For Long Beach State, this has been a baseball season on the blink.
Injuries and other circumstances resulted in six key pitchers, including two series-opening starters, being forced from the rotation.
The defense has been musical infielders, with players adjusting to new roles on the fly.
And now the Dirtbags, who have lost five of the past six Big West games, play host to the nation’s hottest baseball team. Hawaii’s 11-game winning streak is the longest active run among 300 NCAA Division I teams.
“We’ve been in a lot of what I would call treading water, survivor mode,” said Bryan Peters, who was named the Dirtbags’ interim head coach last June after Eric Valenzuela accepted the Saint Mary’s job. “It feels like death by a thousand cuts this year. But I think our chemistry is strong. I think our culture is strong. I think our mentality is surprisingly strong for as much as we’ve been, let’s say, bleeding from all the paper cuts. It’s a matter of if we can keep things together, keep our perspective and vibe strong, and go out and play clean baseball.”
During the offseason, pitchers Austin Castillo and Bryson Schultz underwent surgeries for season-ending injuries. Sky Wells, who led the Dirtbags with 23 relief appearances in 2023, was removed from the roster because of a non-baseball situation. As Castillo’s replacement in the front of the rotation, Myles Patton made 11 starts, going 4-2 with a 3.26 ERA, before suffering an injury. Freshman right-hander Owen Geiss will throw the first pitch tonight.
There was a process in elevating Geiss from short-inning reliever to starter. “Let’s get him up to two innings, and the next weekend, let’s get him up to three innings,” Peters said Geiss’ increased workload. Geiss is 3-3 with a 5.82 ERA, but has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 29 to 7. Overall, the Dirtbags average 9.2 strikeouts and 3.8 walks per nine innings.
“That’s a product of some recruiting,” Peters said. “We know Blair Field. If we can get them to put the ball in play, it’s really tough to score runs here.”
Blair Field is a spacious facility that measures 395 feet to dead center and 380 to the gaps. There is a large foul territory. “Sometimes you spoil a pitch for a foul ball that ends up being caught for an out,” Peters said.
The wind blows strongly from the right pole to the left pole. In the evening, a marine layer causes the air to become thick, heavy and foggy.
There is no “batter’s eye,” the dark screen behind center field that helps hitters track pitches. Instead, the park behind the stadium has a street light that provides glare from a right-handed pitcher’s release point.
LBSU catcher John Newman Jr., who transferred from UC Santa Barbara last year, has conquered Blair and other fields, smashing 11 home runs this season, six of them at home. “Double-digit home runs, with most of the games at Blair, “is almost like a bench mark, like getting 3,000 hits,” Peters said, adding, “John Newman has been an absolute soldier for us behind the plate. He’s been an emotional leader.”
The Dirtbags are 96-for-117 on steals (82.1%).
The ’Bows counter with dominant pitchers. In the past six games, UH starting pitchers have allowed five earned run in 42 1/3 innings (1.06 ERA). Randy Abshier, who will pitch on Saturday, has allowed five hits in 13 1/3 scoreless innings in his past two starts. UH’s starters this weekend — Connor Harrison, who replaces an injured Sebastian Gonzalez for the series opener; Abshier, and Harrison Bodendorf — are left-handers.
“It’s kind of tough for an opponent to see three left-handed starters,” UH coach Rich Hill said. “That formula’s worked, so we’ll go with it again this weekend.”
The ’Bows also have expanded their offensive options. In Sunday’s 11-3 victory over UC Riverside, the bottom third of the lineup drove in nine runs. Outfielder Jared Quandt, who went 4-for-4 and hit two home runs in that game, is challenging for more playing time in right field. Itsuki Takemoto, a two-way player from Japan, also is a designated hitter candidate.
Hill said he will figure out a way to work catcher Austin Machado, who is the ’Bows’ most productive DH; Takemoto, Quandt, and outfielders Ben Zeigler-Namoa, Sean Rimmer and Naighel Ali‘i Calderon into a cramped lineup.
“It’s how all the pieces fit,” Hill said.
BIG WEST BASEBALL
At Blair Field in Long Beach, Calif.
Hawaii (32-15, 15-9 BW) vs. Long Beach State (23-25, 8-16 BW)
>> When: 3 p.m. today, Saturday; 10 a.m. Sunday
>> TV: None
>> Radio: 1420-AM/92.7-FM
>> Streaming: ESPN+
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