Fresno State Athletics
Thursday, March 29
Fresno, CA
6:05 PM
Fresno State
vs
Long Beach State
Photo by: Keith Kountz/Fresno St
Diamond 'Dogs conclude Spring Break homestand squaring off with Long Beach State (March 29-31)
3/28/2018 4:40:00 PM | Baseball
The Diamond 'Dogs conclude their seven-game Spring Break homestand hosting Big West opponent Long Beach State at Bob Bennett Stadium Thursday through Saturday.
FRESNO, Calif. - The Diamond 'Dogs conclude their seven-game Spring Break homestand hosting Big West opponent Long Beach State at Bob Bennett Stadium Thursday through Saturday.
• The 'Dogs conclude their seven-game homestand over Spring Break hosting Big West foe Long Beach State Thursday through Saturday
• The Bulldogs are 59-51 all-time against the Dirtbags after splitting a pair of meeting in 2016; their first two meetings since meeting in the postseason in 2008.
• The 'Dogs are coming off defeating UC Riverside, 11-3 on Tuesday night behind a career-high seven innings and seven strikeouts from Davis Moore.
• Fresno State opened the homestand winning one of three games at home over MW foe Nevada last weekend defeating the Wolf Pack 5-4 on Saturday night in comeback fashion.
• The 'Dogs currently lead the Mountain West in sacrifice bunts (22) while ranking second in home runs (21) and third in slugging percentage (.428).
• Junior RHP Edgar Gonzalez leads the MW & ranks 17th in the nation in strikeouts (53).
• Freshman southpaw Jaime Arias leads the MW in opposing batting average (.155), earned runs allowed (5), hits allowed (15) and walks allowed (4).
• Junior OF Zach Ashford ranks third in the MW with a .395 batting average and is currently on a 26-game on-base streak.
• Sophomore catcher Carter Bins leads the team in doubles (9), runs (19), RBI (22), at-bats (97), home runs (5) and total bases (54).
Fresno State vs. Long Beach State - The Series
• Fresno State and Long Beach State will meet for the first time since 2016 this weekend.
• The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with the Dirtbags 59-51 splitting a pair of meetings in 2016 with each winning on its home field. The 'Dogs won 10-5 at home while falling 4-3 at Blair Field.
• Prior to the win at home over LBSU in 2016, the 'Dogs most recent win over the Dirtbags came in the 2008 NCAA Regional with Fresno State winning 7-3 on its way to the National Championship.
• Head coach Mike Batesole is 4-2 vs. LBSU with a 3-0 record at home.
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Fresno State 59-51
Last Meeting: March 29, 2016 (Fresno, Calif.) - W, 10-5
Current Streak: W1
Last Fresno State Win: March 29, 2016 (10-5) - Fresno, Calif.
Last Long Beach State Win: March 7, 2016 (4-3) - Long Beach, Calif.
Where Fresno State Ranks Offensively in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 3/28/18)
• .279 Batting Average: No. 4
• .428 Slugging Pct: No. 3
• .345 On base Pct: No. 7
• 22 sacrifice bunts: No. 1 - 14th nationally
• 113 Runs: No. 6
• 222 Hits: No. 4
• 102 RBI: No. 6
• 43 Doubles: No. 4
• 6 Triples: No. 6
• 21 Home Runs: No. 2
Where Fresno State Ranks Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 3/28/18)
• 4.03 ERA: No. 2
• .241 Opposing bat average: No. 1
• 8 saves: No. T-2
• 226 strikeouts: No. 1
• 95 Earned runs allowed: No. 3
• 192 Hits allowed: No. 2
• 95 walks allowed: No. 4
• 33 doubles allowed: No. 2
• 3 triples allowed: No. 3
• 13 home runs allowed: No. 3
Where Fresno State Ranks Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 3/28/18)
• .969 Fielding Percentage: No. 7
• 250 Assists: No. 3
• 22 double plays: No. T-4
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2018 (as of 3/28/18)
Batting average: Zach Ashford - 3rd (.395)
Hits: Ashford - T-5th (34)
Doubles: Bins- T-4th (9)
Home runs: Bins & JT Arruda - T-4th (5)
Sacrifice bunts: Korby Batesole - 1st (8) - 5th nationally
ERA: Jamie Arias - 2nd (1.59)
Opposing Batting Average: Arias - 1st (.155)
Innings pitched: Gonzalez - 3rd (41.0)
Strikeouts: Gonzalez - 1st (53) - 17th nationally
Wins: Gonzalez - T-3rd (4)
Saves: Jamison Hill - T-2nd (5)
Appearances: Ryan Sullivan - T-6th (12)
Earned runs allowed: Arias - T-1st (5)
Hits allowed: Arias -1st (15)
Walks allowed: Arias -1st (4)
A look at the long Beach State Dirtbags
Long Beach State enters this weekend's non-conference series with the 'Dogs with a 10-15 overall record in 2018 and a 3-7 mark on the road. The Dirtbags are coming a 5-2 setback at home to Mountain West foe San Diego State on Tuesday night.
