Long Beach State 49ers baseball
Encyclopedia
The Long Beach State 49ers Baseball team is the college baseball
program that represents California State University, Long Beach
. Unlike all other Long Beach State sports teams, since 1989 the baseball team has unofficially gone by the name The Dirtbags.
Long Beach State has competed in the NCAA
Division I Big West Conference
(BWC
, formerly the PCAA) since 1970. Before becoming a founding member of the BWC
, LBSU participated in the Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association
(CCAA
) from 1957–1969, and before that spent three years as an independent team.
The Long Beach State baseball team gained national prominence in 1989, with the hiring of Dave Snow as head coach. Since then The Dirtbags have been, historically, one of the strongest teams on the West Coast
, being consistently ranked in the national top 25 and appearing in 17 of 20 NCAA tournaments
through 2008.
The Dirtbags currently play their home games at Blair Field
, a semi-professional baseball facility located less than 2 miles from campus and operated by the city of Long Beach
.
agreed to coach the first ever baseball team at the new Long Beach State College in 1954, he faced adversity almost from the start. For one thing McConnell was a cross country runner by trade, not a baseball player, and he was already splitting his time by also serving as an assistant coach for the basketball team. For another, the school had yet to build a baseball field of its own, so the team was forced to survive by holding practices on the public field at Whaley Park adjacent to campus. All of the team's first 11 games were played on the road; only towards the very end of the season, when the school's field was finally completed, could the 49ers host their first home game. On top of it all, the fledgling program faced by a severe lack of players: the entire roster consisted of just 14 players at the start of the year. In the end the team's unfortunate circumstances resulted in a lackluster performance, and a modest 3-13 record for the 1954 season.
Indeed, McConnell's task of producing a winning team seemed almost impossible. The program was handicapped by a miniscule operating budget of only about $3,000 (with no athletic scholarships) and still had an extremely limited roster (forcing McConnell to employ a 3-man pitching rotation). But McConnell stuck with the team, determined to make the most of the school's limited resources and produce a winning program. And in spite of conditions, the young 49ers managed to produce two outstanding seasons in 1955 and '56, with records of 17-4 and 18-6 respectively.
However, the young team's progress was put to the test in 1957 when Long Beach State was admitted into the NCAA
's Division II. After three years of being an independent team, the greater level of competition in the CCAA
conference caused the 49ers to struggle even to produce a winning record. At the end of the 1959 season, after grinding through three consecutive years of mediocrity and a 48-42 cumulative record in NCAA play, John McConnell stepped down as coach of the Long Beach State baseball team. But because of his impressive academic record (50 of his 57 players graduated), he stayed on as a staff member in the P.E.
department for nearly 30 more years.
play for a third-place finish in the conference, and there seemed to be reason to hope that the future held even brighter things for the 49ers baseball program. But unfortunately Clegg was unable to reproduce the success of his first season with the club, and under his guidance the 49ers failed to garner another winning season. Clegg's teams accumulated a disappointing 32-65-1 record over the next three years, including an abysmal 6-25-1 record in 1963. This lack of production led to Clegg's dismissal following the 1963 season.
True success came when the program handed the reins to freshman junior varsity coach Bob Wuesthoff in 1964. In Wuesthoff's first year as head coach, the 49ers rebounded impressively from the previous year's meltdown by going 31-13, earning the program's first conference championship and setting a school record for wins that would stand until 1979 (The .704 winning percentage wouldn't be topped until 1989). This time, the first-year optimism did not give way to letdown.
Under Wuesthoff, the 49ers finished with a winning record in each of his six years as skipper at Long Beach State, accumulated a 161-101-4 (.613) overall record, and only once finished worse than third in the conference. By the time the 49ers won their second CCAA
title in 1969, Wuesthoff was already the most successful coach in Long Beach State's short sports history. But changes came to the school in 1970, when Long Beach State was admitted to the NCAA
's Division I. One of those changes came when Wuesthoff announced that he would not return for the 1970 season.
minor league system (netting one selection to the class A New York - Penn League all-star team), Gonsalves returned to his alma mater
to take over the reins from his former coach Bob Wuesthoff who was retiring.
In his first year, Gonsalves led the team to an uninspiring 29-23 overall record, but the team's 11-4 record in conference play was enough to capture the first ever conference title of the newly-formed Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA). That season also saw Gonsalves receive the inaugural PCAA Coach of the Year award. Gonsalves would remain at the helm of the program for the next 19 seasons, and through two conference changes. The first switch came in 1977, when Long Beach State joined the upstart Southern California Baseball Association
(SCBA), an NCAA Division 1 baseball-only conference consisting of baseball
teams from schools that otherwise competed in either the PCAA or the WCC
.
The 49ers posted their best year to date in 1979, when the 49ers compiled a 40-22-3 mark that set a new school record for wins and was good enough for a second-place finish in the competitive SCBA. Unfortunately for the Gonsalves, he would never again coach a team to that level of success. Over the next 5 seasons, the 49ers only once posted a winning record or finished better than 4th in the conference. Even the demise of the SCBA and the renewal of PCAA competition (now known as the Big West) in 1985 couldn't change the fortunes of the hard luck 49ers, as they placed seventh in the conference in '85 and eighth in each of the next three years. This unfortunate stretch of underachievement left the Long Beach State baseball program disappointed and disillusioned. Despite holding the school career wins record at the time by a considerable margin, Gonsalves managed only a 205-342-10 cumulative record over his last 9 years. After the 1988 season, Gonsalves stepped down as head coach.
in 1989, after a successful 4-year run at Loyola Marymount where he led the Lions
to 2 WCC
titles and their first ever CWS
appearance, he found himself inheriting a program in disarray. The 49ers had compiled a horrific 14-45 record the year before, and the roster consisted almost entirely of new players. What's more, the 49ers were still being being forced to play without the benefit a true home field (instead splitting games between Long Beach City College
, Cerritos College
, and Blair Field
). Undaunted, Snow set to work rebuilding the program, and wound up engineering one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in NCAA history.
Ironically, the lack of a field ended up being a crucial ingredient in the creation of the team's iconic nickname. Over the course of the season, infield coach Dave Malpass would routinely take his players to a local (all-dirt) Pony League field for practices, while the rest of the team stayed at the on-campus practice field. When the infielders rejoined the team, their uniforms caked with dirt, the other coaches would tease Malpass about his group of “Dirtbags.” Soon, however, the Dirtbags would show that they were not to be laughed at.
Long Beach State exploded onto the college baseball
scene in 1989, winning their first 18 games right out of the starting gate. Just one year removed from their embarrassing 14-45 flop of a season, the reborn 49ers performed an almost unbelievable turnaround by posting an impressive 50-15 overall record and winning their first conference title in two decades. In their first ever NCAA Tournament
appearance, the "Dirtbags" quickly became fan favorites for their gritty and spirited character as they fought their way to a Regional victory and reached the College World Series
, another school first. Though they failed to win a game in the Series, the Dirtbags' improbable run earned Snow NCAA Coach of the Year honors.
