Honors, awards all around for the Dirtbag squad



By Jeffery Patch
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer


Long Beach State pitcher Andrew Carpenter (7-2, 2.81 ERA) earned his fourth Big West Conference Pitcher of the Week honors for his complete-game six-hit shutout against the Cal Poly Mustangs Saturday. It was Andrew’s fifth complete game and seventh win of the season.

Carpenter is tied for second in LBSU pitchers in Big West honors with Cesar Ramos and Marcus Jones. The all-time leader is Jered Weaver who had 12 wins in 2004 and is now pitching in the Angels’ minor league system.

Carpenter’s is not the only award Dirtbag players have earned lately. Last week third baseman Evan Longoria earned his fourth Big West Conference Player of the Week honors—the most ever by a Long Beach State position player—and is a candidate for National Player of the Year.

MLB.com reports Evan Longoria is expected to be the lone position player selected in the top three in June’s first-year player draft. He has been hitting .361 this season, slugging .627 and has an on-base percentage of .493.

The Dirtbags started off strong this year, but began to slump six weeks into the season. Improving recently and with their 2-1 series win—including an impressive 13-4 Sunday victory over Cal Poly last weekend, LBSU currently holds a 26-20-1 overall record and is leading the Big West conference with a record of 9-2.

The Dirtbags face UC Santa Barbara (6-9 in conference) this weekend for a three-game homestand at Blair Field and will travel to UC Riverside (5-7 in conference) next weekend. Big West rivals No. 3-ranked Cal State Fullerton (12-3 in conference) will visit Blair Field May 26 for the final three regular-season games.

LBSU was swept by Cal State Fullerton when they met in March for non-conference play.

These final nine games of the season will decide who from the Big West will get to duke it out in the NCAA Regionals beginning June 2.

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