Long Beach State, who was selected second in the Big West preseason poll, is coming off a 42-20-1 record, a Super Regional berth and the Big West regular season title in 2017.
This year's edition of the Dirtbags come into the series hitting .227 as a team to rank ninth in the nine-team and average 3.5 runs per game to also rank last in the league in scoring.
Junior second baseman Jarren Duran leads the team with a .298 average from the plate while also leading the team in at-bats (94), hits (28), runs (14), total bases (38), home runs (2), stolen bases (7) & on-base percentage (.371).
On the mound, the Dirtbags rank third in the Big West in ERA sporting a 3.78 team ERA. LBSU is holding opponents to a .247 average from the plate while opponents are scoring an average of 4.5 runs against them.
The weekend rotation of southpaws Zak Baayoun and Clayton Andrews along with right-hander Tyler Radcliffe have combined for seven of the Dirtbags 10 wins on the season. Baayon leads the team with a 4-2 record with a 2.90 ERA and has tossed 45 strikeouts in 40.1 innings pitched.
2018 BIG WEST PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Team Rank (1st-place votes) Points
1. Cal State Fullerton (6) 73
2. Long Beach State (2) 65
3. Cal Poly 64
4. UC Santa Barbara 49
5. CSUN 48
6 UC Irvine (1) 43
7. Hawai'i 27
8. UC Riverside 26
9. UC Davis 10
Ashford on a 26-game on-base streak
Junior outfielder Zach Ashford started the season collecting a hit in the first 17 games he played in before going 0-for-4 in game two of a doubleheader at San Jose State on March 18.
The Clovis native has reached base in all 22 games he has played in this season after getting a pair of hits on Tuesday and dating back to 2017, has reached base in 26 straight games.
He is currently third in the Mountain West with a .395 average from the plate, tied for fifth in hits (34) and is seventh in on-base percentage (.453).
'Dogs in plenty of close contests so far in 2018
The Bulldogs have found themselves in plenty of close contests so far in 2018 posting a 8-4 record in one-run games and a 8-5 mark in one or two run games.
2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
1-Run Games 8-4 5-7 11-9 8-12 7-10 5-7
1 or 2 Runs Games 8-5 8-10 16-13 13-12 14-15 12-14
- 12 of 24 games (50.0%) decided by one run leads the nation.
- 13 of 24 games (54.2%) decided by one or two runs.
Bulldogs lead the Mountain West in sacrifice bunts
Playing a National League style of play this season, the 'Dogs have to manufacture runs in creative ways and one of those ways is through sacrifice bunts as the 'Dogs have 22 on the season to lead the MW and rank 12th in the nation.
Senior shortstop Korby Batesole leads the club and Mountain West with eight, ranking fifth in the country.
Diamond 'Dogs off to a strong home start
The 'Dogs are off to a 13-4 start at home after 17 games for the third-best start at home under Batesole that far into the season.
2011 - 16-1; 18-2 after 20 games
2016 - 15-2; 17-3
2018 - 13-4; ?
Arias shutting down the opposition
Jaime Arias is off to a strong start as a Bulldog leading the Mountain West in five categories.
- No. 1 in opposing batting average (.155), hits allowed (15), runs allowed (6), walks allowed (4) & doubles allowed (1)
Gonzalez leading the Mountain West in strikeouts
After a 17-strikeout performance over Houston Baptist on Feb. 24, Gonzalez has continued to lead the MW in strikeouts with 53 checking No. 17 in the nation. He also ranks second in the MW in innings pitched (41.0) and is tied for fourth with three wins.