The team suffered a mild regression in 1990, slipping to 4th in the conference and missing the postseason. But the following year Snow and the Dirtbags hit their stride, and set about proving that they were not a one-hit wonder
. In 1991 Snow led his team to a very respectable 46-19 record, good for a 2nd-place finish in the conference and an at large bid to the NCAA tournament. In just the second postseason appearance in school history, the team again won their regional and advanced to their second College World Series, this time reaching the 2nd round before being eliminated. From 1992-'94 the Dirtbags elevated their game even further by winning 3 consecutive Big West titles and reaching the College World Series yet again in '93, making it 3 CWS berths in 5 years.
In fact, 1993 was arguably the Dirtbags' finest season (perhaps even more so than the iconic 1989 season), as the Dirtbags advanced farther in a postseason than ever before: a mere 3 outs from a berth in the National Championship Game. After capturing the Big West Title and earning a top 10 ranking in all the major polls, the Dirtbags swept through their regional with four straight wins. In the College World Series, the Dirtbags eliminated Kansas
and Texas A&M
en route to a semifinal matchup with the LSU Tigers
. LBSU and LSU each held one victory going into the rubber match of the series. But the Tigers barely pulled out a victory on the back of a dramatic 3-run, bottom of the 9th comeback, eliminating the Dirtbags in heartbreaking fashion. The Tigers went on to dominate the National Championship Game, beating Wichita State
8-0 for their second national title.
An unexpected side effect of The Dirtbags' newfound success was the triggering of a regional rivalry between LBSU and established baseball powerhouse Cal State Fullerton. The two Cal States
proceeded to dominate Southern California
baseball: during Snow's 13-year tenure, the Dirtbags and the Titans
won 12 of 13 Big West Championships (1 shared) and combined for 22 NCAA Tournament appearances and 10 College World Series berths. (By way of comparison, traditional SoCal
athletic powerhouses USC
and UCLA combined for only 19 Tournament appearances and 6 CWS berths over the same period.) The Long Beach-Fullerton rivalry remains heated to this day.
Snow retired following the 2001 season after compiling a career record at LBSU of 511-290-4 (.638 winning percentage), 6 Big West championships, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 4 College World Series berths, including 3rd-place finishes in 1993 and '98. Snow still holds the LBSU career coaching records in all the aforementioned categories. Snow also received more Big West Coach of the Year accolades (5) than any other coach in program history, and remains the only coach to be named NCAA Coach of the Year (1989).
in the late ‘60s, had previously served as head coach at Utah
and Chapman College before spending the last 9 seasons working under Snow at LBSU. Having served as associate head coach the year before, the veteran Weathers sought to utilize his vast coaching experience to maintain the level of success that Snow had established before him.
Weathers did not disappoint. In his first year after taking the reins from Snow, the Dirtbags didn’t skip a beat as they cruised to a 39-21 overall record and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament
. This turned out to be the first of an impressive 7-year run for the team, where from 2002-'08 the Dirtbags never finished worse than 2nd in the conference and only once ended with fewer than 37 wins. 6 of those 7 seasons also saw the Dirtbags earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Perhaps most impressive about Weather’s tenure was the amount of major league talent produced by him and his coaching staff. Despite the fact that LBSU by now commanded a respectable baseball reputation, the limited budget afforded to the state-funded school often forced the Dirtbags staff to focus on recruiting and developing prospects that were overlooked by other schools. One such case was Jered Weaver
, who was dismissed by many scouts on the belief that he was more cut out for basketball than baseball. But Weaver went on to have a fine career as a Dirtbag, and his 2004 junior season became the most decorated for a single player in school history, netting him his second consecutive first team All-America
selection while also winning (among other honors) the Dick Howser Trophy
, the Roger Clemens Award
, and the Golden Spikes Award
.
An even more dramatic example of prospect development was Evan Longoria
, who (being widely regarded as too scrawny to compete for a Division 1 program) received no scholarship offers at all out of high school. Undeterred, Longoria enrolled at Rio Hondo Community College and played for one season, after which he was finally offered a scholarship at Long Beach State. Longoria would spend the next two seasons as the starting third baseman for the Dirtbags, and by the end of his junior year at LBSU, diligent hard work and expert instruction had transformed him into an imposing physical specimen who was described by various media outlets as the "top position player" and "best pure hitter" available in the 2006 draft
. That year Longoria became the highest-drafted player in school history (3rd overall), and also marked the third straight year that Long Beach State had a player selected in the first round of the draft (Weaver
went 12th in 2004
, and Troy Tulowitzki
7th in 2005
).
Predictably, the rivalry between the Dirtbags and the Cal State Fullerton Titans
continued as heated as ever under Weathers; the annual season-ending series between the two teams more often than not decided the conference championship. From 2002-’08, the two rivals flexed their muscle in the Big West by combining to win 6 more conference titles (1 shared). In fact in the 20 seasons from 1989-2008, 17 ended with either the Dirtbags or the Titans being crowned Big West champions.
Unfortunately, immediately after capturing the 2008 Big West title, the Dirtbags saw the conference power balance tip decidedly against them. It started in the offseason, when LBSU lost 11 players to the 2008 draft
, making it the largest draft class in school history and one that featured several star players, including All-Americans Shane Peterson and Andrew Liebel. Ultimately the Dirtbags proved unable to compensate for such a mass exodus of talent, and they fell into a major slump as they skidded to a 25-29 overall record in 2009, their first losing record in over two decades. The team’s funk deepened in 2010 as they finished 23-32, dead last in the Big West for the first time in 22 years. Perhaps even more embarrassing was the fact the Dirtbags lost each of their 7 meetings with the arch-rival Titans over that span.
On May 11, 2010 (two weeks before the close of the season), Weathers announced that he would be retiring at season’s end. “There needed to be a change and new energy in the program, because it hasn't been going great the last couple years,” Weathers said. “I've been doing this for 32 years, and so it's time. It can give somebody else a chance, and there's no hard feelings.” Weathers was remembered by CSULB President F. King Alexander
as "an outstanding leader of the program and a great representative of the university." Weathers left LBSU with the second most conference championships and postseason appearances to his name, as well as the second-highest winning percentage in school history (all behind his predecessor and mentor Dave Snow). Weathers also had coached the most Big West
Players/Pitchers of the Year (6) and the most future MLB draft picks (56) of any coach in school history at the time of his retirement.
Following Weathers’s retirement announcement, the Dirtbags lost 9 of their last 10 games in 2010.
including Abe Alvarez
, Jason Vargas
and 2004 National Player of the Year Jered Weaver
. Buckley's tremendous success in developing pitching talent led the Pittsburgh Pirates
to seek his services, offering him a position as pitching coordinator for the Pirates' entire minor league
system.
After two years in the Pirates' system, Buckley returned to LBSU in 2010 to take the position of associate head coach. Following Mike Weathers's retirement and his own promotion, Buckley promised to carry on the Dirtbag tradition. "We’re still going to play a gritty type of baseball and hopefully show our fans that these guys don’t quit. They fight and they grind and they get knocked down, but they keep coming back. We want to be fundamentally sound and not beat ourselves. We want to do things the right way." But while speaking highly of the program's legacy of fundamentally-sound baseball, Buckley also shared Weathers's growing concern that the team's recent history of producing highly-regarded MLB talent had been causing the team to lose sight of that legacy. "We just have to make sure these guys that are coming here are doing it for the right reasons. Not just to get to the big leagues or be a first-round draft choice."
Buckley's first season as skipper was far from overwhelming, as the team finished with a paltry but promising 29-27 overall record. This marked the first time in 3 seasons that the Dirtbags finished over .500, and also saw the team climb from 9th place back into 4th in the Big West
with a conference record of 12-12.
