‘We might have a star on our hands’

There are many reasons why people prefer college sports over professional sports: heart, passion and high-scoring games, to name a few. However, if they were to attend the home opener for the Long Beach State Dirtbags, they’d have been a bit let down by the night’s scores. The Dirtbags took the Rice Owls on a 10-inning ride and, at the end of the night, finished with a win.
The game seemed to fly by, mainly due to the fact that the pitchers on both teams were throwing heat and throwing strikes. Ryan Berry started on the mound for the Owls, striking out 8 out of the 26 pitches he threw.

The Dirtbags’ right-handed pitcher Andrew Liebel is no stranger to the Owls. Last season, the Owls took two out of the three games against the Dirtbags, winning the series. However, the only win they had went to Liebel.

He was brought in as relief pitcher in the first game last season and was allotted the win. This season will be different for Liebel. He earned a spot on the starting pitching rotation, and Friday night, he proved why.

On Friday night, Liebel pitched eight innings and only let five hits pass him by. He also had career-high 11 strikeouts. As I was sitting up in the media booth, I noticed that the majority of the section sitting in front of me were not typical fans — they were scouts.

It was interesting to see the amount of radar speed guns that would arise when Liebel was pitching.
We might have a star on our hands.

All in all, the game was a pitcher duel. Both preformed extremely well, forcing a scoreless game to go into extra innings. Needless to say, this was not a highly active game for position players. In the bottom of the 10th, shortstop Danny Espinosa slammed the ball over the head of the left fielder to advance Zach Barger and notch the first Dirtbag win.
The rain was no problem for our boys.

Starting off great

After losing to the Dirtbags in game one of the Rice series, the Owls decided to start their star pitcher Cole St. Clair on the rainy Saturday game. The weather was a good forecast of how the game would go for the Owls.

St. Clair was drafted in the 7th round by the Cleveland Indians last year, but opted to stay with the Owls for his senior year. He was recently converted from a closer to a starter this year, so he was pulled just after the 4th inning, but not before giving up 4 hits and 2 runs.

The amount of scouts in the stands matched the first game and, unfortunately for the Owls, the outcome of the game was also matched.

Another similarity, was the hero of the night for the Dirtbags. Danny Espinosa was the only player to round the bases. He had one home run and was batted in by Shane Peterson and Devin Lohman.






The final score was 3-2 Dirtbags. The season is starting off great so far!

A Pitcher's Duel

There are many reasons why people prefer college sports over professional sports: heart, passion and highly scoring games to name a few.  However, if they were to attend the home opener for the Long Beach State Dirtbags they would of been a bit let down in the highly scoring category.  The Dirtbags took the Rice University Owls on a 10 inning ride and, at the end of the day, finished with a win. 

The game seemed to fly by, mainly due to the fact the pitchers on both teams were throwing heat and strikes.  Ryan Berry started on the mound for the Owls, striking out 8 out of the 26 pitches he threw. 

The Dirtbag's right-handed pitcher Andrew Liebel is no stranger to the Owls.  Last season, the Owls took 2 out of the 3 games against the Dirtbags; however, the only win they had went to Liebel.  Liebel was brought in as relief pitcher in the first game last season and was allotted the win.  This season will be different for Liebel.  He earned a spot on the starting pitching rotation, and tonight he proved why.  Tonight Liebel pitched eight innings and only let five hits pass him by.  He also had career-high 11 strike outs.  As I was sitting up in the media booth, I noticed that the majority of the section sitting in front of me were not typical fans, they were scouts.  It was interesting to see the amount of radar speed guns that would arise when Liebel was pitching, we might have a star on our hands.

Andrew Liebel

All-in-all the game was a pitcher's duel.  Both preformed extremely well, forcing a scoreless game to go into extra innings.  Needless to say, this was not a highly active game for position players.  In the bottom of the 10th, short stop Danny Espinosa  slammed the ball over the head of the left fielder to advance Zach Barger and notch the first Dirtbag win.  The rain was no problem for our boys.