Carter Bins named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List
Sophomore catcher Carter Bins was named to the 2018 Johnny Bench Award Watch List on March 6 given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher.
A Freshman All-American and the Co-Mountain West Freshman of the Year in 2017, Bins is off to a great start to his sophomore season starting all 24 games hitting .309 from the plate leading the team in at-bats (97), doubles (9), runs (19), home runs (5), RBI (22) and total bases (54) and ranking second in hits (30).
Ten-year anniversary of the 2008 National Championship Team
On Sunday, April 15, Fresno State Athletics will honor the 2008 National Championship Wonderdogs prior to the Bulldogs' game vs. San Jose State as we encourage fans to help come out and honor one of Fresno State Athletics greatest team accomplishments in school history.
The first No. 4 regional seed ever to advance to the College World Series, the 'Dogs proved all the doubters wrong and upset a talented field and came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in the final two games of the championship series for the title.
Up next
The Bulldogs hit the road to start the month of April next week traveling to San Francisco (16-8) for a Wednesday afternoon contest on April 4 before resuming Mountain West play at New Mexico (10-12-1, 4-5 MW) on April 6-8.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter: @Fresno StateBSB
Instagram: fresnoathletics
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
Snap Chat: FSAthletics
Games 25-27: Long Beach State (10-15, 0-0 Big West) at Fresno State (14-10, 4-8 MW)
First Pitch: March 29 - Thu: 6:05 p.m.; Fri: 6:05 p.m.; Sat: 2:05 p.m.
Stadium: Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium
Surface: Grass
Dimensions: 330 (LF), 400 (CF), 330 (RF)
All-Time Series: Fresno State leads 59-51
Last Meeting: Fresno State won 10-5 over No. 16 Long Beach State on March 29, 2016 in Fresno, Calif.
Radio: 940 AM ESPN
Play-by-play: Paul Loeffler
Video: WatchStadium.com (Thursday - Matt Norville, play-by-play) - Fresno-Visalia channel 26.4 (KMPH-4) - complete channel listing attached at top of page
Mountain West Network (Friday and Saturday)
Live Stats: Sidearm
Twitter: @FresnoStateBSB
Promotions
THURSDAY: MLB Jersey Night!
- Anyone wearing an MLB Jersey gets in FREE!
- First Pitch by Tara Broderick, recently named Miss California & also a Fresno State Student
FRIDAY: Social Media Madness Night!
- Anyone who follows FS Athletics on social media gets in FREE!
- First Pitch by Nathan Sloan's 3 sons as Nathan is the CEO/President of B-K Lighting, a long-time supporter of the Bulldog Foundation
SATURDAY: Youth Jersey Day!
- Kids wearing their youth jersey will get in FREE!
• The 'Dogs conclude their seven-game homestand over Spring Break hosting Big West foe Long Beach State Thursday through Saturday
• The Bulldogs are 59-51 all-time against the Dirtbags after splitting a pair of meeting in 2016; their first two meetings since meeting in the postseason in 2008.
• The 'Dogs are coming off defeating UC Riverside, 11-3 on Tuesday night behind a career-high seven innings and seven strikeouts from Davis Moore.
• Fresno State opened the homestand winning one of three games at home over MW foe Nevada last weekend defeating the Wolf Pack 5-4 on Saturday night in comeback fashion.
• The 'Dogs currently lead the Mountain West in sacrifice bunts (22) while ranking second in home runs (21) and third in slugging percentage (.428).
• Junior RHP Edgar Gonzalez leads the MW & ranks 17th in the nation in strikeouts (53).
• Freshman southpaw Jaime Arias leads the MW in opposing batting average (.155), earned runs allowed (5), hits allowed (15) and walks allowed (4).
• Junior OF Zach Ashford ranks third in the MW with a .395 batting average and is currently on a 26-game on-base streak.
• Sophomore catcher Carter Bins leads the team in doubles (9), runs (19), RBI (22), at-bats (97), home runs (5) and total bases (54).
