With a stretch of six consecutive conference series behind them, the Long Beach State baseball team will now turn its attention to Indiana for a three-game series beginning Friday at Bart Kaufman Field.
The Dirtbags (24-20, 8-10 Big West) offense showed signs of life Tuesday when they combined for 12 runs and 14 hits against UNLV. They still rank last in nearly every offensive category in the Big West, but showcased an effective lineup away from Blair Field.
Sophomore shortstop Garrett Hampson said it felt good to snap a three-game losing streak, but he is now turning his focus to an unfamiliar Indiana terrain.
“I’ve never played there before but I’ve heard they have an offensive [friendly] ball park,” Hampson said. “Last year [Indiana] was shocked at how big our field is.”
Hampson continues to be effective as the lead-off man for the Dirtbags. He is batting .301 and leads the team with 53 hits. Hampson is proving to be a dangerous base runner this season and is third in the conference with 16 stolen bases.
The Hoosiers (26-19, 9-10 Big Ten) had a big weekend with a series sweep over conference opponent Maryland. They are part of a rugged Big Ten conference, which includes No.6 Illinois and No.18 Iowa. Head coach Chris Lemonis is in his first year with the Hoosiers after spending the previous eight seasons with Louisville.
The most dangerous player at the plate for the Hoosiers is senior designated hitter Scott Donley.
He leads the team with a .347 batting average, and a .406 on base percentage. He is also eighth in the conference with 60 hits.
Senior second baseman Casey Rodrigue is batting .287 as the leadoff hitter for the Hoosiers. He has scored a team-high 37 runs and is 11 for 15 on stolen base attempts. He is showing power this season, leading the team in doubles, triples and slugging percentage at .441.
Dirtbags junior right fielder Zack Rivera said the team needs to gel better on the field in order to win the series.
“If we do that we’re going to start winning some games,” Rivera said. “We just need to get back to playing [team] baseball and having fun.”
Senior righty Kyle Friedrichs is set to get the start on the mound for the Dirtbags Friday night. Friedrichs has a 2.62 ERA and leads the Big West with 88 strikeouts. Freshman righty Chris Mathewson, who is No. 9 in country with a 1.39 ERA, will likely start Saturday.
Junior righty Tanner Brown will start Sunday and holds a 3.03 ERA. Brown has shown the least control of all the starters, leading the team with nine wild pitches and eight hit batters.
The Hoosiers starting rotation features junior lefty Kyle Hart who is 2-0 on the season and leads all starters with a 2.03 ERA. Sophomore righty Jake Kelzer holds a 3.39 ERA but leads the team with 25 walks. Junior lefty Caleb Baragar has a 2.91 ERA while only allowing a .232 batting average against him.
Apart from their offense, the biggest challenge for the Dirtbags this season has been winning on the road where they are only 6-11. Head coach Troy Buckley said it comes from not being a mentally tough team.
“We have not played well on the road,” Buckley said. “We have an opportunity to get away from [Blair Field] and see how we can rally and compete.”
The first pitch is set for 3:05 p.m. Friday at Bart Kaufman Field.