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This Long Beach State Dirtbags season will start with a lot of question marks and coach Eric Valenzuela likes that for his program that has 34 new players on the roster.
“We needed some new blood and they’ve gelled well together” Valenzuela said. “We call the misfits, in a positive way. The energy and competitiveness in our intrasquad scrimmages has been great.”
The Dirtbags open the campaign against Wichita State this weekend with opening day ceremonies on Friday at 6 p.m. LBSU is coming off a disappointing 29-27 season last year.
“Last year we had big outside expectations and we were too focused on the results part of it,” Valenzuela said “This year there’s no expectations. It’s a lot of unknowns and I like that feeling. It’s a hungry group, it’s just not loud. We have to go out and prove it.”
Despite the new players who arrived via the transfer portal, the Dirtbags were picked to finish third in the Big West Conference preseason poll behind UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine. For the first time, the conference coaches also voted on Preseason All-Big West selections. Returning Dirtbags starters Jonathon Long and Connor Burns made the team.
Long hit .311 last season with six home runs, 37 RBI, and 33 runs scored. The junior first baseman has been the unanimous choice among the major media outlets as the Preseason Big West Player of the Year and was recently ranked as the number 25 first baseman in D1Baseball’s rankings.
Burns is the reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year at catcher, and is expected to be an early round draft pick this coming summer. While he struggled at the plate last year (.162/.214/.215), he took a huge jump forward this offseason leading the team in home runs and RBI during fall ball. Burns said he’s worked hard to get to know his new battery mates on the mound. Graham Osman will take the ball Friday, Nico Zeglin will go Saturday and Myles Patton will start on Sunday.
“It’s being able to understand who they are as a pitcher and a person and just building those relationships,” Burns said.
“I think he’s the best catcher in college baseball,” Patton said of Burns. “The difference between pitching to him and anyone else I’ve ever thrown to in my entire life is night and day. He’s a special talent.”
Patton is coming off a dominant career at Millikan High School where he led the Rams to a CIF Southern Section championship. He’s packed on 25 pounds already and has increased his velocity.
“The older guys are very experienced and they all have a lot of information,” Patton said of his new teammates. “That’s been helpful for every situation where there’s someone who has been through the same thing or something similar.”
“I can see now why he had so many wins in high school,” Valenzuela said. “You clarify people as winners and that’s just him. He’s a freshman but he goes about his business like an upperclassman.”
Arizona State transfer Alex Champagne will play second base and lead off for the Dirtbags. He scored 17 runs in 24 starts for the Sun Devils last year as a true freshman.
“I just felt like it was the best opportunity, and my heart told me to go here,” Champagne said. “I love it here. It’s really disciplined but they allow us to play loose.”
Champagne will be joined up the middle by shortstop Nick Marinconz. He transferred in from Cal Poly where he earned All-Big West Second Team honors in 2022 after hitting .309 in 51 games.
Marinconz will have the experienced sophomore Eddie Saldivar next to him at third base. Last year, Saldivar led the Dirtbags with eight stolen bases and two triples while hitting .293 to rank fourth on the team.
“All of the guys we brought in are top tier talents, great athletes and great teammates,” Saldivar said. “All that talent doesn’t mean anything if you don’t play as a team. Chemistry will take us a long way. It’s going to be something special, for sure.”
Returning starter Rocco Peppi will move out to left field, and UNLV transfer Joey Walls Jr. is in right field after earning All-Conference honors last season. In center field, Jashia Morrissey-Jakel, Kyle Ashworth and Tyler White are all battling for playing time.
Opening night is Friday at 6 p.m. and the game on Saturday will be the same time. First pitch on Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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