Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball
Long Beach State Dirtbags | |
---|---|
2024 Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball team | |
Founded | 1954 |
University | California State University, Long Beach |
Head coach | Bryan Peters (interim) |
Conference | Big West |
Location | Long Beach, California |
Home stadium | Blair Field (Capacity: 3,342) |
Colors | Black and gold[1] |
College World Series appearances | |
1989, 1991, 1993, 1998 | |
NCAA regional champions | |
1989, 1991, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2017 | |
NCAA Tournament appearances | |
1964, 1979, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2016, 2017 | |
Regular season conference champions | |
1964, 1969, 1970, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2008, 2017 |
The Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball team is the
The Long Beach State baseball team gained national prominence in 1989, with the hiring of Dave Snow as head coach. The Dirtbags established themselves as one of the strongest teams on the West Coast. From 2010 to present day, more active Major League professional ballplayers are alumni of Long Beach State than any other school.[3][4][5]
Since 1993 the Dirtbags have played their home games exclusively at Blair Field, a semi-professional baseball facility located less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from campus and owned by the city of Long Beach.[6]
History
The McConnell era (1954–1959)
In 1954, then 5-year old
From 1955 to 1956, still hampered by a limited roster and forced to employ a 3-man pitching rotation, the 49ers posted significantly improved records of 17–4 and 18–6, respectively.[8] They were paced by utility man Carl Evans,[9] who would later become Long Beach State's first All-Conference player (after the school's admission to the CCAA).[8]
In 1957
The Clegg era (1960–1963)
The Wuesthoff era (1964–1969)
True success came when the program handed the
Under Wuesthoff, the 49ers finished with a winning record in each of his six years as skipper at Long Beach State, accumulated a 161–101–4 (.613) overall record, and only once finished worse than third in the conference. By the time the 49ers won their second
The Gonsalves era (1970–1988)
The 1970 season not only marked LBSU's first foray into
At the beginning of LBSU's time in
The 49ers posted their best year to date in 1979,
The Snow era (1989–2001)
Snow set out with the aim of raising the program back to a competitive level. Unexpectedly, that year Snow wound up engineering the greatest single-season turnaround in NCAA history.[18] Long Beach State exploded onto the college baseball scene by winning their first 18 games to start the 1989 season.[18] Just one season removed from a 14–45 record, the reborn 49ers performed a complete turnaround by going 50–15 overall and winning their first conference title in two decades. In the NCAA tournament, the "Dirtbags" went undefeated in their Regional and reached the College World Series, a school first. Though they failed to win a game in the Series, the Dirtbags' improbable run earned Snow NCAA Coach of the Year honors (three years after having won the same award at LMU,[19] making him the first repeat winner of the prestigious award).
The team suffered a regression in 1990, slipping to 4th in the conference and missing the postseason. But the following year Snow led the '91 team to a 46–19 record – good for a 2nd-place finish in the conference and an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The team again won their regional and advanced to their second College World Series, this time reaching the second round before being eliminated.
From 1992–'94 the Dirtbags won three consecutive
Long Beach State reached the College World Series again in 1998, led by an offense that has been recognized as "the best offensive power in program history."[22] Lefty Mike Gallo turned in a particularly memorable postseason performance, shutting out Big West tournament host Cal State Fullerton in a dominant complete game outing. The following week he again went the distance to stun regional host Stanford 5–1 in Palo Alto. After eliminating Alabama the next day to reach their fourth College World Series,[23] the Dirtbags fought past Florida State and Miami to again reach the national semifinal round. There they were eliminated by Arizona State 14–4, again falling just short of the national title game.[24]
An unexpected side effect of The Dirtbags' newfound success was the triggering of a regional rivalry between
Snow retired following the 2001 season for family reasons.[26][27] In 13 years at LBSU, Snow compiled a record of 511–290–4 (.638 winning percentage), 6 Big West championships, 11 NCAA tournament appearances, and 4 College World Series berths, including 3rd-place finishes in 1993 and 1998 - he still holds the LBSU career coaching records in all the aforementioned categories. Snow also received more Big West Coach of the Year accolades (5) than any other coach in program history, and remains the only LBSU coach to be named NCAA Coach of the Year (1989).
