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112-732: Long Beach State (LBSU) has competed since 1969 in the NCAA Division I Big West Conference (BWC), known at the time as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . Before becoming a founding member of the PCAA, LBSU participated in the Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) from 1957 to 1969, and before that spent three years as an independent team. The Long Beach State baseball team gained national prominence in 1989, with

224-683: A 14–45 record, the reborn 49ers performed a complete turnaround by going 50–15 overall and winning their first conference title in two decades. In the NCAA tournament , the "Dirtbags" went undefeated in their Regional and reached the College World Series , a school first. Though they failed to win a game in the Series, the Dirtbags' improbable run earned Snow NCAA Coach of the Year honors (three years after having won

336-491: 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

448-414: A 205–342–10 cumulative record. After the 1988 season Gonsalves stepped down as head coach, citing physical exhaustion and a desire to spend more time with his family. Gonsalves remained on staff as a professor in the kinesiology department until 2002, and had his jersey number retired in 2001. Dave Snow was hired as head coach in 1989 after a successful four-year run at Loyola Marymount , where he had led

560-458: A 9–6 mark in CCAA 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

672-440: 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

784-596: A competitive college baseball program. CSULB has more than 320,000 alumni as of 2018 . California Collegiate Athletic Association The California Collegiate Athletic Association ( CCAA ) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. All of its current members are public universities, and upon UC San Diego's departure on July 1, 2020, all are members of

896-461: A crucial ingredient in the creation of the team's iconic nickname – see below ). Snow set out with the aim of raising the program back to a competitive level. Unexpectedly, that year Snow wound up engineering the greatest single-season turnaround in NCAA history. Long Beach State exploded onto the college baseball scene by winning their first 18 games to start the 1989 season. Just one season removed from

1008-470: 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. 2012 saw little change in the Dirtbags' overall record (28–27), but

1120-566: A higher education institution and in the United States. Six international and two American sculptors many of the on-campus installations. The event received national media attention from major newspapers, including The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times Magazine . McIntosh departed for Montana State University in 1969, and was succeeded by President Steve Horn . The California State University Board of Trustees elevated

1232-414: A local (all-dirt) Pony League field for practices, which Malpass wryly termed "Dirtbag Field". As the season progressed, the label was adopted by the players and coaches as symbolic of the tough and gritty mindset that Snow and his staff were cultivating. That year the team (which had finished 14–45 the year before Snow arrived) fought its way to an unexpected 50–15 record, and the school's first ever berth in

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1344-442: A modern six-story building with a seating capacity of nearly 4,000 students. In 1995, President Robert Maxson initiated the privately funded President's Scholars Program, providing selected qualified California high school valedictorians and National Merit finalists and semi-finalists with a full four-year scholarship package, including tuition, a book stipend, and housing. As of May 2010 , over 1000 students have accepted

1456-624: A more sophisticated alternative to turning off the lights by automatically varying the voltage to the ballasted fixtures and reducing the power consumed, while maintaining appropriate lighting levels." The Desert Studies Center is a field station of the California State University located in Zzyzx, California in the Mojave Desert . The purpose of the center is to provide opportunities to conduct research, receive instruction and experience

1568-552: A particularly memorable postseason performance, shutting out Big West tournament host Cal State Fullerton in a dominant complete game outing. The following week he again went the distance to stun regional host Stanford 5–1 in Palo Alto. After eliminating Alabama the next day to reach their fourth College World Series , the Dirtbags fought past Florida State and Miami to again reach the national semifinal round. There they were eliminated by Arizona State 14–4, again falling just short of

1680-416: 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

1792-560: A student lounge, and much more. The center is funded and managed by CSULB's Associated Students, Incorporated (ASI). 49er basketball and volleyball games are currently played in the iconic, eighteen-story Walter Pyramid (formerly known as the Long Beach Pyramid) located on north campus. The Pyramid is a sporting complex that can accommodate over 5,000 fans, including temporary seating and standing room. Two sections of interior stands are fitted with large hydraulic lifts that can lift

1904-474: A student-led ASI sub-group that promotes organic gardening and sustainable agriculture on campus. The new garden boxes are part of a campus-wide effort to provide a natural, organic, and convenient garden right on campus for student and faculty use. The university "has a comprehensive energy management program incorporating real-time metering and energy-saving technologies such as the EnergySaver, which provides

2016-409: A study lounge, a ballroom, a food court, a bowling alley, an arcade, and a movie theater. The Rec and Wellness Center is an extensive all-purpose athletic center covering about 125,000 square feet (11,600 m ) on North Campus. It was completed in 2010. It includes facilities for fitness programs and aerobics classes, courts for volleyball, basketball, badminton, rock climbing walls, an indoor track,

