All the hoopla over the men’s basketball team has come to a close, but there are some other Long Beach State storylines that should make the rest of the sports year very interesting.
Baseball
With two new starting pitchers and no Evan Longoria, many thought this was going to be a rebuilding year for the Dirtbags. But that has proven not to be the case.
Up against one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the country, the Dirtbags are 12-7 going into Big West play.
Last year, LBSU started the year 11-7, but finished the season 18-20 and missed the NCAA Tournament. Hopefully this season will be different.
Women’s Tennis
Who has been the most successful LBSU team in the last four years?
Because the question is under a women’s tennis headline, it is a bit of a giveaway, but the women’s tennis team is the only LBSU team to have won four consecutive conference championships and have a legitimate chance to make it five.
Against a difficult non-conference schedule, LBSU is 8-6 this year (three of those losses were by a 4-3 score) and is 4-1 in conference, which puts the 49ers one match behind UC Irvine (5-0) for first place. The 49ers will be at home on Wednesday (Nevada) and Thursday (Princeton) before going on a six-match road trip.
Other things to note…
Jimmy Grabow the first male LBSU long distance runner to ever be named an All-American, a feat he accomplished when he finished 11th in the indoor 5000-meter in Arkansas earlier this month at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Kay Hoey has continued her success from the fall and was named Big West Golfer of the Month in February.
After a slow start to the season, the men’s golf team has improved drastically as of late, finishing fifth out of 16 team in its last tournament in San Francisco.
Under first-year head coach Catherine von Schwartz, women’s water polo has started the year 6-7, and are home on Thursday against San Diego State.
The men’s volleyball team has won four straight matches and are 11-9 this season.
Lastly, after starting the season 5-13, the softball team has won five of its last six games and will go up against Ohio State today at the Softball Complex on campus.
