Photo by John Kennedy

Dirtbags looking forward to Big West showdown

As the Big West baseball tournament looms, the first place team, Cal State Long Beach's Dirtbags (15-6) realize they are not on a roll.

The 49ers haven't had a winning streak since taking three in a row from New Mexico State University on April 12, 13 and 14.

"We haven't won two games in a while and that worries me a little," said Coach Dave Snow. "Maybe we're due for a streak."

The Dirtbags will start the tournament against fourth-seeded Cal State Fullerton Titans (13-8), which could be good or bad depending on the point of view.

They took two out of three against Fullerton in the April 26-28 series at Blair Field, but at one time, Fullerton was ranked No. 1 in the country.

"Fullerton is always a tough team no matter when you play them," said senior designated hitter Jason Hodges. "Obviously they're not a typical fourth place team."

According to senior shortstop Jason Knupfer, the first game will be tough because both teams are very competitive with similar styles of play.

Knupfer says that the 49ers are confident due to their recent success against Fullerton.

The team is extremely healthy coming into the tournament, barring the its best pitcher, sophomore Marcus Jones (9-3, 2.25 ERA).

Jones has a pulled muscle in his ribs which could keep him out of rotation in the opener. If Jones is unable to go, Snow will turn to sophomore Rocky Biddle (4-5, 3.83 ERA). Biddle struck out 102 hitters in less than 93 innings.

Although no Dirtbag hitters appear to have an overwhelming statistics, the effort as a team is very solid.

Knupfer leads in the batting average department at .332. First baseman Jeff Tagliaferri's eight home runs leads the team and Hodges also has a team-leading 34 RBI's. Centerfielder Will Skett is hitting .320 with five homers, 27 RBI's and 13 stolen bases.

"We're real pumped up," said Hodges. "We have a lot of positive things going for us right now into the tournament, including winning the Big West."