to back another masterful start from Graham Osman.
• Jonathon Long played hero in game two launching two home runs in the series clinching victory, including a walkoff in the bottom of the ninth. Nico Zeglin was also dominant as the latter half of Valenzuela's dynamic duo.
• The finale saw the 'Bags score six runs in the third, but Cal Poly rallied back and ultimately forced extra innings. After a Mustang run scored in the top of the tenth, a Tyler White home run in the bottom half tied it and an Eddie Saldivar RBI single walked it off for the sweep.

WALKOFF WINNERS
• The Dirtbags won all four of their games last week, three of which came as walkoffs. Jonathon Long was the hero twice with walkoff home runs against CBU and in game two against Cal Poly while Eddie Saldivar walked them off in the Sunday finale.
• Long Beach State now has four walkoffs this season, three of which came via the long ball. Since hitting coach Bryan Peters came to LBSU with Coach Valenzuela there have been six game-winning home runs at Blair.

'BAGS ARE STREAKING
• Long Beach State has won eight consecutive games over the last two week starting with Fresno State on March 22. The streak is the longest since the team won eight straight since the 2017 season. It is also the longest streak of the Valenzuela Era.
• The longest win streak in program history is a 15-game win streak during the 1989 season when the Dirtbags made their first ever College World Series appearance.

IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• The Dirtbags' eight-game win streak has bumped them up all over the NCAA stat rankings, especially on the pitching side of things.
• Currently, they rank 15th in the nation with 3 shutouts and a 3.01 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Their 3.37 walks per nine is ranked 22nd best, 4.26 ERA is 33rd, 1.34 WHIP is 39th, and 10.1 K/9 is 43rd.
• Offensively, they rank 15th with 18 sacrifice flies, 45th with 15 sacrifice bunts, 77th with 1.27 home runs per game, and 8th with 33 total home runs. They also rank 60th in fielding percentage with a .976 mark.

SCOUTING THE BRUINS
• UCLA enters the week with a 16-8 overall record, but have lost seven consecutive games including a 15-5 midweek loss to LBSU rival, Cal State Fullerton. Despite that, the Bruins still sit in the Top 25 ranking as high as #12 in the NCBWA poll.
• The offense is slashing .261/.390/.426 through 24 games, averaging just shy of 7 runs per game. Of their 209 hits, 67 have gone for extra bases to go along with 234 strikeouts compared to 140 walks.
• The pitching staff still continues to be one of the best in the nation, sporting a 3.45 team ERA, which is 14th lowest in the NCAA. In 211 innings, they have 244 strikeouts compared to just 69 walks and own a .241 opponent batting average.

AGAINST THE OPPONENT
• Long Beach State and UCLA meet for the latter half of their home-and-home midweek series of the season. UCLA won the first meeting, 7-6, at Jackie Robinson to move to 71-47 against the Dirtbags in the all-time series.
• When playing at Blair, Long Beach State is 27-30 against the Bruins. Last year when the teams played in the LBC, it took 12 innigns before the Dirtbags won on a walkoff home run.

BAGS IN THE BIGS
• Major League Baseball celebrated Opening Day on Thursday and with that, three Dirtbag alum have started the 2023 campaign in the big leagues.
• Evan Longoria is the longest tenured alum active in the big leagues as he begins his 16th season, but with a new ballclub in the Arizona Diamondbacks. Matt Duffy is set for his eighth season on his fifth different team after joining the Kansas City Royals in the offseason. The third and final Dirtbag in the league is Jeff McNeil, who is coming off a batting title and new four-year contract with the New York Mets.