College baseball ready for openers
Long Beach State hopes for a happier ending after falling short last season.
The ping of metal bats and the quirky dugout antics of college baseball return Friday. The 2018 season begins with several Southland schools seeking redemption, led by Long Beach State.
The Dirtbags last year won their first outright Big West Conference title since 2003 but came up 90 feet short in a winner-take-all super regional matchup against Cal State Fullerton — the first meeting between the rivals with a trip to the College World Series at stake.
The Titans earned their 18th trip to Omaha while Long Beach State watched them celebrate on its home field. Dirtbags second baseman Jarren Duran seethed in the dugout and used that image as motivation during the offseason. He is expected to be the next in a long line of star middle infielders for the Dirtbags after a breakout turn in the postseason.
Long Beach opens against a talented St. Mary’s team that is on the rise. Fullerton, ranked No. 17 by D1Baseball.com, opens the season against No. 13 Stanford. Preseason All-American pitcher Colton Eastman is set to face off against the Cardinal’s Tristan Beck, another potential early round draft pick. Fullerton is seeking to end the longest national championship drought in its 42-year Division I history, last winning in 2004.
No. 11 UCLA is the most recent national champion from Southern California, but the Bruins haven’t made it to a super regional since their 2013 title. They hope a veteran pitching staff and the growth of a talented sophomore class can help change that. USC has won 12 national championships, more than any other school, but the Trojans have reached the NCAA tournament only once since 2004. Freshman right-hander Kyle Hurt could be USC’s best pitcher since Brad Boxberger.
Pepperdine is searching for its first postseason appearance since Rick Hirtensteiner took over after the 2015 season. West Coast Conference rival Loyola Marymount won a share of its first regular-season title in 17 years last season but hasn’t been to a regional since 2000.
Hall of Fame coach Mike Gillespie wants one last trip to Omaha in his final year coaching at UC Irvine. Associate coach Ben Orloff will replace Gillespie.
UC Riverside’s Troy Percival seeks his first postseason appearance in his fourth year coaching. He should get a boost from the addition of son Cole, a freshman righthander with a 93-mph fastball.