The Weathers era (2002–2010)
Immediately after
In Weathers's first year after taking the reins from Snow, the Dirtbags didn't skip a beat as they cruised to a 39–21 overall record and an at-large bid to the
A notable hallmark Weathers' tenure was the amount of Major League talent produced at Long Beach State. Because of the limited budget afforded to the state-funded school, the Dirtbags staff was often forced to focus on recruiting and developing prospects that were overlooked by other schools. One such case was Jered Weaver, who was dismissed by many scouts on the belief that he was more cut out for basketball than baseball.[29] But Weaver's junior season in 2004 became the most decorated for a player in school history, netting him his second consecutive first team All-America selection while also winning (among other honors) the Dick Howser Trophy, the Roger Clemens Award, and the Golden Spikes Award.[30][31][32]
Another example of prospect development was
Perhaps predictably, the rivalry between the Dirtbags and the
Immediately after capturing the 2008 Big West title, the Dirtbags saw the conference power balance tip decidedly against them. It started in the off-season, when LBSU lost 11 players to the
On May 11, 2010 (two weeks before the close of the season), Weathers announced that he would be retiring at season's end. "There needed to be a change and new energy in the program, because it hasn't been going great the last couple years," Weathers said. "I've been doing this for 32 years, and so it's time. It can give somebody else a chance, and there's no hard feelings."[37] Weathers was remembered by CSULB President F. King Alexander as "an outstanding leader of the program and a great representative of the university."[38] Weathers left LBSU with the second-most conference championships and postseason appearances to his name, as well as the second-highest winning percentage in school history (all behind his predecessor and mentor Dave Snow). Weathers also had coached the most Big West Players/Pitchers of the Year (6) and the most future MLB draft picks (56) of any coach in school history at the time of his retirement.
Following Weathers's retirement announcement, the Dirtbags lost 9 of their last 10 games in 2010.[39]
The Buckley era (2011–2019)
On June 1, 2010, two days after the close of the 2010 season, athletic director
Following Weathers's retirement and his own promotion, Buckley promised to carry on the Dirtbag tradition. "We're still going to play a gritty type of baseball and hopefully show our fans that these guys don't quit. They fight and they grind and they get knocked down, but they keep coming back. We want to be fundamentally sound and not beat ourselves. We want to do things the right way."[42] But while speaking highly of the program's legacy of fundamentally-sound baseball, Buckley also shared Weathers's growing concern that the team's recent history of producing highly regarded MLB talent had been causing the team to lose sight of that legacy. "We just have to make sure these guys that are coming here are doing it for the right reasons. Not just to get to the big leagues or be a first-round draft choice."[43]
Buckley's first season as skipper was far from overwhelming, as the team finished with a paltry but promising 29–27 overall record. This marked the first time in 3 seasons that the Dirtbags finished over .500, and also saw the team climb from 9th place back into 4th in the Big West with a conference record of 12–12.
2012 saw little change in the Dirtbags' overall record (28–27), but the team performed well in conference play, winning all but 2 of their head-to-head series. In fact, heading into the final weekend of the season, the Dirtbags found themselves only 1 game behind
After another middling season in 2013, the Dirtbags broke their 7-year postseason drought in 2014 by posting a 32–24 record and finishing 2nd in the
On March 1, 2015, freshman starter Chris Matthewson and freshman reliever Darren McCaughan combined for the first no-hitter in program history against Wichita State.[44] The Dirtbags finished the season at 28–26 and placed 6th in the Big West.
In 2016 the Dirtbags finished the regular season with a strong 36–20 record, barely missing the
2017 turned out to be the team's finest season under Buckley. On the backs of a pitching squad that ranked 8th in the nation in ERA and an offense that ranked 184th in runs scored,
After missing the postseason in 2018 by finishing 5th in the Big West, the Dirtbags began the 2019 season with a 5–26 Start, and Buckley was relieved of his coaching job. Assistant coach Greg Bergeron was named interim head coach following his firing.[50] The team finished the season with a 14–41 overall record, the worst winning percentage since 1988, the year before Dave Snow was hired as head coach.