Fresno State vs. Long Beach State - The Series
• Fresno State and Long Beach State will meet for the first time since 2016 this weekend.
• The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with the Dirtbags 59-51 splitting a pair of meetings in 2016 with each winning on its home field. The 'Dogs won 10-5 at home while falling 4-3 at Blair Field.
• Prior to the win at home over LBSU in 2016, the 'Dogs most recent win over the Dirtbags came in the 2008 NCAA Regional with Fresno State winning 7-3 on its way to the National Championship.
• Head coach Mike Batesole is 4-2 vs. LBSU with a 3-0 record at home.
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Fresno State 59-51
Last Meeting: March 29, 2016 (Fresno, Calif.) - W, 10-5
Current Streak: W1
Last Fresno State Win: March 29, 2016 (10-5) - Fresno, Calif.
Last Long Beach State Win: March 7, 2016 (4-3) - Long Beach, Calif.
Where Fresno State Ranks Offensively in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 3/28/18)
• .279 Batting Average: No. 4
• .428 Slugging Pct: No. 3
• .345 On base Pct: No. 7
• 22 sacrifice bunts: No. 1 - 14th nationally
• 113 Runs: No. 6
• 222 Hits: No. 4
• 102 RBI: No. 6
• 43 Doubles: No. 4
• 6 Triples: No. 6
• 21 Home Runs: No. 2
Where Fresno State Ranks Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 3/28/18)
• 4.03 ERA: No. 2
• .241 Opposing bat average: No. 1
• 8 saves: No. T-2
• 226 strikeouts: No. 1
• 95 Earned runs allowed: No. 3
• 192 Hits allowed: No. 2
• 95 walks allowed: No. 4
• 33 doubles allowed: No. 2
• 3 triples allowed: No. 3
• 13 home runs allowed: No. 3
Where Fresno State Ranks Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2018 (as of 3/28/18)
• .969 Fielding Percentage: No. 7
• 250 Assists: No. 3
• 22 double plays: No. T-4
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2018 (as of 3/28/18)
Batting average: Zach Ashford - 3rd (.395)
Hits: Ashford - T-5th (34)
Doubles: Bins- T-4th (9)
Home runs: Bins & JT Arruda - T-4th (5)
Sacrifice bunts: Korby Batesole - 1st (8) - 5th nationally
ERA: Jamie Arias - 2nd (1.59)
Opposing Batting Average: Arias - 1st (.155)
Innings pitched: Gonzalez - 3rd (41.0)
Strikeouts: Gonzalez - 1st (53) - 17th nationally
Wins: Gonzalez - T-3rd (4)
Saves: Jamison Hill - T-2nd (5)
Appearances: Ryan Sullivan - T-6th (12)
Earned runs allowed: Arias - T-1st (5)
Hits allowed: Arias -1st (15)
Walks allowed: Arias -1st (4)
A look at the long Beach State Dirtbags
Long Beach State enters this weekend's non-conference series with the 'Dogs with a 10-15 overall record in 2018 and a 3-7 mark on the road. The Dirtbags are coming a 5-2 setback at home to Mountain West foe San Diego State on Tuesday night.
Long Beach State, who was selected second in the Big West preseason poll, is coming off a 42-20-1 record, a Super Regional berth and the Big West regular season title in 2017.
This year's edition of the Dirtbags come into the series hitting .227 as a team to rank ninth in the nine-team and average 3.5 runs per game to also rank last in the league in scoring.
Junior second baseman Jarren Duran leads the team with a .298 average from the plate while also leading the team in at-bats (94), hits (28), runs (14), total bases (38), home runs (2), stolen bases (7) & on-base percentage (.371).
On the mound, the Dirtbags rank third in the Big West in ERA sporting a 3.78 team ERA. LBSU is holding opponents to a .247 average from the plate while opponents are scoring an average of 4.5 runs against them.
The weekend rotation of southpaws Zak Baayoun and Clayton Andrews along with right-hander Tyler Radcliffe have combined for seven of the Dirtbags 10 wins on the season. Baayon leads the team with a 4-2 record with a 2.90 ERA and has tossed 45 strikeouts in 40.1 innings pitched.
