"Weekend Link: Dirtbags Baseball. Although "dedicated to fans of Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball," Jeff Agnew covers college baseball about as well as anyone."
Welcome to Dirtbags Baseball blog! I was introduced to Long Beach State baseball in 2002 when my nephew, Neil Jamison, joined the team (and university) as a freshman. I started the blog in March of 2004, and generally discuss the team, current players and those that have moved on to professional baseball - as Neil has done in the San Diego Padres organization. Living in San Diego County, and with Neil moving to the next level, I won't be attending as many Dirtbags games. But, mostly from a distance, I'll remain a Dirtbags fan. I welcome tips on stories and information concerning the Dirtbags (current, past and future). I can be contacted at dirtbagsfan@yahoo.com.
This website is not affiliated with Long Beach State University or its
NCAA Division I baseball program. All original material copyright 2004-2006 by Jeffrey A. Agnew.
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One three-run home run is usually plenty for this pitching staff.
Long Beach State enters this weekend's Big West Conference series against Cal Poly leading the nation with a 2.30 ERA.
The 49ers, ranked as high as 12th by Baseball America, have been so dominant on the mound this season they're 27-10 when scoring three or more runs. Long Beach State (33-16 and 11-4) is 6-6 when it's scored less than three runs.
"The numbers definitely are tremendous, you can't negate that," said 49ers pitching coach Troy Buckley, whose team hosts Cal Poly tonight in Long Beach. "I don't think anyone predicted us to put up these kinds of stats as a staff, so in that aspect, I think the guys have done a nice job."
The 49ers are making a serious run at the Big West Conference record for lowest team ERA in a season and they're doing it without the trusty arms of Jered Weaver and Jason Vargas, who ate up more than 75 percent of their innings a year ago. Weaver was a first-round pick by the Angels, and Vargas was taken by the Florida Marlins in the second round.
Still, the 49ers are challenging a Big West team ERA record that has stood since 1970 when Fresno State compiled a 2.34 ERA under first-year coach Bob Bennett.
"This is something you can appreciate maybe in a year or two, but during the course of when it's going on you don't pay much attention to it,"
Buckley said. "It's a situation where you're in the era of the aluminum bat, so it's a pretty impressive feat. But our main goal is to get better each week and I hope they don't focus on (the stats). Our focus is getting better and when you do that the numbers take care of themselves."
Cesar Ramos, Marco Estrada and Jared Hughes have gotten better all right.
Long Beach State's three regular starting pitchers all have ERAs under 2.50.
Ramos, a left-hander who starts tonight opposite Cal Poly's Garrett Olson, is 9-5 with a 2.10 ERA and has been rated by Baseball America as the No. 2 left-hander in the country.
Estrada and Hughes, both right-handers, are a combined 14-3 this year.
"Those guys actually have better numbers than Ramos," Cal Poly head coach Larry Lee said. "Both of them are high velocity guys with Hughes able to reach 94 to 95 mph."...
...It's no secret Long Beach State's pitching statistics are better at Blair Field, which Buckley admits is "a pretty big yard" at 340 feet down the lines and 400 feet to center.
The 49ers are 22-6 at home and 11-10 on the road this season.
In fact, the 49ers give up 4.29 runs a game on the road, while only allowing 2.11 runs at Blair Field where the 49ers have played 28 of their 49 games....
...But some of statistics blow you away no matter where the players play.
Stat lines like Long Beach State closer Neil Jamison's perfect 4-0 record and 0.00 ERA in 22 appearances.
Jamison, a senior right- hander who is on the watch list for Stopper of the Year, hasn't allowed a run in 21 2/3 innings. He's struck out 19, allowed a dozen hits and is holding opponents to a .160 batting average.
"They have a tremendous bullpen," Weinstein said. "That really helps you out from a starting pitcher's standpoint because that allows you to go as hard as you can for as long as you can."
Setup man Brian Anderson has been equally impressive.
The Long Beach State senior right-hander is also unbeaten at 3-0 with a 0.51 ERA in 24 appearances.
He has struck out 32 and allowed 14 hits in 35 innings, holding opponents to a .122 average.
That depth out of the bullpen has been crucial for Long Beach State, which last weekend lost two of three against UC Santa Barbara after its starters combined for just 13 1/3 innings and allowed 16 runs in the series.
"That's why you want to get an early lead and not relinquish it," Lee said. "Toward the second part of the season you do have pitchers who tend to break down and tire sometimes, but that's not typically true with late-inning guys because they haven't thrown all those innings."
That's why Lee has rearranged his lineup and pushed Matt Cooper (.309 average, .394 on-base percentage) from leadoff to the bottom half of the order and bumped No. 9 hitter Brent Walker (.303, .411) into the leadoff role.
"I think that gives us a much better feel early in the ballgame," Lee said. "We've done a poor job this year of creating scoring opportunities early. I think Walker gives you a better chance because he puts more pressure on their defense, takes more pitches and makes a lot of contact."
While Cal Poly has done most of its damage in third innings this season, scoring 53 runs, the Mustangs (31-16, 9-3) have only scored 27 runs in the first inning and 31 runs in the second inning of their 47 games.
Cal Poly junior outfielder Brandon Roberts, who went 5 for 13 last weekend against top-ranked Cal State Fullerton's talented pitching staff, hopes the new lineup and a consistent approach at the plate is enough to overcome Long Beach State's pitching prowess this weekend.
"We're not going to change anything," Roberts said. "I think we've been having good approaches at the plate. We've been hitting the ball, we just don't need to add any additional pressure on ourselves in RBI situations. I think (against Cal State Fullerton) we might have been stressing out too much when we were up there with runners on second and third, trying to do too much. The key is taking the same approach that we've been doing all season. If we do that we'll be OK."