The Valenzuela era (2020–2023)
On June 9, 2019, LBSU athletic director Andy Fee announced the hiring of St. Mary's Eric Valenzuela as head coach. In his six seasons as head coach of the Gaels, Valenzuela took a program that had only two winnings seasons in its history prior to his arrival and produced four consecutive 30-win seasons from 2016 to 2019, along with its first ever postseason appearances in 2016 and 2017.[51] A former player at Arizona State and later Pepperdine (from where he graduated), Valenzuela became the first LBSU head coach since Dave Snow (and only the second in over 60 years) to have no prior playing or coaching experience at Long Beach State.[52] But at his opening press conference, Valenzuela spoke highly of the Dirtbag spirit: "Everyone can play, we can go sign a ton of guys who can play. What separates kids for me is that mentality, that fight."[53] Later, in regards to perceived concern among the LBSU alumni base about his lack of roots in the program,[54] he also remarked, "I'm not an alum, I get it. I do. But if you're talking about any one person that didn't go to Long Beach State that you could call a Dirtbag, you're talking about me."[53]
Valenzuela's first season at Long Beach State ended up being the
For the 2021 season, while still operating under
The Dirtbags' 2022 season was marked by alternating streaks of brilliance and disappointment. The team opened the season with two convincing victories over then #3 Mississippi St), then promptly lost each of their next 6 games, then won 10 of their next 12. The team slumped again just in time for the beginning of conference play, and by the last weekend of April they sat near the bottom of the conference with an overall record of 15–24. But over the last month of the season, the Dirtbags won 14 of their final 17 games and salvaged a 4th-place finish in the conference. At season end, the team ranked 7th in the country in ERA[63] and 247th (out of 293 Division 1 teams) in runs scored per game.[64] In the offseason, athletic director Andy Fee announced he would be leaving to take the same position at the Washington Huskies.[65]
2023 saw the Dirtbags' highest win total under Valenzuela, as they posted a 33–22 overall record. Their 17–13 mark in conference play was identical to the previous season's, but this time netted only a 7th-place finish in the
The Dirtbag spirit
Although the baseball team – like all other LBSU sports teams – is officially known as the
The term first appeared in 1989, the first year under head coach Dave Snow. Inheriting a program that was mired in an extended stretch of sub-par seasons, Snow began his tenure (partly by necessity) by focusing his recruiting efforts on prospects who had been overlooked by higher-profile programs, with an emphasis on finding "hard-nosed guys with something to prove."[18] Over the course of the season, infield coach Dave Malpass would routinely take his players to a local (all-dirt) Pony League field for practices, which Malpass wryly termed "Dirtbag Field". As the season progressed, the label was adopted by the players and coaches as symbolic of the tough and gritty mindset that Snow and his staff were cultivating.[18] That year the team (which had finished 14–45 the year before Snow arrived) fought its way to an unexpected 50–15 record, and the school's first ever berth in the College World Series. Decades later, the Dirtbag name continues to be worn with distinction by players old and new.[71][72]
Year-by-year results
Overall | Conference | Postseason | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coach | Year | Record | Win % | Record | Win % | Conference – Place | Tournament Result | Final Poll |