, players and fans alike generally prefer the more colloquial name the "Dirtbags." This ironic handle is a great source of pride and shared identity for the program, in no small part because it's frequently misinterpreted by outsiders as being a disparagement. In fact, various media outlets have highlighted the program's moniker as particularly undesirable. But despite the misunderstandings, the term "Dirtbag" is in fact distinct from truly pejorative demonyms that have been adopted later as symbols of pride (such as Limey
and Hoosier
). The term was instead coined as a badge of honor, referring to the team's scrappy playing style and success against higher profile programs.
The term first appeared in 1989, the first year under head coach Dave Snow. Snow took a program that finished 14-45 the year before and turned it into a national title contender, posting a 50-15 record and reaching the College World Series for the first time in school history. Remarkably, Snow accomplished all this without the benefit of a generous athletics budget, an experienced roster or even a home field, thus embodying the Dirtbag spirit. 20 years later, the Dirtbag name continues to be worn with distinction, by players both old and new.
"Being a Dirtbag means giving 100 percent in everything you do... going all-out on every play, and always putting the team before yourself."
"A Dirtbag doesn’t have the greatest ability - on a scale from 1 to 10, you’re always a 5, but you always play hard and don’t care how pretty you look. You just get after it."
"A Dirtbag is a style of playing the game of baseball. It's the type of player every team needs... loves to play the game everyday... he maybe doesn't have all the skills of the greatest player, but his attitude and the way he commits himself to the game is what makes this Dirtbag great. Dealing with adversity is what completes being a Dirtbag. A team player at all times."
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=6 | John McConnell || 1954 || 3-13 || .118 || -- || -- || Independent || --
|- align="center"
| 1955 || 17-4 || .810 || -- || -- || Independent || --
|- align="center"
| 1956 || 18-6 || .750 || -- || -- || Independent || --
|- align="center"
| 1957 || 16-13 || .552 || 4-11 || .267 || CCAA - 5th || --
|- align="center"
| 1958 || 16-10 || .615 || 8-7 || .533 || CCAA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1959 || 16-19 || .457 || 5-10 || .333 || CCAA - 5th || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 6 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 86-65
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .570
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 17-28
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .378
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=4 | Dick Clegg || 1960 || 20-14 || .588 || 9-6 || .600 || CCAA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1961 || 10-23 || .303 || 5-11 || .313 || CCAA - 5th || --
|- align="center"
| 1962 || 16-17 || .485 || 9-9 || .500 || CCAA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1963 || 6-25-1 || .203 || 2-12 || .143 || CCAA - 7th || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 4 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 52-79-1
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .398
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 25-38
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .397
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=6 | Bob Wuesthoff || 1964 || 31-13 || .704 || 12-4 || .750 || CCAA - 1st || --
|- align="center"
| 1965 || 30-14-1 || .667 || 10-5 || .667 || CCAA - 2nd || --
|- align="center"
| 1966 || 28-16-1 || .615 || 13-7 || .650 || CCAA - 2nd || --
|- align="center"
| 1967 || 25-17-1 || .593 || 10-8 || .556 || CCAA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1968 || 22-20-1 || .523 || 8-12 || .400 || CCAA - 5th || --
|- align="center"
| 1969 || 25-21 || .543 || 11-7 || .611 || CCAA - 1st || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 6 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 161-101-4
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .613
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 64-43
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .598
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 2 Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=19 | John Gonsalves || 1970 || 29-23 || .558 || 11-4 || .733 || PCAA - 1st || --
|- align="center"
| 1971 || 30-22-1 || .575 || 9-11 || .450 || PCAA - 4th || --
|- align="center"
| 1972 || 24-33-1 || .422 || 6-12 || .333 || PCAA - 6th || --
|- align="center"
| 1973 || 15-32-1 || .323 || 4-13-1 || .250 || PCAA - 7th || --
|- align="center"
| 1974 || 28-38 || .424 || 8-16 || .333 || PCAA - 6th || --
|- align="center"
| 1975 || 30-20 || .600 || 9-12 || .429 || PCAA - 5th || --
|- align="center"
| 1976 || 30-22-1 || .575 || 12-9 || .571 || PCAA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1977 || 11-43-1 || .209 || 3-18 || .143 || SCBA - 7th || --
|- align="center"
| 1978 || 20-37 || .351 || 10-18 || .357 || SCBA - 6th || --
|- align="center"
| 1979 || 40-22-3 || .638 || 17-6-1 || .729 || SCBA - 2nd || --
|- align="center"
| 1980 || 16-50-2 || .250 || 5-23 || .178 || SCBA - 8th || --
|- align="center"
| 1981 || 28-34 || .452 || 16-11 || .592 || SCBA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1982 || 27-33 || .450 || 8-20 || .286 || SCBA - 7th || --
|- align="center"
| 1983 || 36-30 || .545 || 16-12 || .428 || SCBA - 4th || --
|- align="center"
| 1984 || 32-34-4 || .486 || 13-15 || .464 || SCBA - 5th|| --
|- align="center"
| 1985 || 22-42 || .344 || 7-23 || .233 || Big West - 7th || --
|- align="center"
| 1986 || 14-33-1 || .302 || 5-16 || .238 || Big West - 8th || --
|- align="center"
| 1987 || 16-41-1 || .284 || 6-15 || .286 || Big West - 8th || --
|- align="center"
| 1988 || 14-45 || .237 || 4-17 || .222 || Big West - 8th || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 19 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 462-634-16
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .423
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 169-290-2
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .369
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 1 Title
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=13 | Dave Snow || 1989 || 50-15 || .769 || 17-4 || .810 || Big West - 1st || College World Series 1st Round
|- align="center"
| 1990 || 36-22-1 || .619 || 12-9 || .571 || Big West - 4th || --
|- align="center"
| 1991 || 45-22 || .672 || 14-7 || .667 || Big West - 2nd || College World Series 2nd Round
|- align="center"
| 1992 || 37-20-1 || .647 || 18-5 || .783 || Big West - 1st || Regional Final
|- align="center"
| 1993 || 46-19 || .708 || 17-4 || .810 || Big West - 1st || College World Series Semifinal
|- align="center"
| 1994 || 41-19 || .683 || 16-5 || .762 || Big West - 1st || Regional 2nd Round
|- align="center"
| 1995 || 39-25-1 || .608 || 16-5 || .762 || Big West - 2nd || Regional Final
|- align="center"
| 1996 || 34-26 || .567 || 15-6 || .714 || Big West - 1st || Regional 1st Round
|- align="center"
| 1997 || 39-26 || .600 || 22-8 || .733 || Big West (South) - 1st || Regional 2nd Round
|- align="center"
| 1998 || 43-23-1 || .652 || 23-7 || .767 || Big West (South) - 2nd || College World Series Semifinal
|- align="center"
| 1999 || 35-25 || .583 || 19-11 || .633 || Big West - 3rd || Regional Final
|- align="center"
| 2000 || 31-25 || .544 || 18-12 || .600 || Big West - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 2001 || 35-23 || .603 || 11-7 || .611 || Big West - 3rd || Regional 1st Round
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 13 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 511-290-4
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .637
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 218-90
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .708
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 6 Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 11 Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=9 | Mike Weathers || 2002 || 39-21 || .650 || 17-7 || .708 || Big West - 2nd || Regional Final
|- align="center"
| 2003 || 41-20 || .672 || 16-5 || .762 || Big West - 1st || Super Regional
|- align="center"
| 2004 || 40-21 || .656 || 14-7 || .667 || Big West - 2nd || Super Regional
|- align="center"
| 2005 || 37-22 || .627 || 14-7 || .667 || Big West - 2nd || Regional 2nd Round
|- align="center"
| 2006 || 29-27 || .518 || 12-9 || .571 || Big West - 2nd || --
|- align="center"
| 2007 || 39-20 || .661 || 15-6 || .714 || Big West - 2nd || Regional Final
|- align="center"
| 2008 || 38-21 || .644 || 16-8 || .667 || Big West - 1st || Regional 2nd Round
|- align="center"
| 2009 || 25-29 || .458 || 11-13 || .463 || Big West - 6th || --
|- align="center"
| 2010 || 23-32 || .418 || 7-17 || .292 || Big West - 9th || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 9 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 301-213
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .586
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 122-79
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .607
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 2 Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 6 Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=1 | Troy Buckley || 2011 || 29-27 || .518 || 12-12 || .500 || Big West - 4th || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 1 year
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 29-27
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .518
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 12-12
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .500
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Appearances
|}
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
program that represents California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
. Unlike all other Long Beach State sports teams, since 1989 the baseball team has unofficially gone by the name The Dirtbags.
