Hopes are high in Troy Buckley’s first year at the helm of the Long Beach State baseball program as it looks to rebound from a second consecutive disappointing season.
The Dirtbags finished 23-32 to go with a last-place finish in the Big West Conference standings last year after a recording a 25-29 overall record mark the year before. Prior to the last two years, The Beach held an impressive mark of 20 consecutive campaigns with a record above .500.
Buckley — who was appointed head coach last May — returned to the Dirtbags last year as their pitching coach after spending two years as the minor league pitching coordinator with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Buckley will bring in 22 new players in addition to 12 returners. Seventeen of those players are true freshmen, while with the other five newcomers are junior college transfers.
“We were looking for a little more athleticism on the mound and overall,” Buckley said. “You have to be very athletic to play at [Blair] field and you have to be able to field your position.”
Even with all those new faces, the Dirtbags’ biggest obstacle will be their schedule.
The team will have the third toughest schedule in the nation according to Boyd’s World, playing eight out of the 10 teams in the Pac-10, including UCLA, ranked No. 1 on the USA Today coaches’ poll.
“I think our schedule is going to be daunting. We’re essentially playing in the Pac-10 this year and then we have [No. 9 Cal State] Fullerton opening up the season,” Buckley said. “I know we are definitely going to be playing the best [teams] on the West Coast. That will help us get a feel of where we’re at by the time we get to conference.”
Leading the way for the Dirtbags pitching staff is junior starting pitcher Andrew Gagnon, who earned second-team All-Big West honors last year and finished with a team-leading 3.28 ERA to go with five wins.
Gagnon has also been tabbed by Buckley to be the team’s ace and Friday’s opening night starter against CSUF.
“He had a good year for us last year and a good summer in the [Cape Cod summer league],” Buckley said. “He is the marquee guy based on ability and talent.”
Barring a rainout, the Dirtbags will open a three-game nonconference series with the Titans at Blair Field at 6:30 p.m. The middle game will be played at Fullerton’s Goodwin Field.
The other starters competing for the second and third spots will be returning junior Branden Pinder — who filled in as the Dirtbags’ Sunday starter after posting a 4.85 ERA last season — and junior college transfers Shawn Stuart and Matt Johnson.
As for the bullpen, Buckley said whoever is the odd man out in the three-man starting rotation will be the closer.
Last year’s roster had multiple players contribute to the team’s offensive output, yet this season’s Dirtbags are lacking a traditional slugger.
However, Buckley said the team’s strength lies in its versatility.
“We have a chance to play some match-ups — left- and right-[handed] — based on who we’re playing,” he said. “I think a lot of guys have earned some opportunities and at-bats throughout the season.”
The team will take a more “small ball” approach that calls for timely hitting, efficient defense and the occasional stolen base.
Behind the plate will be senior catcher Kellen Hoime, who committed just three errors in 47 games last year.
Along with Hoime, LBSU returns junior shortstop Kirk Singer, who was second on the team with five home runs last year. Sophomore infielder Matt Duffy is the leader in the race to start across from Singer at second base.
“I think our park is large to where you need to play [good] defense and you need to hit [well]”, Buckley said. “We’ll have to manufacture runs and things like that. Here at [LBSU], we always pride ourselves on good hitting and defense. “
In order to replace first baseman Steve Tinoco, the LBSU coaching staff is looking to a pair of incoming freshmen to fill the void. Former Moore League Most Valuable Player Jeff Yamaguchi will most likely platoon with Ino Patron for playing time at first base.
Both newcomers were prolific offensive producers in high school. As a senior, Yamaguchi hit .459 with three home runs and 44 RBIs, while Patron recorded a .425 batting average.
In center field and batting leadoff will be junior Brennan Metzger, who started 52 games for the Dirtbags last season and finished with no fielding errors.
Others bidding for the corner outfield positions will be senior Matt Hibbert, sophomore Juan Avila and freshman Jeff McNeil.
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