John McConnell | 1954 | 3–13 | .118 | – | – | Independent | – | – |
1955 | 17–4 | .810 | – | – | Independent | – | – | |
1956 | 18–6 | .750 | – | – | Independent | – | – | |
1957 | 16–13 | .552 | 4–11 | .267 | CCAA – 5th | – | – | |
1958 | 16–10 | .615 | 8–7 | .533 | CCAA – 3rd | – | – | |
1959 | 16–19 | .457 | 5–10 | .333 | CCAA – 5th | – | – | |
Totals: | 6 years | 86–65 | .570 | 17–28 | .378 | No Titles | No Appearances | |
Overall | Conference | Postseason | ||||||
Coach | Year | Record | Win % | Record | Win % | Conference – Place | Tournament Result | Final Poll |
Dick Clegg | 1960 | 20–14 | .588 | 9–6 | .600 | CCAA – 3rd | – | – |
1961 | 10–23 | .303 | 5–11 | .313 | CCAA – 5th | – | – | |
1962 | 16–17 | .485 | 9–9 | .500 | CCAA – 3rd | – | – | |
1963 | 6–25–1 | .203 | 2–12 | .143 | CCAA – 7th | – | – | |
Totals: | 4 years | 52–79–1 | .398 | 25–38 | .397 | No Titles | No Appearances | |
Overall | Conference | Postseason | ||||||
Coach | Year | Record | Win % | Record | Win % | Conference – Place | Tournament Result | Final Poll |
Bob Wuesthoff | 1964 | 31–13 | .704 | 12–4 | .750 | CCAA – 1st | Regional final | – |
1965 | 30–14–1 | .667 | 10–5 | .667 | CCAA – 2nd | – | – | |
1966 | 28–16–1 | .615 | 13–7 | .650 | CCAA – 2nd | – | – | |
1967 | 25–17–1 | .593 | 10–8 | .556 | CCAA – 3rd | – | – | |
1968 | 22–20–1 | .523 | 8–12 | .400 | CCAA – 5th | – | – | |
1969 | 25–21 | .543 | 11–7 | .611 | CCAA – 1st | – | 24 | |
Totals: | 6 years | 161–101–4 | .613 | 64–43 | .598 | 2 Titles | 1 Appearance | |
Overall | Conference | Postseason | ||||||
Coach | Year | Record | Win % | Record | Win % | Conference – Place | Tournament Result | Final Poll |
John Gonsalves | 1970 | 29–23 | .558 | 11–4 | .733 | PCAA – 1st | District 1st Round |
23 |
1971 | 30–22–1 | .575 | 9–11 | .450 | PCAA – 4th | – | – | |
1972 | 24–33–1 | .422 | 6–12 | .333 | PCAA – 6th | – | – | |
1973 | 15–32–1 | .323 | 4–13–1 | .250 | PCAA – 7th | – | – | |
1974 | 28–38 | .424 | 8–16 | .333 | PCAA – 6th | – | – | |
1975 | 30–20 | .600 | 9–12 | .429 | PCAA – 5th | – | – | |
1976 | 30–22–1 | .575 | 12–9 | .571 | PCAA – 3rd | – | – | |
1977 | 11–43–1 | .209 | 3–18 | .143 | SCBA – 7th | – | – | |
1978 | 20–37 | .351 | 10–18 | .357 | SCBA – 6th | – | – | |
1979 | 40–22–3 | .638 | 17–6–1 | .729 | SCBA – 2nd | – | – | |
1980 | 16–50–2 | .250 | 5–23 | .178 | SCBA – 8th | – | – | |
1981 | 28–34 | .452 | 16–11 | .592 | SCBA – 3rd | – | – | |
1982 | 27–33 | .450 | 8–20 | .286 | SCBA – 7th | – | – | |
1983 | 36–30 | .545 | 16–12 | .428 | SCBA – 4th | – | – | |
1984 | 32–34–4 | .486 | 13–15 | .464 | SCBA – 5th | – | – | |
1985 | 22–42 | .344 | 7–23 | .233 | Big West – 7th | – | – | |
1986 | 14–33–1 | .302 | 5–16 | .238 | Big West – 8th | – | – | |
1987 | 16–41–1 | .284 | 6–15 | .286 | Big West – 8th | – | – | |
1988 | 14–45 | .237 | 4–17 | .222 | Big West – 8th | – | – | |
Totals: | 19 years | 462–634–16 | .423 | 169–290–2 | .369 | 1 Title | 1 Appearance | |
Overall | Conference | Postseason | ||||||
Coach | Year | Record | Win % | Record | Win % | Conference – Place | Tournament Result | Final Poll |
Dave Snow | 1989 | 50–15 | .769 | 17–4 | .810 | Big West – 1st | College World Series 1st Round | 7 |
1990 | 36–22–1 | .619 | 12–9 | .571 | Big West – 4th | – | – | |
1991 | 45–22 | .672 | 14–7 | .667 | Big West – 2nd | College World Series 2nd Round | 5 | |
1992 | 37–20–1 | .647 | 18–5 | .783 | Big West – 1st | Regional Final | 23 | |
1993 | 46–19 | .708 | 17–4 | .810 | Big West – 1st | College World Series Semifinal | 3 | |
1994 | 41–19 | .683 | 16–5 | .762 | Big West – 1st | Regional 2nd Round | 20 | |