Long Beach State has competed in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I Big West Conference
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
(BWC
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
, formerly the PCAA) since 1970. Before becoming a founding member of the BWC
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
, LBSU participated in the Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association
California Collegiate Athletic Association
The California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the Division II of the NCAA. All of its current members are public universities, and all except for UC San Diego are members of the California State University system.It was founded in December 1938...
(CCAA
California Collegiate Athletic Association
The California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the Division II of the NCAA. All of its current members are public universities, and all except for UC San Diego are members of the California State University system.It was founded in December 1938...
) from 1957–1969, and before that spent three years as an independent team.
The Long Beach State baseball team gained national prominence in 1989, with the hiring of Dave Snow as head coach. Since then The Dirtbags have been, historically, one of the strongest teams on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, being consistently ranked in the national top 25 and appearing in 17 of 20 NCAA tournaments
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the College World Series....
through 2008.
The Dirtbags currently play their home games at Blair Field
Blair Field
Blair Field is a stadium in Long Beach, California. It originally opened in 1956 and is primarily used for baseball. It holds 3,238 people. It is named for Frank Blair, the sports editor for the Long Beach Press-Telegram newspaper for 32 years....
, a semi-professional baseball facility located less than 2 miles from campus and operated by the city of Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
.
1954-59: Formation, the McConnell Era
When John McConnellJohn McConnell
John McConnell may refer to:* John Michael McConnell , former director of the NSA and current U.S. Director of National Intelligence...
agreed to coach the first ever baseball team at the new Long Beach State College in 1954, he faced adversity almost from the start. For one thing McConnell was a cross country runner by trade, not a baseball player, and he was already splitting his time by also serving as an assistant coach for the basketball team. For another, the school had yet to build a baseball field of its own, so the team was forced to survive by holding practices on the public field at Whaley Park adjacent to campus. All of the team's first 11 games were played on the road; only towards the very end of the season, when the school's field was finally completed, could the 49ers host their first home game. On top of it all, the fledgling program faced by a severe lack of players: the entire roster consisted of just 14 players at the start of the year. In the end the team's unfortunate circumstances resulted in a lackluster performance, and a modest 3-13 record for the 1954 season.
However, the young team's progress was put to the test in 1957 when Long Beach State was admitted into the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division II. After three years of being an independent team, the greater level of competition in the CCAA
California Collegiate Athletic Association
The California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the Division II of the NCAA. All of its current members are public universities, and all except for UC San Diego are members of the California State University system.It was founded in December 1938...
conference caused the 49ers to struggle even to produce a winning record. At the end of the 1959 season, after grinding through three consecutive years of mediocrity and a 48-42 cumulative record in NCAA play, John McConnell stepped down as coach of the Long Beach State baseball team. But because of his impressive academic record (50 of his 57 players graduated), he stayed on as a staff member in the P.E.
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
department for nearly 30 more years.
1960-69: Belonging, the Wuesthoff Era
Dick Clegg took over the program after McConnell's departure, and almost immediately he appeared capable of taking the 49ers to heights that his predecessor had been unable to. The team finished the 1960 season with a promising 20-14 overall record and a 9-6 mark in CCAACalifornia Collegiate Athletic Association
The California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the Division II of the NCAA. All of its current members are public universities, and all except for UC San Diego are members of the California State University system.It was founded in December 1938...
play for a third-place finish in the conference, and there seemed to be reason to hope that the future held even brighter things for the 49ers baseball program. But unfortunately Clegg was unable to reproduce the success of his first season with the club, and under his guidance the 49ers failed to garner another winning season. Clegg's teams accumulated a disappointing 32-65-1 record over the next three years, including an abysmal 6-25-1 record in 1963. This lack of production led to Clegg's dismissal following the 1963 season.
True success came when the program handed the reins to freshman junior varsity coach Bob Wuesthoff in 1964. In Wuesthoff's first year as head coach, the 49ers rebounded impressively from the previous year's meltdown by going 31-13, earning the program's first conference championship and setting a school record for wins that would stand until 1979 (The .704 winning percentage wouldn't be topped until 1989). This time, the first-year optimism did not give way to letdown.
Under Wuesthoff, the 49ers finished with a winning record in each of his six years as skipper at Long Beach State, accumulated a 161-101-4 (.613) overall record, and only once finished worse than third in the conference. By the time the 49ers won their second CCAA
California Collegiate Athletic Association
The California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the Division II of the NCAA. All of its current members are public universities, and all except for UC San Diego are members of the California State University system.It was founded in December 1938...
title in 1969, Wuesthoff was already the most successful coach in Long Beach State's short sports history. But changes came to the school in 1970, when Long Beach State was admitted to the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division I. One of those changes came when Wuesthoff announced that he would not return for the 1970 season.
1970-88: Breaking New Ground, the Gonsalves Era
The 1970 season not only marked LBSU's first foray into Division 1, it also marked the first hiring of a team alumni as head coach. Incoming skipper John Gonsalves had played second base for the team from 1964–65, and even earned NCAA all-district honors his senior year. After a mildly distinguished 3-year career in the New York MetsNew York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
minor league system (netting one selection to the class A New York - Penn League all-star team), Gonsalves returned to his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
to take over the reins from his former coach Bob Wuesthoff who was retiring.
In his first year, Gonsalves led the team to an uninspiring 29-23 overall record, but the team's 11-4 record in conference play was enough to capture the first ever conference title of the newly-formed Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA). That season also saw Gonsalves receive the inaugural PCAA Coach of the Year award. Gonsalves would remain at the helm of the program for the next 19 seasons, and through two conference changes. The first switch came in 1977, when Long Beach State joined the upstart Southern California Baseball Association
Southern California Baseball Association
The Southern California Baseball Association or SCBA was a baseball-only conference that existed from 1977 to 1984. It was made up of schools from the Big West Conference and West Coast Conference. In 1977, the Big West and West Coast realigned themselves for baseball-only into a north conference ...
