The Long Beach State baseball team hits the road for the first time this year when it makes the short drive to No. 4 UCLA Tuesday night at Jackie Robinson stadium.
The Dirtbags (5-2) completed 2-1 series win against Utah Valley, but gave up eight runs in the series finale. Sophomore shortstop Garrett Hampson said it was an uncharacteristic game for the team.
“We just need to get back to us really,” Hampson said. “[We need to] pitch, play defense and we got to work on offense.”
The Dirtbags and the Bruins (6-1) split a four-game series last year. LBSU holds a 42-61 all-time record against UCLA, and Bruins head coach John Savage boast a 12-11 all-time record against the Dirtbags.
The Bruins are coming off a series win over No.17 North Carolina. The Bruins scored 26 total runs in the three-game series against the Tar Heels and are averaging 7.6 runs per game this season.
The Bruins are just two years removed from winning the national championship in 2013, and Dirtbags head coach Troy Buckley said they will be a good barometer for LBSU.
“[It’s a challenge] to play on the national level and see where you really stand,” Buckley said.
The Dirtbags have been strong on the mound all season. Senior right-hander Kyle Friedrichs earned Big West Pitcher of the Week, the first weekly honor of his career, according to LBSU Athletics. So far the Dirtbags have limited their opponents to a 2.53 ERA average and .188 batting average.
Hampson and junior outfielder Zack Rivera have been leading the Dirtbags’ offense. Hampson has a team-leading nine runs and is a perfect six for six in stolen bases. Rivera leads the team in hits (10) and RBI (7).
“We’re just all trying to put in some good effort, some good at-bats and just get some runs on the board,” Rivera said. “We just try to do what we can to help the team.”
The Bruins are led by junior outfielder Ty Moore, who has been UCLA’s top hitter. Moore leads the Bruins in batting average (.548), hits (17) and runs (14). Sophomore infielder Luke Persico leads the team in RBI with 11 and also has 2 homers with a .636 slugging percentage.
The Bruins have two second-team preseason All-American pitchers in, senior right-hander David Berg and junior right-hander James Kaprielian. Kaprielian led the Pac-12 with 108 strikeouts last season. Berg owns the NCAA single-season record for saves with 24, set in 2013.
“They’re a good team,” Hampson said. “They’re always going to pitch and they’re always going to play defense. We are going to have to grind it out.”
The Dirtbags take on the Bruins Tuesday night at 6 p.m. in Los Angeles.