On Overview of the Season

February:

 

22-24: RICE OWLS- Ranked 6^th in the collegiate baseball poll

            With 19 returning players and bringing 14 freshmen into the lineup, the Owls have a split-experienced team. The Owls have secured a strong bullpen, led by sophomore Ryan Berry and senior Cole St. Clair, who was named as pre-season All-American first team at rivals.com. Their defense and hitting is strong, led by powerhouse hitter 2007 Conference USA Tournament MVP junior Aaron Luna.  The Dirtbags are going to have to be on the top of their game to take this series.

 

26: UNIVERSITY SAN DIEGO TOREROS- Ranked 7^th on the collegiate baseball poll

            Rivals.com have predicted some influential pitchers on the 2008 Toreros.  Junior Brain Matuz was selected by rivals.com as pre-season All-American first team. Junior Josh Romanski and AJ Griffin were named All-American second team. Needless to say the pitching will be their strength. 

 

29-1: WICHITA STATE SHOCKERS- Ranked 9^th on the collegiate baseball poll

            The Shockers have six returning starters and nine returning pitchers, so there will be no excuse in the experience category for this team. Although there are many returning players, there are a couple of backbone pitchers and powerhouse hitters that did not come back, ultimately putting more pressure on the position players to be solid.

 

March:

 

4: LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY LIONS- Not ranked

            This might be a tough season for the Lions.  There are some returning pitchers, but last year’s core players have all moved on, leaving the Lions with players who lack playtime.  On a brighter note for the Lions, power hitters Angelo Songco and Mike Glamb are on the returning line up.  

 

7-9: HAWAII WARRIORS- Not ranked

            The Warriors are a team mainly consisting of Sophomores and Juniors.  Many of their strong offensive players are back, so although they’re not ranked they might be a surprisingly strong team.  The pitching might be the weak part of this team. The strongest returning pitcher Matt Daly had and ERA of 3.38 last season.  The Dirtbags cannot rely on the Warriors to be weak; hopefully they’re not jetlagged from their flight.

 

11: WESTERN ILLINOIS BULLDOGS- Not ranked

            79% of the Bulldogs are juniors and seniors, which looks great on paper.  However, some key hitters and the only pitcher who’s ERA was under 4.05, have left.  Their strength might be their hitting, however if the Dirtbag’s position players stay strong this game shouldn’t be too hard.

 

14-16:  USC TROJANS- Not ranked

            Last session, the Trojans lacked on the mound leaving the team to achieve wins through “small-ball” baseball, according to coach Ray Turner.  This season there are six returning position players and five returning regular pitchers.  These returning players should have more experience to allow them to step into big game baseball.

 

18- SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY AZTECS- Not ranked

            Pitching.  The Aztecs are in desperate need of it.  Their position players are experienced in both fielding and batting with six out of nine players returning, however only two decent pitchers are back leaving the Aztecs to rely on new talent behind the mound. 

 

21-22- UCLA BRUINS- Ranked 18 in the collegiate baseball poll

            The junior class are the backbone of 2008 Bruins baseball team. In terms of experience, the position players are the strength of the lineup.  Their pitching staff young and ultimately might be the weakness of the team, due to the competition in the PAC-10.  The Dirtbags are one of the last teams the Bruins play before their long stretch of conference games, which might play into the energy of the game.  “The best teams are on the west,” coach John Savage said.

 

24: HARVARD CRIMSON- Not ranked

            The Crimsons are predicted not to have a great year.  They finished at .500, winning half and losing half of their games.  This year might be better because a majority of the 2007 team have returned.  There are 12 returning position players and four returning pitchers who all had some playing time last year. Don’t count them out because of pre-season predictions.

 

25: PEPPERDINE WAVES- Ranked 29 on the collegiate baseball poll

            Personality, chemistry and youth.  That is what coach Rodriguez had to say about the Waves this year.  Baseball America named pitcher Bret Hunter a 2008 Preseason All-America first-team prospect.  Besides Hunter, the team is pretty new.

 

28-30: CAL BEARS- Ranked 39 on the collegiate baseball poll

            The Pac-10 is going to be a tough competition in itself this season.  Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and reigning champion Oregon State are all ranked in the top 20 on the collegiate baseball poll. The Bears have an experienced team and should be solid, but their competition is very fierce.  In their minds, they need to win every game they can to have a chance to do well in the standings, so the Dirtbags should not write this one off as a win.