(SCBA), an NCAA Division 1 baseball-only conference consisting of baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
teams from schools that otherwise competed in either the PCAA or the WCC
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
.
The 49ers posted their best year to date in 1979, when the 49ers compiled a 40-22-3 mark that set a new school record for wins and was good enough for a second-place finish in the competitive SCBA. Unfortunately for the Gonsalves, he would never again coach a team to that level of success. Over the next 5 seasons, the 49ers only once posted a winning record or finished better than 4th in the conference. Even the demise of the SCBA and the renewal of PCAA competition (now known as the Big West) in 1985 couldn't change the fortunes of the hard luck 49ers, as they placed seventh in the conference in '85 and eighth in each of the next three years. This unfortunate stretch of underachievement left the Long Beach State baseball program disappointed and disillusioned. Despite holding the school career wins record at the time by a considerable margin, Gonsalves managed only a 205-342-10 cumulative record over his last 9 years. After the 1988 season, Gonsalves stepped down as head coach.
1989-2001: Enter the Dirtbags, the Snow Era
When Dave Snow arrived at The BeachCalifornia State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
in 1989, after a successful 4-year run at Loyola Marymount where he led the Lions
Loyola Marymount Lions
The Loyola Marymount Lions are the athletic teams that represent Loyola Marymount University, a Jesuit institution in Los Angeles, California. The school competes in NCAA Division I, with its primary affiliation in the West Coast Conference, an organization consisting solely of...
to 2 WCC
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
titles and their first ever CWS
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
appearance, he found himself inheriting a program in disarray. The 49ers had compiled a horrific 14-45 record the year before, and the roster consisted almost entirely of new players. What's more, the 49ers were still being being forced to play without the benefit a true home field (instead splitting games between Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College, established in 1927, is a community college located in Long Beach, California. It is divided into two campuses. The Liberal Arts Campus, known as LAC, is located in the residential community of the Lakewood Village section of Long Beach, on Carson Street west of Clark Avenue...
, Cerritos College
Cerritos College
Cerritos College is a public comprehensive community college founded in 1955 located in Norwalk, California. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a ranch that served prominently in the region in the 19th century...
, and Blair Field
Blair Field
Blair Field is a stadium in Long Beach, California. It originally opened in 1956 and is primarily used for baseball. It holds 3,238 people. It is named for Frank Blair, the sports editor for the Long Beach Press-Telegram newspaper for 32 years....
). Undaunted, Snow set to work rebuilding the program, and wound up engineering one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in NCAA history.
Ironically, the lack of a field ended up being a crucial ingredient in the creation of the team's iconic nickname. Over the course of the season, infield coach Dave Malpass would routinely take his players to a local (all-dirt) Pony League field for practices, while the rest of the team stayed at the on-campus practice field. When the infielders rejoined the team, their uniforms caked with dirt, the other coaches would tease Malpass about his group of “Dirtbags.” Soon, however, the Dirtbags would show that they were not to be laughed at.
Long Beach State exploded onto the college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
scene in 1989, winning their first 18 games right out of the starting gate. Just one year removed from their embarrassing 14-45 flop of a season, the reborn 49ers performed an almost unbelievable turnaround by posting an impressive 50-15 overall record and winning their first conference title in two decades. In their first ever NCAA Tournament
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the College World Series....
appearance, the "Dirtbags" quickly became fan favorites for their gritty and spirited character as they fought their way to a Regional victory and reached the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
, another school first. Though they failed to win a game in the Series, the Dirtbags' improbable run earned Snow NCAA Coach of the Year honors.
The team suffered a mild regression in 1990, slipping to 4th in the conference and missing the postseason. But the following year Snow and the Dirtbags hit their stride, and set about proving that they were not a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
. In 1991 Snow led his team to a very respectable 46-19 record, good for a 2nd-place finish in the conference and an at large bid to the NCAA tournament. In just the second postseason appearance in school history, the team again won their regional and advanced to their second College World Series, this time reaching the 2nd round before being eliminated. From 1992-'94 the Dirtbags elevated their game even further by winning 3 consecutive Big West titles and reaching the College World Series yet again in '93, making it 3 CWS berths in 5 years.
In fact, 1993 was arguably the Dirtbags' finest season (perhaps even more so than the iconic 1989 season), as the Dirtbags advanced farther in a postseason than ever before: a mere 3 outs from a berth in the National Championship Game. After capturing the Big West Title and earning a top 10 ranking in all the major polls, the Dirtbags swept through their regional with four straight wins. In the College World Series, the Dirtbags eliminated Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks baseball
The Kansas Jayhawks baseball team represents the University of Kansas and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.-History:Baseball has been played at the University of Kansas since 1880 and for a total of 118 seasons. The Jayhawks had a 1621-1550-16 all-time record entering the 2009...
and Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies baseball
The Texas A&M Aggies baseball team represents Texas A&M University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team belongs to the Big 12 Conference and plays home games at Olsen Field...
en route to a semifinal matchup with the LSU Tigers
LSU Tigers baseball
The LSU baseball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I college baseball.Along with the other LSU athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the West division of the Southeastern Conference...
. LBSU and LSU each held one victory going into the rubber match of the series. But the Tigers barely pulled out a victory on the back of a dramatic 3-run, bottom of the 9th comeback, eliminating the Dirtbags in heartbreaking fashion. The Tigers went on to dominate the National Championship Game, beating Wichita State
Wichita State Shockers
The Shockers are the athletic teams at Wichita State University, who compete in the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. Wichita State is well known for its fan support and its baseball program, which has the highest winning percentange of any college baseball team over the past 31 years...
8-0 for their second national title.
An unexpected side effect of The Dirtbags' newfound success was the triggering of a regional rivalry between LBSU and established baseball powerhouse Cal State Fullerton. The two Cal States
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
proceeded to dominate Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
baseball: during Snow's 13-year tenure, the Dirtbags and the Titans
Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball
The Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball team represents California State University, Fullerton in NCAA Division I college baseball. In 35 years of Division I play, the Titans have never had a losing season. They are supplied by DeMarini....
won 12 of 13 Big West Championships (1 shared) and combined for 22 NCAA Tournament appearances and 10 College World Series berths. (By way of comparison, traditional SoCal
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
athletic powerhouses USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and UCLA combined for only 19 Tournament appearances and 6 CWS berths over the same period.) The Long Beach-Fullerton rivalry remains heated to this day.
Snow retired following the 2001 season after compiling a career record at LBSU of 511-290-4 (.638 winning percentage), 6 Big West championships, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 4 College World Series berths, including 3rd-place finishes in 1993 and '98. Snow still holds the LBSU career coaching records in all the aforementioned categories. Snow also received more Big West Coach of the Year accolades (5) than any other coach in program history, and remains the only coach to be named NCAA Coach of the Year (1989).
2002-10: Validation, the Weathers Era
Dave Snow’s powerful legacy remained with the Dirtbags program even after his retirement. Immediately after Snow’s departure, LBSU athletic director Bill Shumard confirmed that Snow’s longtime assistant Mike Weathers would take over as head coach. Weathers, who had known Snow since the pair’s playing days at Cerritos CollegeCerritos College
Cerritos College is a public comprehensive community college founded in 1955 located in Norwalk, California. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a ranch that served prominently in the region in the 19th century...
in the late ‘60s, had previously served as head coach at Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
and Chapman College before spending the last 9 seasons working under Snow at LBSU. Having served as associate head coach the year before, the veteran Weathers sought to utilize his vast coaching experience to maintain the level of success that Snow had established before him.