2018 BIG WEST PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Team Rank (1st-place votes) Points
1. Cal State Fullerton (6) 73
2. Long Beach State (2) 65
3. Cal Poly 64
4. UC Santa Barbara 49
5. CSUN 48
6 UC Irvine (1) 43
7. Hawai'i 27
8. UC Riverside 26
9. UC Davis 10
Ashford on a 26-game on-base streak
Junior outfielder Zach Ashford started the season collecting a hit in the first 17 games he played in before going 0-for-4 in game two of a doubleheader at San Jose State on March 18.
The Clovis native has reached base in all 22 games he has played in this season after getting a pair of hits on Tuesday and dating back to 2017, has reached base in 26 straight games.
He is currently third in the Mountain West with a .395 average from the plate, tied for fifth in hits (34) and is seventh in on-base percentage (.453).
'Dogs in plenty of close contests so far in 2018
The Bulldogs have found themselves in plenty of close contests so far in 2018 posting a 8-4 record in one-run games and a 8-5 mark in one or two run games.
2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
1-Run Games 8-4 5-7 11-9 8-12 7-10 5-7
1 or 2 Runs Games 8-5 8-10 16-13 13-12 14-15 12-14
- 12 of 24 games (50.0%) decided by one run leads the nation.
- 13 of 24 games (54.2%) decided by one or two runs.
Bulldogs lead the Mountain West in sacrifice bunts
Playing a National League style of play this season, the 'Dogs have to manufacture runs in creative ways and one of those ways is through sacrifice bunts as the 'Dogs have 22 on the season to lead the MW and rank 12th in the nation.
Senior shortstop Korby Batesole leads the club and Mountain West with eight, ranking fifth in the country.
Diamond 'Dogs off to a strong home start
The 'Dogs are off to a 13-4 start at home after 17 games for the third-best start at home under Batesole that far into the season.
2011 - 16-1; 18-2 after 20 games
2016 - 15-2; 17-3
2018 - 13-4; ?
Arias shutting down the opposition
Jaime Arias is off to a strong start as a Bulldog leading the Mountain West in five categories.
- No. 1 in opposing batting average (.155), hits allowed (15), runs allowed (6), walks allowed (4) & doubles allowed (1)
Gonzalez leading the Mountain West in strikeouts
After a 17-strikeout performance over Houston Baptist on Feb. 24, Gonzalez has continued to lead the MW in strikeouts with 53 checking No. 17 in the nation. He also ranks second in the MW in innings pitched (41.0) and is tied for fourth with three wins.
Carter Bins named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List
Sophomore catcher Carter Bins was named to the 2018 Johnny Bench Award Watch List on March 6 given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher.
A Freshman All-American and the Co-Mountain West Freshman of the Year in 2017, Bins is off to a great start to his sophomore season starting all 24 games hitting .309 from the plate leading the team in at-bats (97), doubles (9), runs (19), home runs (5), RBI (22) and total bases (54) and ranking second in hits (30).
Ten-year anniversary of the 2008 National Championship Team
On Sunday, April 15, Fresno State Athletics will honor the 2008 National Championship Wonderdogs prior to the Bulldogs' game vs. San Jose State as we encourage fans to help come out and honor one of Fresno State Athletics greatest team accomplishments in school history.
The first No. 4 regional seed ever to advance to the College World Series, the 'Dogs proved all the doubters wrong and upset a talented field and came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in the final two games of the championship series for the title.
Up next
The Bulldogs hit the road to start the month of April next week traveling to San Francisco (16-8) for a Wednesday afternoon contest on April 4 before resuming Mountain West play at New Mexico (10-12-1, 4-5 MW) on April 6-8.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter: @Fresno StateBSB
Instagram: fresnoathletics
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
Snap Chat: FSAthletics
Players Mentioned
Pitcher
/ Baseball
Outfield
/ Baseball
Infield
/ Baseball
Catcher
/ Baseball
Pitcher
/ Baseball
Pitcher
/ Baseball
Pitcher
/ Baseball
Pitcher
/ BaseballBSB Los Angeles Regional Preview
Thursday, May 29
BSB MW Championship Final Recap
Sunday, May 25
BSB MW Championship Game 1 Recap
Friday, May 23
VB Read Across America Week
Saturday, March 08