 

April:

 

1: FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS - Ranked 21 on the collegiate baseball poll

            Pitching will be the Bulldogs strength. Three of the four starters from last year have returned, two seniors and a junior.  Many of the position players have returned as well so the experience should factor in to the success of the team.  The game against the Dirtbags falls between two conference games for the Bulldogs, so they should be on top of their game.

 

4-6: UC RIVERSIDE HIGHLANDERS- Ranked 35 on the collegiate baseball poll

            This game will mark the first conference game for the Dirtbags.  It will be a important game to win, not only because the Highlanders are in the same conference, but it will set the mood for the rest of the games.  The Highlanders have six returning position players and six returning pitchers.  This game will be the Highlanders second conference game, so the nerves might not be as high for them.

 

8: LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS- Previously written about

 

11-13: UC IRVINE ANTEATERS- Ranked 26 on the collegiate baseball poll

            The feeling of success overpowered the Anteaters last season when they won their school’s first ever Division 1 NCAA Tournament win, a win that advanced them to the College World Series.  However, many of their starting players left this year, leaving it up to the younger guys to step up, including Rivals.com selection for pre-season All-American second team Scott Gorgen.  The offense will be the strength for this team.

 

15: PEPERDINE WAVES- Previously written about

 

18-20:             CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE MATADORS- Not ranked

            The lineup for the Matadors is skewed to opposite sides of the spectrum, very old and very young.  The incomers include 12 high school players and a transfer from a junior college. The returning players will have a great opportunity to start the season, but will have to prove themselves.  By the time the Matadors play the Dirtbags, it is likely the incoming talented class might be on the field.

 

22: UNIVERSITY SAN DIEGO TOREROS- Previously written about

 

25-27: PACIFIC TIGERS- Not ranked

            The Tigers welcome back six position players and eight pitchers, but did lose their star player Justin Baum.   However, freshman Nick Longmire might take Baum’s place.  Longmire hit .507 last year and was named San Diego player of the year.  Last season wasn’t too good for the tigers, but they have the experience now.  The Dirtbags swept them last season.

 

2-4: DAVIS AGGIES- Not ranked

            This will be the Aggies first season playing Division 1 ball in the Big West Conference.  This season will be different for the players on the team, because they will be playing against a different level of baseball. They have good talent on the team, but this season might be an adjustment period.

 

6: FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS- Previously written about

 

9-11: UC SANTA BARBRA GAUCHOS- Not ranked

            This season needs to be big for the Gauchos, given the fact they’ve have a poor two years in a row.  There has been many changes, including the coaching staff that might aid the Gauchos this year.  They are returning six position players and two starting pitchers, including outfielder Chris Fox who hit .328 last season.  “Health is a key factor,” coach Bob Brontsema said.  The Dirtbags play them later in the season, so health has to factor in for the Gauchos.

 

13- SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS: Previously written about

 

16-18: CAL POLY MUSTANGS: Not ranked

            The starting pitching will be the strength of the Mustangs with Eric Massingham, Steven Fischback and Derrick Saito all returning.  However, the relieving pitchers are what they are in desperate need of.  There are many returning position players with above a .279 batting average.  The Dirtbags swept them last year.

 

19: OREGON STATE BEAVERS - Ranked 19 on the collegiate baseball poll

            The Beavers are the reigning College World Series champions.  Although they lost many key players from last year, they still have a few strong pitchers and more strong batters.  The Beaver’s are in a difficult conference, the Pac-10, so they will be use to teams playing at the highest level.  This game will be an important win for the Dirtbags in the pride department.

 

23-25: CAL STATE FULLERTON TITANS- Ranked 16 on the collegiate baseball poll

            This is the only conference team ranked higher then the Dirtbags on the collegiate baseball poll.  This year they have acquired coach Dave Serrano from the reigning Big West Conference Champion UC Irvine.  There are many newcomers this season, including ten transfer students and seven freshmen.  The Collegiate Baseball ranked the Titans as the six-best incoming recruiting class this season.  The expectations are high for this team.  This will be the last game for both teams, and might just determine the Big West Conference Champion.