Weathers did not disappoint. In his first year after taking the reins from Snow, the Dirtbags didn’t skip a beat as they cruised to a 39-21 overall record and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the College World Series....
. This turned out to be the first of an impressive 7-year run for the team, where from 2002-'08 the Dirtbags never finished worse than 2nd in the conference and only once ended with fewer than 37 wins. 6 of those 7 seasons also saw the Dirtbags earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Perhaps most impressive about Weather’s tenure was the amount of major league talent produced by him and his coaching staff. Despite the fact that LBSU by now commanded a respectable baseball reputation, the limited budget afforded to the state-funded school often forced the Dirtbags staff to focus on recruiting and developing prospects that were overlooked by other schools. One such case was Jered Weaver
Jered Weaver
Jered David Weaver , is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
, who was dismissed by many scouts on the belief that he was more cut out for basketball than baseball. But Weaver went on to have a fine career as a Dirtbag, and his 2004 junior season became the most decorated for a single player in school history, netting him his second consecutive first team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
selection while also winning (among other honors) the Dick Howser Trophy
Dick Howser Trophy
The Dick Howser Trophy, considered to be the Heisman Trophy of college baseball, is an award presented annually to the national college baseball player of the year, presented by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association ....
, the Roger Clemens Award
Roger Clemens Award
The Roger Clemens Award was an award that honored the top NCAA Division I college baseball pitcher of the year. The award was created prior to the 2004 season and succeeded the Rotary Smith Award....
, and the Golden Spikes Award
Golden Spikes Award
The Golden Spikes Award is awarded annually to the best amateur baseball player. It is awarded by USA Baseball and sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Though the award can be presented to any amateur player, it has always been given to a college baseball player.-Past...
.
An even more dramatic example of prospect development was Evan Longoria
Evan Longoria
Evan Michael Longoria is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Formerly, Longoria was a star infielder for the Long Beach State University baseball team, the Cape Cod League MVP, and the Big West Co-Player of the Year.He made his major league debut for the Rays in , and...
, who (being widely regarded as too scrawny to compete for a Division 1 program) received no scholarship offers at all out of high school. Undeterred, Longoria enrolled at Rio Hondo Community College and played for one season, after which he was finally offered a scholarship at Long Beach State. Longoria would spend the next two seasons as the starting third baseman for the Dirtbags, and by the end of his junior year at LBSU, diligent hard work and expert instruction had transformed him into an imposing physical specimen who was described by various media outlets as the "top position player" and "best pure hitter" available in the 2006 draft
2006 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 6 and 7. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.-First Round Selections:...
. That year Longoria became the highest-drafted player in school history (3rd overall), and also marked the third straight year that Long Beach State had a player selected in the first round of the draft (Weaver
Jered Weaver
Jered David Weaver , is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
went 12th in 2004
2004 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...
, and Troy Tulowitzki
Troy Tulowitzki
Troy Trevor Tulowitzki , nicknamed Tulo, is a Major League Baseball shortstop for the Colorado Rockies.Tulowitzki's arm, range and instincts at shortstop are highly regarded...
7th in 2005
2005 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...
).
Predictably, the rivalry between the Dirtbags and the Cal State Fullerton Titans
Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball
The Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball team represents California State University, Fullerton in NCAA Division I college baseball. In 35 years of Division I play, the Titans have never had a losing season. They are supplied by DeMarini....
continued as heated as ever under Weathers; the annual season-ending series between the two teams more often than not decided the conference championship. From 2002-’08, the two rivals flexed their muscle in the Big West by combining to win 6 more conference titles (1 shared). In fact in the 20 seasons from 1989-2008, 17 ended with either the Dirtbags or the Titans being crowned Big West champions.
Unfortunately, immediately after capturing the 2008 Big West title, the Dirtbags saw the conference power balance tip decidedly against them. It started in the offseason, when LBSU lost 11 players to the 2008 draft
2008 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008.-First round selections:* Did not sign...
, making it the largest draft class in school history and one that featured several star players, including All-Americans Shane Peterson and Andrew Liebel. Ultimately the Dirtbags proved unable to compensate for such a mass exodus of talent, and they fell into a major slump as they skidded to a 25-29 overall record in 2009, their first losing record in over two decades. The team’s funk deepened in 2010 as they finished 23-32, dead last in the Big West for the first time in 22 years. Perhaps even more embarrassing was the fact the Dirtbags lost each of their 7 meetings with the arch-rival Titans over that span.
On May 11, 2010 (two weeks before the close of the season), Weathers announced that he would be retiring at season’s end. “There needed to be a change and new energy in the program, because it hasn't been going great the last couple years,” Weathers said. “I've been doing this for 32 years, and so it's time. It can give somebody else a chance, and there's no hard feelings.” Weathers was remembered by CSULB President F. King Alexander
F. King Alexander
Fieldon King Alexander is the president of California State University, Long Beach. He received a PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a master's degree from the University of Oxford and a bachelor's degree from St. Lawrence University. At St...
as "an outstanding leader of the program and a great representative of the university." Weathers left LBSU with the second most conference championships and postseason appearances to his name, as well as the second-highest winning percentage in school history (all behind his predecessor and mentor Dave Snow). Weathers also had coached the most Big West
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
Players/Pitchers of the Year (6) and the most future MLB draft picks (56) of any coach in school history at the time of his retirement.
Following Weathers’s retirement announcement, the Dirtbags lost 9 of their last 10 games in 2010.
2011-Present: Maintaining the Identity, the Buckley Era
On June 1, 2011, two days after the close of the 2010 season, athletic director Vic Cegles held a press conference to formally introduce associate head coach Troy Buckley as LBSU’s 7th head coach. A former professional player himself, Buckley first joined the Dirtbags' program as an assistant head coach in 2001, Dave Snows's final year as head coach; once again Snow's powerful legacy continued to (indirectly) influence the program's direction. Buckley served until 2007 as pitching coach, during which time he tutored numerous future Major LeaguersMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
including Abe Alvarez
Abe Alvarez
Abraham Alvarez, , is an American former professional baseball pitcher with the Palfinger Reggio Emilia of Italy's Serie A1. He bats and throws left-handed.-College career:...
, Jason Vargas
Jason Vargas
Jason Matthew Vargas is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners. He has played parts of two seasons in the major leagues with the Florida Marlins, part of one season in the major leagues with the New York Mets and the last two seasons with the Seattle Mariners.-College...
and 2004 National Player of the Year Jered Weaver
Jered Weaver
Jered David Weaver , is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
. Buckley's tremendous success in developing pitching talent led the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
to seek his services, offering him a position as pitching coordinator for the Pirates' entire minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
system.
