After winning their first Big West Conference series of the year against Cal Poly, the Long Beach State baseball team heads into this weekend with a newfound confidence against the UC Riverside Highlanders.
The Dirtbags (10-16) went into San Luis Obispo riding a slump losing 12 of their previous 16 games, including a 11-1 bashing at the hands of Washington State. However, LBSU was able to begin Big West conference play with a bang.
Brennan Metzger’s first home run of the season aided the Dirtbags way to a 4-3 victory in the opening game of the series, before the Dirtbags dropped Saturday’s affair 6-4 to the Mustangs.
Friday night starter Shawn Stuart started the final game of the series on Sunday after coming back from injury and tossed a one-hit complete game shutout, striking out nine.
The feat earned Stuart the title of Big West Pitcher of the Week, his second such title and may just have earned his Friday night starting spot back from Matt Anderson going into the series with the Highlanders (8-13).
Current Dirtbags starters Stuart, Anderson and Ryan Stufing have combined for a 2.46 ERA in 120 and 2/3 innings, including Stuart’s masterpiece on Sunday.
After facing the likes of No. 26-ranked California, No. 15 Cal State Fullerton and No. 7 Arizona State, the Highlanders lineup will serve as a breather for the Dirtbags rotation.
Riverside is currently seventh in the conference in team batting average, slugging percentage, and is dead last in runs scored among the nine Big West teams.
Leading the Highlander offensive attack are infielders Vince Gonzales, Phil Holinsworth and Eddie Young. Young and Holinsworth are leading the Highlanders in batting average at .356 and .300, respectively. Holinsworth also has a team-leading two home runs on the season.
LBSU, who has had their fair share of offensive issues, come in at ninth in team batting average, team slugging percentage, team on-base percentage, yet have scored 15 more runs than the Highlanders.
The Highlanders will call on pitchers Eddie Orosco, Dylan Stuart and Trevor Frank in this weekends’ series.
Orosco (4-2), is Riverside’s number two starter, and has been the lone bright spot for the Highlanders’ rotation coming in with a 1. 56 ERA.
The tall right-handed Riverside native, has struck over a batter per inning with 42 in 40 and 1/3 innings pitched in six starts.
The Highlanders Friday night starter is Stuart (3-3), who has struggled in recent games against the Dirtbags, giving up the only run in the Highlanders 12 inning, 1-0 loss to LBSU last season.
Stuart did not start 2011 as a starting pitcher, but in 2012 he has led the Highlanders rotation with mixed results.
The sophomore lefthander has a steady, but not great 4.07 ERA.
Frank (0-4) closes out the rotation for Riverside and has similar numbers to Stuart with a 4.17 ERA, but has yet to record a win on the season.
If the Dirtbags can get to the Riverside starters they have a chance for success as the Highlanders bullpen has only one pitcher with an ERA under 3.50.
Meanwhile, the Dirtbags boast three such pitchers, including Kyle Friedrichs, who has 19 strikeouts in 17 and 2/3 innings.
The series has been moved up a day in order to observe Easter on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 6 P.M. Thursday night at UC Riverside’s Riverside Sports Complex Stadium.