1995 | 39–25–1 | .608 | 16–5 | .762 | Big West – 2nd | Regional Final | 16 | |
1996 | 34–26 | .567 | 15–6 | .714 | Big West – 1st | Regional 1st Round | – | |
1997 | 39–26 | .600 | 22–8 | .733 | Big West (South) – 1st | Regional 2nd Round | 24 | |
1998 | 43–23–1 | .652 | 23–7 | .767 | Big West (South) – 2nd | College World Series Semifinal | 4 | |
1999 | 35–25 | .583 | 19–11 | .633 | Big West – 3rd | Regional Final | 29 | |
2000 | 31–25 | .544 | 18–12 | .600 | Big West – 3rd | – | – | |
2001 | 35–23 | .603 | 11–7 | .611 | Big West – 3rd | Regional 1st Round | – | |
Totals: | 13 years | 511–290–4 | .637 | 218–90 | .708 | 6 Titles | 11 Appearances | |
Overall | Conference | Postseason | ||||||
Coach | Year | Record | Win % | Record | Win % | Conference – Place | Tournament Result | Final Poll |
Mike Weathers | 2002 | 39–21 | .650 | 17–7 | .708 | Big West – 2nd | Regional Final | 27 |
2003 | 41–20 | .672 | 16–5 | .762 | Big West – 1st | Super Regional | 11 | |
2004 | 40–21 | .656 | 14–7 | .667 | Big West – 2nd | Super Regional | 12 | |
2005 | 37–22 | .627 | 14–7 | .667 | Big West – 2nd | Regional 2nd Round | 18 | |
2006 | 29–27 | .518 | 12–9 | .571 | Big West – 2nd | – | – | |
2007 | 39–20 | .661 | 15–6 | .714 | Big West – 2nd | Regional Final | 26 | |
2008 | 38–21 | .644 | 16–8 | .667 | Big West – 1st | Regional 2nd Round | 19 | |
2009 | 25–29 | .458 | 11–13 | .463 | Big West – 6th | – | – | |
2010 | 23–32 | .418 | 7–17 | .292 | Big West – 9th | – | – | |
Totals: | 9 years | 301–213 | .586 | 122–79 | .607 | 2 Titles | 6 Appearances | |
Overall | Conference | Postseason | ||||||
Coach | Year | Record | Win % | Record | Win % | Conference – Place | Tournament Result | Final Poll |
Troy Buckley | 2011 | 29–27 | .518 | 12–12 | .500 | Big West – 4th | – | – |
2012 | 28–27 | .509 | 15–9 | .625 | Big West – 3rd | – | – | |
2013 | 29–27 | .518 | 15–12 | .556 | Big West – 4th | – | – | |
2014 | 34–26 | .567 | 17–7 | .708 | Big West – 2nd | Regional Final | – | |
2015 | 28–26 | .519 | 11–13 | .458 | Big West – 6th | – | – | |
2016 | 38–22 | .633 | 15–9 | .625 | Big West – 2nd | Regional Final | – | |
2017 | 42–20–1 | .667 | 20–4 | .833 | Big West – 1st | Super Regional | 9 | |
2018 | 27-30 | .474 | 12-12 | .500 | Big West - 5th | - | - | |
2019 | 14-41 | .255 | 8-16 | .333 | Big West - 9th | - | - | |
Totals: | 9 years | 269–246–1 | .521 | 125–94 | .571 | 1 Title | 3 Appearances | |
Overall | Conference | Postseason | ||||||
Coach | Year | Record | Win % | Record | Win % | Conference – Place | Tournament Result | Final Poll |
Eric Valenzuela | 2020 | 10-5 | .667 | 0-0 | - | Big West – 3rd | Postseason cancelled | 12[55] |
2021 | 28–15 | .651 | 26–14 | .650 | Big West – 3rd | – | – | |
2022 | 29–27 | .518 | 17–13 | .567 | Big West – 4th | – | – | |
2023 | 33–22 | .600 | 17–13 | .567 | Big West – 7th | – | – | |
Totals: | 4 years | 100–69 | .592 | 60–40 | .600 | No Titles | No Appearances |
†Poll rankings are from Collegiate Baseball[73] unless otherwise noted
Notable former players
As of 2023, no fewer than 56 players who played for Long Beach State have made appearances in Major League Baseball,[74] a figure which consistently ranks as one of the highest of any university in the nation.[75] Some of the notable alumni:
See also
References
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- ^ "NCAA Division 1 Polls". Collegiate Baseball. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- ^ "MLB Players Who Played Collegiately at Long Beach State University". Baseball Almanac. July 1, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Dirtbags in the Pros". Long Beach State Athletics. 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2023.