After two years in the Pirates' system, Buckley returned to LBSU in 2010 to take the position of associate head coach. Following Mike Weathers's retirement and his own promotion, Buckley promised to carry on the Dirtbag tradition. "We’re still going to play a gritty type of baseball and hopefully show our fans that these guys don’t quit. They fight and they grind and they get knocked down, but they keep coming back. We want to be fundamentally sound and not beat ourselves. We want to do things the right way." But while speaking highly of the program's legacy of fundamentally-sound baseball, Buckley also shared Weathers's growing concern that the team's recent history of producing highly-regarded MLB talent had been causing the team to lose sight of that legacy. "We just have to make sure these guys that are coming here are doing it for the right reasons. Not just to get to the big leagues or be a first-round draft choice."
Buckley's first season as skipper was far from overwhelming, as the team finished with a paltry but promising 29-27 overall record. This marked the first time in 3 seasons that the Dirtbags finished over .500, and also saw the team climb from 9th place back into 4th in the Big West
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
with a conference record of 12-12.
The Dirtbag Spirit
Although like all other LBSU sports teams the baseball team is officially known as the 49ersLong Beach State 49ers
'An NCAA Division I member, Long Beach State has 18 sports teams and plays competitively in baseball, cross country, softball, track and field, women's tennis, and women's soccer, as well as both men's and women's basketball, volleyball, water polo and golf teams...
, players and fans alike generally prefer the more colloquial name the "Dirtbags." This ironic handle is a great source of pride and shared identity for the program, in no small part because it's frequently misinterpreted by outsiders as being a disparagement. In fact, various media outlets have highlighted the program's moniker as particularly undesirable. But despite the misunderstandings, the term "Dirtbag" is in fact distinct from truly pejorative demonyms that have been adopted later as symbols of pride (such as Limey
Limey
Limey is an old slang nickname, often pejorative, for the British, originally referring to their sailors. The term is believed to derive from Lime , referring to the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy practice of supplying lime juice to British sailors to prevent scurvy...
and Hoosier
Hoosier
Hoosier is the official demonym for a resident of the U.S. state of Indiana. Although residents of most U.S. states typically adopt a derivative of the state name, e.g., "Indianan" or "Indianian", natives of Indiana rarely use these. Indiana adopted the nickname "Hoosier State" more than 150...
). The term was instead coined as a badge of honor, referring to the team's scrappy playing style and success against higher profile programs.
The term first appeared in 1989, the first year under head coach Dave Snow. Snow took a program that finished 14-45 the year before and turned it into a national title contender, posting a 50-15 record and reaching the College World Series for the first time in school history. Remarkably, Snow accomplished all this without the benefit of a generous athletics budget, an experienced roster or even a home field, thus embodying the Dirtbag spirit. 20 years later, the Dirtbag name continues to be worn with distinction, by players both old and new.
Alumni perspectives
"We’re just a team that scrapes and gets the little things done to win. That’s what we are - Dirtbags. People that don’t understand that yet, don’t have a clue to what’s behind us."- -Chuck Lopez, LBSU single-season record holder for hits
"Being a Dirtbag means giving 100 percent in everything you do... going all-out on every play, and always putting the team before yourself."
- -Bobby CrosbyBobby CrosbyRobert Edward Crosby is an infielder in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. The son of former major league infielder Ed Crosby, he bats and throws right-handed...
, Oakland AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
shortstop and former American LeagueAmerican LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Rookie of the Year
"A Dirtbag doesn’t have the greatest ability - on a scale from 1 to 10, you’re always a 5, but you always play hard and don’t care how pretty you look. You just get after it."
- -Brian Whatley, starting catcher for 1993 CWSCollege World SeriesThe College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
Dirtbags team
"A Dirtbag is a style of playing the game of baseball. It's the type of player every team needs... loves to play the game everyday... he maybe doesn't have all the skills of the greatest player, but his attitude and the way he commits himself to the game is what makes this Dirtbag great. Dealing with adversity is what completes being a Dirtbag. A team player at all times."
- -Mike GalloMike GalloMichael Dwain Gallo is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Biography:...
, Major League relief pitcher
Year by year: Coaches and records
{| border="0" width="100%"| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=6 | John McConnell || 1954 || 3-13 || .118 || -- || -- || Independent || --
|- align="center"
| 1955 || 17-4 || .810 || -- || -- || Independent || --
|- align="center"
| 1956 || 18-6 || .750 || -- || -- || Independent || --
|- align="center"
| 1957 || 16-13 || .552 || 4-11 || .267 || CCAA - 5th || --
|- align="center"
| 1958 || 16-10 || .615 || 8-7 || .533 || CCAA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1959 || 16-19 || .457 || 5-10 || .333 || CCAA - 5th || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 6 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 86-65
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .570
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 17-28
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .378
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=4 | Dick Clegg || 1960 || 20-14 || .588 || 9-6 || .600 || CCAA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1961 || 10-23 || .303 || 5-11 || .313 || CCAA - 5th || --
|- align="center"
| 1962 || 16-17 || .485 || 9-9 || .500 || CCAA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1963 || 6-25-1 || .203 || 2-12 || .143 || CCAA - 7th || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 4 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 52-79-1
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .398
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 25-38
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .397
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=6 | Bob Wuesthoff || 1964 || 31-13 || .704 || 12-4 || .750 || CCAA - 1st || --
|- align="center"
| 1965 || 30-14-1 || .667 || 10-5 || .667 || CCAA - 2nd || --
|- align="center"
| 1966 || 28-16-1 || .615 || 13-7 || .650 || CCAA - 2nd || --
|- align="center"
| 1967 || 25-17-1 || .593 || 10-8 || .556 || CCAA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1968 || 22-20-1 || .523 || 8-12 || .400 || CCAA - 5th || --
|- align="center"
| 1969 || 25-21 || .543 || 11-7 || .611 || CCAA - 1st || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 6 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 161-101-4
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .613
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 64-43
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .598
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 2 Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=19 | John Gonsalves || 1970 || 29-23 || .558 || 11-4 || .733 || PCAA - 1st || --
|- align="center"
| 1971 || 30-22-1 || .575 || 9-11 || .450 || PCAA - 4th || --
|- align="center"
| 1972 || 24-33-1 || .422 || 6-12 || .333 || PCAA - 6th || --
|- align="center"
| 1973 || 15-32-1 || .323 || 4-13-1 || .250 || PCAA - 7th || --
|- align="center"
| 1974 || 28-38 || .424 || 8-16 || .333 || PCAA - 6th || --
|- align="center"
| 1975 || 30-20 || .600 || 9-12 || .429 || PCAA - 5th || --
|- align="center"
| 1976 || 30-22-1 || .575 || 12-9 || .571 || PCAA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1977 || 11-43-1 || .209 || 3-18 || .143 || SCBA - 7th || --
|- align="center"
| 1978 || 20-37 || .351 || 10-18 || .357 || SCBA - 6th || --
|- align="center"
| 1979 || 40-22-3 || .638 || 17-6-1 || .729 || SCBA - 2nd || --
|- align="center"
| 1980 || 16-50-2 || .250 || 5-23 || .178 || SCBA - 8th || --
|- align="center"
| 1981 || 28-34 || .452 || 16-11 || .592 || SCBA - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 1982 || 27-33 || .450 || 8-20 || .286 || SCBA - 7th || --
|- align="center"
| 1983 || 36-30 || .545 || 16-12 || .428 || SCBA - 4th || --
|- align="center"
| 1984 || 32-34-4 || .486 || 13-15 || .464 || SCBA - 5th|| --
|- align="center"
| 1985 || 22-42 || .344 || 7-23 || .233 || Big West - 7th || --
|- align="center"
| 1986 || 14-33-1 || .302 || 5-16 || .238 || Big West - 8th || --
