By Finals week could give Long Beach State athletes a chance to accomplish something they haven’t done much of all year — break above the .500 mark.
It’s quite possible that bubbling in all the C’s on a Scantron could produce a higher success rate than the .487 winning percentage that LBSU teams combined for as of last Thursday.
Only one 49er squad was an NCAA participant so far this year. A fifth-set comeback by head coach Brian Gimmillaro’s women’s volleyball team to topple UC Irvine for the Big West title prevented 2009-10 from being a complete wipeout at The Beach.
Had Gimmillaro’s team failed to secure the automatic bid, it’s likely the program would have missed the postseason for the first time in 23 seasons.
Futility seemed to come in pairs this year.
The normally consistent 49er softball team completed its season on Saturday, failing to finish above .500 for the first time since 2001. And barring a colossal turnaround by Dirtbags baseball, both diamond sports will be absent from NCAA participation in the same season for the first time since 1988.
On the hardwood, both 49er basketball teams were booted in the conference tournament by UC Santa Barbara, while in the pool, both water polo teams finished in the cellar of their conferences.
Even the 49er women’s tennis team, which at one time seemed invincible in Big West play, crashed out in the Big West tournament to miss the NCAAs for the first time since 2003.
So why has the past 10 months been so cruel for teams with an LB logo on their uniforms? It turns out, teams that performed significantly below preseason expectations are plagued by a few common problems.
Problem: Pressure, high preseason expectations
Team most affected: Men’s basketball
Women’s soccer and softball were both selected to finish second in the Big West and came well short of those predictions. But, no team was met with as much preseason hype as Dan Monson’s men’s basketball program, which despite being picked the runaway favorite in the conference by the media, looked nothing like it for the bulk of the season.
The 49er men’s hoops team featured four sophomores in its starting lineup and that inexperience was exposed in its up-and-down performances this past season. The Beach did not string together a three-game winning streak until early March.
It also did not help that the 2009 recruiting class, rated in the top 10 among non-BCS schools, failed to supply T.J. Robinson, Casper Ware and Co. with any semblance of a bench unit to give them a breather.
It might be overconfidence or entitlement on the players’ part, or simply the consequence of receiving every conference opponent’s A-game, but few people expected anything less than a Big West title out of this group.
Problem: Inexperience
Team most affected: Women’s soccer
Despite having to rely on a core of underclassmen, Monson’s team still came one win away from reaching the Big Dance. Jenny Hilt-Costello’s women’s tennis team still won the Big West regular season title with a roster devoid of seniors.
But, Mauricio Ingrassia’s women’s soccer team, which featured a roster that listed 13 freshmen and only one senior, was probably most hurt by its inexperience.
After losing 11 seniors from last year’s NCAA-bound squad, the 49ers were expected to be in rebuilding mode, especially at the forward position. The 2009 team featured a revolving door of forwards as it struggled to find a consistent threat up front.
The 49ers were third in the Big West at 13.88 shots per game, but tied for last with only five goals scored in conference action. They went scoreless in five of eight Big West matches and were shut out in 10 of 19 matches played this season.
The team showed signs of turnaround during a series of spring matches, including a 5-0 win over USC, but let’s see if the 49ers can transfer those goals into contests that actually count.
Problem: Inability to close
Teams most affected: Baseball, women’s tennis
The Dirtbags’ bare-bones bullpen surrendered eight contests this season where it tied or held a lead in the seventh inning and beyond. Beyond weekend starters Drew Gagnon, Jake Thompson and Branden Pinder, the staff carries a 4.98 earned run average.
The back-breaker for LBSU’s postseason hopes probably came in an extra-inning loss to Cal Poly earlier this month where the Dirtbags coughed up a two-run lead in the 10th and 11th innings to fall, 16-15, against the below-.500 Big West team.
Unlike the Dirtbags, however, the women’s tennis team had no problem finding consistency as it cruised through 10 Big West matches without a slip-up. But, the 49ers fell to UCI in the Big West finals to drop the one match it needed to secure an NCAA automatic bid.
With their NCAA fate out of their hands, the 49ers needed a strong nonconference performance to bolster their at-large résumé, and in hindsight, must be face palming themselves over the 4-3 loss to Pepperdine in April. The Waves were the last at-large team to make it into the tournament — the 49ers were among the first ones out.
Other teams that have gone M.I.A. down the stretch include men’s volleyball losing seven straight to conclude its 2010 campaign and women’s soccer going winless in its last eight, failing to produce a goal in six of those encounters. Softball dropped seven of 10 heading into its final series this past weekend.
All this leads to one question: Were LBSU’s struggles during the past year merely an aberration, or have the resources evaporated for an athletic department that’s been pinching pennies for some time now?
Just like any student who’s floundered this semester, athletes and administration alike will have all summer to think about it.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.
