Thursday, April 6
Irvine, Calif.
6 p.m.
Long Beach State University
at
UC Irvine
Dirtbags Hit the Road for Black and Blue Rivalry Series
4/5/2023 4:44:00 PM | Baseball
Long Beach State will play at UC Irvine for a Thursday through Saturday series.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The 2023 edition of the Black and Blue Rivalry Series will take place at UC Irvine as the Dirtbags head to Cicerone Ballpark for a three-game set with the Anteaters. This weekend's series will be Thursday through Saturday.
Long Beach State (18-9, 6-3 Big West) at UC Irvine (17-8, 4-5 Big West)
Thursday, April 6
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Pitching Matchup: Graham Osman (LBSU) vs. Nick Pinto (UCI)
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
Friday, April 7
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Pitching Matchup: Nico Zeglin (LBSU) vs. David Vizcaino (UCI)
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
Saturday, April 8
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Pitching Matchup: TBD vs. TBD
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
ABOUT THE 'BAGS
• The Dirtbags enter the weekend winners in eight of their last nine and owners of an 18-9 overall record and 6-3 mark in Big West play. They are coming off a marathon, extra-inning loss to No. 22 UCLA on Tuesday.
• The offense owns a .267/.354/.439 slash line with 179 runs in their 27 games. Of the team's 250 hits, 90 have gone for extra bases, including 33 home runs which ranks second-most in the Big West.
• The pitching staff now owns a 4.18 team ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. In 245.1 innings pitched, they have racked up a Big West leading 279 strikeouts compared to 94 walks.
MIDWEEK MARATHON
• The Dirtbags and Bruins met for the second time this season and went on to play a 13-inning, four and a half hour marathon on Tuesday night, with No. 22 UCLA coming out on top, 4-3.
• Long Beach scored first and held a 3-1 lead going into the ninth inning. But down to their final out, UCLA hit a two-run, game tying home run to ultimately force extras.
• After the go ahead run scored in the top of the 13th, Connor Burns led off the bottom half with a double. However, a lineout and two groundouts would keep him stranded at third and the Dirtbags' eight-game winning streak.
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.
THE WIN STREAK
• Long Beach State won eight consecutive games over the last two weeks starting with Fresno State on March 22. While the streak was ended by No. 22 UCLA, it still goes down as 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 bumped them up all over the NCAA stat rankings, especially on the pitching side of things.
• Currently, they rank in the nations' Top 50 with three shutouts (17th), 2.97 strikeout-to-walk ratio (19th), 3.45 walks per nine (3.45), 4.18 ERA (28th), 1.33 WHIP (35th), and 10.2 strikeouts per nine (41st).
• Offensively, they rank 18th with 18 sacrifice flies, 46th with 15 sacrifice bunts, 95th with 1.22 home runs per game, and 96th with 33 total home runs. They also rank 58th in fielding percentage with a .976 mark.
SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS
• UC Irvine enters the week as winners in four of their last five, owning a 17-8 overall record and 4-5 mark in Big West play. They have won three straight after taking the final two games against UCSD last weekend and following with a midweek win over Fresno.
• The offense is slashing .282/.409/.425 on the year with 17 home runs and 172 RBI. Their .409 on-base percentage ranks second in the league. Of their teams, 238 hits, only 75 have gone for extra bases to go along with 185 runs scored in 25 games.
• The pitching staff has been carried by their bullpen this season, but sports a 4.72 team ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. In 225 innings of work, they've racked up 228 strikeouts compared to 80 walks.
AGAINST THE OPPONENT
• Long Beach State and UC Irvine have a long-time rivalry with LBSU trailing the all-time series 64-75-1. However, in the Dirtbag era, the 'Bags lead it 40-36 and are 4-3 in the Valenzuela era.
• When playing on the road, Long Beach is 32-40-1 all-time and is 2-2 since Valenzuela took over the program. Last year's series was won by the Dirtbags at Blair Field with LBSU posting a 11-4 run differential.
Long Beach State (18-9, 6-3 Big West) at UC Irvine (17-8, 4-5 Big West)
Thursday, April 6
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Pitching Matchup: Graham Osman (LBSU) vs. Nick Pinto (UCI)
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
Friday, April 7
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Pitching Matchup: Nico Zeglin (LBSU) vs. David Vizcaino (UCI)
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
Saturday, April 8
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Pitching Matchup: TBD vs. TBD
Live Stats | Watch on ESPN+
ABOUT THE 'BAGS
• The Dirtbags enter the weekend winners in eight of their last nine and owners of an 18-9 overall record and 6-3 mark in Big West play. They are coming off a marathon, extra-inning loss to No. 22 UCLA on Tuesday.
• The offense owns a .267/.354/.439 slash line with 179 runs in their 27 games. Of the team's 250 hits, 90 have gone for extra bases, including 33 home runs which ranks second-most in the Big West.
• The pitching staff now owns a 4.18 team ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. In 245.1 innings pitched, they have racked up a Big West leading 279 strikeouts compared to 94 walks.
MIDWEEK MARATHON
• The Dirtbags and Bruins met for the second time this season and went on to play a 13-inning, four and a half hour marathon on Tuesday night, with No. 22 UCLA coming out on top, 4-3.
• Long Beach scored first and held a 3-1 lead going into the ninth inning. But down to their final out, UCLA hit a two-run, game tying home run to ultimately force extras.
• After the go ahead run scored in the top of the 13th, Connor Burns led off the bottom half with a double. However, a lineout and two groundouts would keep him stranded at third and the Dirtbags' eight-game winning streak.
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.
THE WIN STREAK
• Long Beach State won eight consecutive games over the last two weeks starting with Fresno State on March 22. While the streak was ended by No. 22 UCLA, it still goes down as 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 bumped them up all over the NCAA stat rankings, especially on the pitching side of things.
• Currently, they rank in the nations' Top 50 with three shutouts (17th), 2.97 strikeout-to-walk ratio (19th), 3.45 walks per nine (3.45), 4.18 ERA (28th), 1.33 WHIP (35th), and 10.2 strikeouts per nine (41st).
• Offensively, they rank 18th with 18 sacrifice flies, 46th with 15 sacrifice bunts, 95th with 1.22 home runs per game, and 96th with 33 total home runs. They also rank 58th in fielding percentage with a .976 mark.
SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS
• UC Irvine enters the week as winners in four of their last five, owning a 17-8 overall record and 4-5 mark in Big West play. They have won three straight after taking the final two games against UCSD last weekend and following with a midweek win over Fresno.
• The offense is slashing .282/.409/.425 on the year with 17 home runs and 172 RBI. Their .409 on-base percentage ranks second in the league. Of their teams, 238 hits, only 75 have gone for extra bases to go along with 185 runs scored in 25 games.
• The pitching staff has been carried by their bullpen this season, but sports a 4.72 team ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. In 225 innings of work, they've racked up 228 strikeouts compared to 80 walks.
AGAINST THE OPPONENT
• Long Beach State and UC Irvine have a long-time rivalry with LBSU trailing the all-time series 64-75-1. However, in the Dirtbag era, the 'Bags lead it 40-36 and are 4-3 in the Valenzuela era.
• When playing on the road, Long Beach is 32-40-1 all-time and is 2-2 since Valenzuela took over the program. Last year's series was won by the Dirtbags at Blair Field with LBSU posting a 11-4 run differential.
Players Mentioned
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