THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1999

Baseball takes field

By Wes Woods

On-Line Forty-Niner

The Long Beach State 49ers kick off its season with a triple-header against Baylor this Friday at Blair Field.

Senior Mike Gallo takes the mound for the 49ers (6-2, 3.41 ERA) against the Bears' Jason Jennings (11-4, 5.08 ERA) at 7:05 p.m.

While unranked, Big 12 Conference member Baylor is "A good, solid team," said coach Dave Snow. "I look for a very competitive seasonal series. I look for our returning players to provide leadership."

The starting pitcher for Saturday's game - at 1:05 p.m. - will be junior Jeremy Ward (10-9, 4.57 ERA). Baylor will start Chad Hawkins (Navarro Junior College).

For Sunday's contest - also at 1:05 p.m. - the 49ers will start freshman Matt Paz (Stockton, Calif.) or sophomore Jason Berni (5-5, 4.91 ERA) while Baylor will send Josh Scott (3-1, 2.50 ERA) to the mound.