|- align="center"
| 1987 || 16-41-1 || .284 || 6-15 || .286 || Big West - 8th || --
|- align="center"
| 1988 || 14-45 || .237 || 4-17 || .222 || Big West - 8th || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 19 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 462-634-16
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .423
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 169-290-2
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .369
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 1 Title
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=13 | Dave Snow || 1989 || 50-15 || .769 || 17-4 || .810 || Big West - 1st || College World Series 1st Round
|- align="center"
| 1990 || 36-22-1 || .619 || 12-9 || .571 || Big West - 4th || --
|- align="center"
| 1991 || 45-22 || .672 || 14-7 || .667 || Big West - 2nd || College World Series 2nd Round
|- align="center"
| 1992 || 37-20-1 || .647 || 18-5 || .783 || Big West - 1st || Regional Final
|- align="center"
| 1993 || 46-19 || .708 || 17-4 || .810 || Big West - 1st || College World Series Semifinal
|- align="center"
| 1994 || 41-19 || .683 || 16-5 || .762 || Big West - 1st || Regional 2nd Round
|- align="center"
| 1995 || 39-25-1 || .608 || 16-5 || .762 || Big West - 2nd || Regional Final
|- align="center"
| 1996 || 34-26 || .567 || 15-6 || .714 || Big West - 1st || Regional 1st Round
|- align="center"
| 1997 || 39-26 || .600 || 22-8 || .733 || Big West (South) - 1st || Regional 2nd Round
|- align="center"
| 1998 || 43-23-1 || .652 || 23-7 || .767 || Big West (South) - 2nd || College World Series Semifinal
|- align="center"
| 1999 || 35-25 || .583 || 19-11 || .633 || Big West - 3rd || Regional Final
|- align="center"
| 2000 || 31-25 || .544 || 18-12 || .600 || Big West - 3rd || --
|- align="center"
| 2001 || 35-23 || .603 || 11-7 || .611 || Big West - 3rd || Regional 1st Round
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 13 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 511-290-4
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .637
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 218-90
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .708
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 6 Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 11 Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=9 | Mike Weathers || 2002 || 39-21 || .650 || 17-7 || .708 || Big West - 2nd || Regional Final
|- align="center"
| 2003 || 41-20 || .672 || 16-5 || .762 || Big West - 1st || Super Regional
|- align="center"
| 2004 || 40-21 || .656 || 14-7 || .667 || Big West - 2nd || Super Regional
|- align="center"
| 2005 || 37-22 || .627 || 14-7 || .667 || Big West - 2nd || Regional 2nd Round
|- align="center"
| 2006 || 29-27 || .518 || 12-9 || .571 || Big West - 2nd || --
|- align="center"
| 2007 || 39-20 || .661 || 15-6 || .714 || Big West - 2nd || Regional Final
|- align="center"
| 2008 || 38-21 || .644 || 16-8 || .667 || Big West - 1st || Regional 2nd Round
|- align="center"
| 2009 || 25-29 || .458 || 11-13 || .463 || Big West - 6th || --
|- align="center"
| 2010 || 23-32 || .418 || 7-17 || .292 || Big West - 9th || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 9 years
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 301-213
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .586
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 122-79
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .607
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 2 Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 6 Appearances
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Overall
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"| Conference
!colspan=2 bgcolor="#000000"|
|- align="center"
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Coach
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Year
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Record
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Win %
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Conference - Place
!bgcolor="#FFDF00"| Postseason
|- align="center"
| rowspan=1 | Troy Buckley || 2011 || 29-27 || .518 || 12-12 || .500 || Big West - 4th || --
|- align="center"
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| Totals:
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 1 year
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 29-27
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .518
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| 12-12
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| .500
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Titles
!colspan=1 bgcolor="#000000"| No Appearances
|}
Notable former players
- Bobby CrosbyBobby CrosbyRobert Edward Crosby is an infielder in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. The son of former major league infielder Ed Crosby, he bats and throws right-handed...
: Free agent shortstop, formerly of the Oakland Athletics
- -AL Rookie of the Year Award (2004)
- Danny EspinosaDanny EspinosaDaniel Richard "Danny" Espinosa is a Major League Baseball Second baseman for the Washington Nationals.-College career:...
: Second baseman for the Washington Nationals
- Danny Espinosa
- -USA National Team selection, Pan American GamesPan American GamesThe Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
(2007)- Jason GiambiJason GiambiJason Gilbert Giambi is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball.He was the American League MVP in 2000 while with the Oakland Athletics, and is a five-time All-Star who has led the American League in walks four times, in on base percentage...
: First baseman for the Colorado Rockies, formerly of the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees
- Jason Giambi
- -ALAmerican LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
MVPMost Valuable PlayerIn sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
(2000) - -5x All-Star selection (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
- -2x Silver Slugger Award winner (2001, 2002)
- Chris GomezChris GomezChristopher Cory Gomez is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He bats and throws right-handed.-College career:...
: Former infielder for numerous clubs - Evan LongoriaEvan LongoriaEvan Michael Longoria is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Formerly, Longoria was a star infielder for the Long Beach State University baseball team, the Cape Cod League MVP, and the Big West Co-Player of the Year.He made his major league debut for the Rays in , and...
: Third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays
- Chris Gomez
- -AL Rookie of the Year (2008)
- -3x All-Star selection (2008, 2009, 2010)
- -2x Gold Glove AwardGold Glove AwardThe Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
(2009, 2010) - -Silver Slugger Award (2009)
- Jeremy ReedJeremy ReedJeremy Thomas Reed is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent.Reed graduated from Bonita High School in 1999, and went on to play college baseball at Long Beach State University...
: Outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers
- Jeremy Reed
- -2x USA Collegiate National Team (2001, 2002)
- Steve TrachselSteve TrachselStephen Christopher Trachsel , nicknamed "The Human Rain Delay", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is known for the long amount of time he takes to deliver the ball to home plate in between pitches. Games in which he pitches are known to be considerably longer than most games, leading...
: Former starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and numerous other clubs
- Steve Trachsel
- -All-StarMajor League Baseball All-Star GameThe Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
selection (1996)- Troy TulowitzkiTroy TulowitzkiTroy Trevor Tulowitzki , nicknamed Tulo, is a Major League Baseball shortstop for the Colorado Rockies.Tulowitzki's arm, range and instincts at shortstop are highly regarded...
: Shortstop for the Colorado Rockies
- Troy Tulowitzki
- -2x All Star selection (2010, 2011)
- -2x Gold Glove Award (2010, 2011)
- -2x Silver Slugger Award (2010, 2011)
- Jason VargasJason VargasJason Matthew Vargas is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners. He has played parts of two seasons in the major leagues with the Florida Marlins, part of one season in the major leagues with the New York Mets and the last two seasons with the Seattle Mariners.-College...
: Starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners - Jered WeaverJered WeaverJered David Weaver , is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
: Starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
- Jason Vargas
- -2x All-Star selection (2010, 2011)
- -Led MajorsMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
in strikeouts (2010)- Vance WorleyVance WorleyVance Richard Worley , nicknamed "The Vanimal", is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball.-Early career:...
: Starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
- Vance Worley