Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
Oregon State
Dirtbags Welcome No. 10 Oregon State For Final Home Series Of The Season
5/7/2026 3:31:00 PM | Baseball
Long Beach State hosts No. 10 Oregon State following its first Big West series sweep.
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State closes its home slate against No.10 Oregon State this weekend. The Dirtbags will look to build on momentum after sweeping then-No. 2 Big West contender UC San Diego Tritons at home last weekend. The Dirtbags showcased complete baseball throughout the three-game set, combining dominant pitching performances with timely offense to secure their first conference sweep of the season.
LEADING OFF
The 72nd season of Long Beach State baseball continues this weekend for their final home series of the season, hosting No. 10 Oregon State Beavers in a three-game non-conference matchup.
Friday's opener is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. with an LBS Financial Credit Union representative throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Saturday's 6:05 p.m. contest will feature a clear bag giveaway presented by LBS Financial Credit Union while supplies last. Sunday's series finale begins at 12:05 p.m. and will include a pregame Senior Day celebration honoring 13 seniors. All three games will stream on ESPN+.
STARTING PITCHERS
Sophomore right-hander Ka'imi Kahalekai will make his fourth start of the season Friday night. The sophomore has struck out 41 batters in 34 innings while opponents are batting .263 against him.
Freshman Luke Howe gets the ball Saturday, continuing what has become one of the most dependable freshman campaigns in the conference. Howe enters the weekend 5-2 with a 4.46 ERA while ranking second in the Big West in innings pitched at 76.2. He has also recorded 62 strikeouts this season and ranks among the conference leaders in strikeouts looking.
Freshman Jason Gerfers will start Sunday's finale after adding another strong outing during last weekend's sweep. Gerfers owns a 5.43 ERA with 63 strikeouts across 66.1 innings while holding opponents to a .236 batting average.
Oregon State is expected to counter with junior left-hander Ethan Kleinschmit on Friday, junior right-hander Trey Morris on Saturday and freshman left-hander Eric Segura on Sunday. Segura enters the weekend with a 1.86 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 58 innings pitched.
THIS AND THAT
• Trotter Enright continues setting the tone atop the lineup, leading the Big West with 33 walks while consistently creating traffic on the bases.
• Dylan Lina remains one of the conference's top run producers, ranking inside the top five in RBI with 44 while also sitting among the Big West leaders in home runs (10) and sacrifice flies. His ability to reach base in multiple ways has helped fuel the middle of the Dirtbags lineup throughout the season.
• Kaiden Smaka's speed continues to impact games, ranking among the conference leaders in triples while adding versatility throughout the lineup and outfield.
• Howe has embraced a major workload as a freshman starter, currently ranking second in the conference in innings pitched while also sitting among the Big West leaders in wins (5) and strikeouts (62).
• Gerfers continues missing bats at one of the best rates in the conference, ranking among the top pitchers in both opposing batting average (.236) and strikeouts (63).
• Caleb Anderson has become a reliable bullpen weapon for Long Beach State and currently ranks among the conference leaders with 53 strikeouts.
• Recent lineup changes have created opportunities for several Dirtbags to carve out larger roles late in the season. Over the last 11 games, Murchael Turner is batting .294 with 10 hits, four RBI and two doubles while delivering several key clutch hits during conference play.
• Justin Roulston has also provided a spark in expanded playing time, recording extra-base hits with a double, a triple, and a two-run bomb for his first homerun of the season during the recent UC San Diego series sweep.
LAST TIME OUT
Long Beach State enters the weekend coming off its biggest conference weekend of the season, sweeping UC San Diego Tritons at home for the first time.
The Dirtbags opened the series with a 3-1 victory powered by dominant pitching. Kahalekai allowed just one run on three hits while striking out seven across 5.1 innings before Caleb Anderson closed the door with 2.2 scoreless innings and four strikeouts to earn the win.
In Saturday's 11-1 victory, the offense exploded for 15 hits. Conner Stewart and Lina each recorded three hits, while Ty Borgogno, Smith Chandler and Enright added two-hit performances. Turner drove in three runs and Lina added two RBI in the rout.
Long Beach State completed the sweep Sunday with a 6-4 comeback victory behind two home runs and another shutdown bullpen performance. Lina launched his 10th homer of the season while Roulston connected on his first home run of the year. The Dirtbags collected nine hits while limiting UC San Diego to just four.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
Oregon State enters the weekend ranked No. 10 nationally after splitting four games last week. The Beavers dropped a midweek contest against UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros before taking two of three against CSUN Matadors.
The Beavers offense is led by Bryson Glassco, who is batting .298 with five home runs and 22 RBI, while Ethan Porter owns a .306 average and .537 on-base percentage.
On the mound, freshman left-hander Eric Segura has anchored the staff with a 1.86 ERA and 61 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .220 average.
PLAYER NOTES
• Enright has embraced the leadoff role recently, delivering quality at-bats and creating opportunities throughout the lineup adding 48 hits, nine doubles, and 30 RBI this season.
• Chandler has provided consistency both offensively and defensively, batting .267 with 30 hits, 22 RBI and three home runs while maintaining a perfect fielding percentage in the outfield.
• Lina continues serving as the Dirtbags' primary power threat and run producer, leading the team with 44 RBI and 10 home runs while consistently finding ways to reach base.
• Stewart has recently stepped into a different role at first base contributing timely offense. Stewart enters the weekend batting .247 with 21 hits and four doubles.
• Damon Valdez continues handling the bulk of the work behind the plate while contributing offensively with 18 hits and 10 RBI. His defense has remained a steady with 223 putouts.
• Reid Montgomery has filled multiple roles across the field and lineup this season, providing versatility while contributing 15 hits and eight RBI.
