After the Dirtbags broke ground for their new batting facility Tuesday, coach Troy Buckley released the Long Beach State baseball team’s 2017 home schedule.
After going 22-11 at Blair Field last season, the Dirtbags will start with a long homestand, as eight of their first nine games are at home.
LBSU will welcome the Oklahoma Sooners to Blair Field opening weekend, Feb. 17-19. Last season, LBSU traveled to Norman, winning the series 2-1.
The Sooners will be an early test, after the team opened last season during a 2-1 series win against Holy Cross. While it’s a long season, a fast start with a plethora of early home games will be big for the Dirtbags’ success.
With a combination of postseason contending and non-contending opponents, coach Buckley is confident the team will be ready when Big West play starts.
“I think [the schedule is] competitive,” Buckley said in a press release. “We’re going to get tested, just like I think we all want to have happen in non-conference. We want to find out who we are as a team and be able to create identity as we go through, before we get to conference play.”
After facing the Sooners, LBSU will host Fordham University Feb. 24-26. Last year, the Rams went 29-29 and were 12-15 on the road.
On Feb. 28, the Dirtbags will face a familiar foe in San Diego State University, a team they split games with – including a 6-5 12-inning loss April 4.
The Dirtbags bounced back in their next game against the Aztecs with a 4-2 win April 26.
Following their match-up against SDSU, the Dirtbags will host an exhibition game against Korean professional team NC Dinos March 1.
After their exhibition game, the Dirtbags will be back in action against Big 12 Tournament champion, Texas Christian University on March 14 and PAC-12 opponent Washington State the following night.
The Dirtbags will revisit their rivalry with Cal State Fullerton as the two teams continue their annual non-conference series March 24-26.
Last year, LBSU won its non-conference series against CSUF at Fullerton 2-1 before losing its Big West Champion deciding series at Blair Field, 2-1.
The University of Southern California will round out LBSU’s non-conference play April 4.
When conference play begins, the Dirtbags will take on UC Riverside April 7-9, Cal State Northridge April 13-15, Cal Poly May 5-7 and will face Hawai’i May 19-21 to finish their 2017 home schedule.