Photo by: Mikaella Salazar
Eric Valenzuela Leaving Long Beach State for New Position
6/19/2023 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
Associate Head Coach Bryan Peters will take over as the Dirtbags’ Interim Head Coach.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – After four years as the head coach of Long Beach State's baseball program Eric Valenzuela has accepted a position to return to Saint Mary's and be the head coach of the Gaels. Associate Head Coach Bryan Peters will take over as the Interim Head Coach of the Dirtbags.
Valenzuela is coming off a 30-win season with Dirtbags, posting a 33-22 overall record and 17-13 mark in Big West play. He leaves Long Beach State with a 100-69 record in his four years at the helm leading the LBSU to a winning record each season and had the Dirtbags ranked in parts of both the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
"Eric took over our baseball program and immediately returned it to the national spotlight that is rooted in the Dirtbags' history," said Interim Executive Director of Athletics Ted Kadowaki. "All of us here at Long Beach State are very thankful for the work he did and wish him well in the next chapter of his professional career."
Kadowaki continued, "Bryan has worked side by side with Eric helping to instill the culture that exists within the baseball program, and we know he will continue to guide our student-athletes in the best way possible."
Focused on the offense, Peters guided the Dirtbags to the second most home runs in single-season program history (62) this past year headlining one of the best offensive seasons Long Beach State has seen in recent history. The team's .436 slugging percentage was the highest for the 'Bags since the 2002 season while the .273 average and .355 on-base percentage were the best since 2010.
In his four seasons with the program, Peters has piloted a power surge totaling 145 home runs which is more than the previous nine years combined. Long Beach has also ranked in the top half of the Big West in virtually every offensive category each season. Among his highlights thus far are one All-American honoree, one All-West Region selection, and eight All-Big West recipients as well as current draft prospect Jonathon Long moving into second on the LBSU career home run list.
Valenzuela is coming off a 30-win season with Dirtbags, posting a 33-22 overall record and 17-13 mark in Big West play. He leaves Long Beach State with a 100-69 record in his four years at the helm leading the LBSU to a winning record each season and had the Dirtbags ranked in parts of both the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
"Eric took over our baseball program and immediately returned it to the national spotlight that is rooted in the Dirtbags' history," said Interim Executive Director of Athletics Ted Kadowaki. "All of us here at Long Beach State are very thankful for the work he did and wish him well in the next chapter of his professional career."
Kadowaki continued, "Bryan has worked side by side with Eric helping to instill the culture that exists within the baseball program, and we know he will continue to guide our student-athletes in the best way possible."
Focused on the offense, Peters guided the Dirtbags to the second most home runs in single-season program history (62) this past year headlining one of the best offensive seasons Long Beach State has seen in recent history. The team's .436 slugging percentage was the highest for the 'Bags since the 2002 season while the .273 average and .355 on-base percentage were the best since 2010.
In his four seasons with the program, Peters has piloted a power surge totaling 145 home runs which is more than the previous nine years combined. Long Beach has also ranked in the top half of the Big West in virtually every offensive category each season. Among his highlights thus far are one All-American honoree, one All-West Region selection, and eight All-Big West recipients as well as current draft prospect Jonathon Long moving into second on the LBSU career home run list.
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