LONG BEACH, Calif.–\u00a0With two games remaining before Big West play begins, Long Beach State will host Japan’s Waseda University Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. in the first U.S. tour stop for the program in three years, then travel to face San Diego State Wednesday at 6 p.m in another midweek matchup. The Dirtbags, coming off strong early-season offensive performances, look to keep momentum rolling as they gear up for conference play starting this weekend at UC Santa Barbara.<\/p>\n
LEADING OFF
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\n\tThe 72nd season of Long Beach State baseball will continue with the Dirtbags\u00a0as they host the University of Waseda (Japan), who are\u00a0on their first U.S. tour in the past three years (since 2023). They will then travel to San Diego State Wednesday\u00a0to face the Aztecs for a single game midweek matchup, first pitch is set for 6 p.m.
\n\tWaseda will face\u00a0five schools including the Dirtbags while in the U.S from Feb 24th-March 4th including Stanford, Santa Clara, Cal State LA, and USC.
\n\tWith two preseason games remaining the Dirtbags will look to gear up for Big West play against UC Santa Barbara this weekend starting Friday March 6th.
\n\tThe Dirtbags were picked to finish seventh in the\u00a0Big West as voted by the coaches.
\n\tLong Beach State Athletics officially unveiled at the start of the 2026 season, the new Bohl Annex Pitching Lab, made possible through the generosity and giving of Marilyn Bohl. The upgraded space provides the Dirtbags\u00a0with a modern training and development environment and was introduced during a pregame ribbon-cutting ceremony.
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THIS OR THAT<\/p>\n
AGAINST THE AZTECS PLAYER NOTES
\n\tThe Long Beach State Dirtbags have positioned themselves among the conference leaders offensively, ranking forth overall in team batting average (.252).
\n\tJake Evans<\/a> sits third in the Big West with a .385 average, while Camden Gasser<\/a> ranks third in on-base percentage (.548) and leads the conference with 22 walks.
\n\tBoth Dylan Lina<\/a> and Matt Toomey<\/a> are among the league leaders after being hit by a pitch six times each.
\n\tAs a team the Dirtbags own a .404 on-base percentage with 56 walks and 29 hit-by-pitches
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\nLong Beach State will face San Diego State Aztecs in a matchup that dates back to 1956, with the Aztecs holding an 89-57-1 advantage in the all-time matchup. The Dirtbags are 39-41 at home, 18-46-1 on the road and 0-2 in neutral-site meetings against SDSU. Most recently, the teams split two meetings in 2024, with Long Beach State earning a 6-3 road win before posting a 12-5 victory at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. Last week, the Aztecs split a four-game series at Washington in Seattle, winning the first two games 9-4 and 3-2 before dropping the final two contests 2-11 and 1-4 on Monday, March 2.<\/p>\n
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\n\tTrevor Goldenetz<\/a> \u2013 Hitting .359 through 11 starts, Goldenetz leads the Dirtbags with 14 hits and owns a .500 on-base percentage. He has scored six runs, driven in four, added a triple, and swiped six bases while serving as a steady presence in center field with 24 putouts.
\n\tSmith Chandler<\/a> \u2013 Batting .350 in seven appearances (six starts); Chandler has tallied seven hits and five RBIs with a .458 on-base percentage. He’s been efficient defensively with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
\n\tJake Evans<\/a> \u2013 Evans is hitting .345 with four doubles and a team-best .483 slugging percentage. He has scored six runs, driven in four, and added six walks while posting a .950 fielding percentage across the infield.
\n\tTrotter Enright<\/a> \u2013 Enright has started all 11 games and is batting .289 with a team-high six doubles and 10 RBIs. He owns a .422 slugging percentage and has contributed 13 hits and six runs scored while anchoring the infield.
\n\tMatt Toomey<\/a> \u2013 Toomey is hitting .244 with four doubles and a triple among his 10 hits. He has scored seven runs, been hit by a pitch eight times, and is a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts.
\n\tConner Stewart<\/a> \u2013 Stewart has appeared in seven games, batting .208 with four runs scored. He’s been flawless defensively, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage with 49 putouts behind the plate.
\n\tCamden Gasser<\/a> \u2013 Gasser is reaching base at an elite rate with a .574 on-base percentage, drawing 22 walks (Leads the nation) in 11 games. He has scored a team-high 11 runs and added three stolen bases while handling 39 defensive chances with a .951 fielding percentage.
\n\tDamon Valdez<\/a> \u2013 In seven games, Valdez\u00a0has driven in five runs and owns a .977 fielding percentage across the infield. He has scored three times and collected three hits in 15 at-bats.
\n\tAaron Perez<\/a> \u2013 Perez has started 10 games and recorded six hits, including a double, while driving in four runs. Defensively, he’s been perfect with a 1.000 fielding percentage and 84 putouts.
\n\tDylan Lina<\/a> \u2013 Lina has totaled nine RBIs, including a home run and two doubles, while adding five runs scored. He has been hit by a pitch six times and contributed defensively across the infield with 27 combined putouts and assists.
\n\tLuke Howe<\/a> has been the Dirtbags’ most consistent starter, posting a 2.45 ERA with a 2-0 record across three starts. He has worked a team-high 18.1 innings, allowing just five earned runs while holding opponents to a .215 batting average and maintaining a 1.04 WHIP.
\n\tJake Fields<\/a> owns a 4.91 ERA with a 1-1 record in three appearances, including two starts. In 14.2 innings, he has struck out 15 batters and limited opponents to a .109 batting average.
\n\tJason Gerfers<\/a> \u2013 The freshman has made four appearances with three starts, compiling 14.0 innings of work. Gerfers has struck out 11 while holding hitters to a .229 average, continuing to develop as part of the weekend rotation.
\n\tJaxon Baker<\/a>\u2013 Baker has started two games in his first collegiate season, tossing 5.2 innings. The left-hander has recorded three strikeouts.
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