2128-491: 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. Over his final 9 seasons, Gonsalves managed only

2240-419: Is classified as an "R2: Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity". The university offers four doctoral programs: Educational Leadership (Ed.D.), Engineering and Computational Mathematics (Ph.D.), Physical Therapy (DPT) and Nursing Practice (DNP). The university is home to one of the largest publicly funded art schools in the United States. The university is a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) and

2352-651: Is a founding member of the Big West Conference , and also competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for sports not sponsored by the Big West. In the realm of sports the school is branded as "Long Beach State". "Beach", which had long been unofficially used to refer to Long Beach State and its sports teams as it is the only university on the West Coast with the word "Beach" in its name, became

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2464-608: Is also the only California State University to participate in the Golden Coast Conference for Men's Water polo not sponsored by the Big West Conference the Division Long Beach participates for in NCAA Division I. Because of the proximity to California State University, Fullerton , the schools are considered rivals. The rivalry is especially heated in baseball with the Long Beach State baseball team also having

2576-459: Is amongst the most applied to campuses in the California State University system, receiving over 70,000 applicants with an average acceptance rate of 45%. In the Fall 2023 cohort, California State University, Long Beach saw over 79,000 applications from first-time freshmen, while more than 37,000 were granted admission. The average GPA of the admitted students was 3.95. For masters and doctoral programs in

2688-399: Is eligible to be designated as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander serving institution (AANAPISI). The college was established in 1949 by California Governor Earl Warren , to serve the rapidly expanding post-World War II population of Orange and Southern Los Angeles counties. The institution was first named as Los Angeles-Orange County State College . Peter Victor Peterson

2800-460: Is home to one of the top women's volleyball teams in the nation. Long Beach State has won three national titles in women's volleyball, in 1989, 1993 and 1998. The 1998 women's team was the first team in NCAA Division I history to have an undefeated season. The team's most famous alumna is Misty May-Treanor , who won three Olympic gold medals in Beach Volleyball in 2004, 2008, and 2012. Long Beach

2912-509: Is located at 1250 Bellflower Boulevard. It is bounded by East 7th Street to the south, East Atherton Street to the north, Bellflower Boulevard to the west, and Palo Verde Avenue to the east. The architecture of the campus is mainly of the International style (designed primarily by architect Edward Killingsworth ). It is very minimalist, placing emphasis instead on the landscaping that surrounds it. This naturalistic, park-like layout has earned

3024-626: Is located on the northeast side of campus. It opened in fall 2010. Eight national sororities on campus are governed by the Panhellenic Association and are members of the National Panhellenic Conference . Eleven general fraternities are members of and governed by the Interfraternity Council . There is also a Cultural Greek Council which governs over six sororities, six fraternities and one co-ed fraternity. Within

3136-522: Is officially known as the Beach (formerly the 49ers ), the baseball team's 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 is frequently misinterpreted by outsiders as being a disparagement (in fact various media outlets have highlighted the program's moniker as particularly undesirable). But regardless of public perception,

3248-618: Is operated year-round. The station has been around in various forms since the mid-1970s, then known as KSUL (which went defunct after 1981). 22 West Radio is a department of Associated Students, Incorporated at CSULB and is both funded and regulated by them. Each March since 1970, the university has hosted the largest pow-wow in Southern California . This free two-day event, which attracts more than 6,000 persons each year, features Native American dancing, arts, craft and native foods. The $ 70 million Student Recreation and Wellness Center

3360-573: Is partially student-funded, and affiliated with ASI, publishes every month during fall and spring semesters. It began on April 22, 1977, when it was formed in response to the Daily 49er . The Union Weekly focuses on being an alternative voice on campus and features a satirical section called "The Grunion" (not to be confused with the Long Beach paper the Grunion Gazette). During the late 1970s through 1980s,

3472-710: The California State University system. It was founded in December 1938 and began competition in 1939. The commissioner of the CCAA is Allen Hardison. CCAA offices are located in Aliso Viejo, California . The CCAA is the most successful conference in NCAA Division II, as its former and current members have won 155 National Championships. As of 2024 , the CCAA has 12 full members, all of which are public schools in

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3584-513: The California State University system. The CCAA had 16 former full members, all but four were public schools. Institutional names and nicknames reflect those used in the final academic year of CCAA membership:  Full member (all sports)   Full member (non-football)   Associate member (football-only)   Associate member (sport)  The CCAA sponsors seven sports for women and six sports for men. Cross country, soccer and volleyball are fall sports; basketball

3696-522: The College World Series . Decades later, the Dirtbag name continues to be worn with distinction by players old and new. †Poll rankings are from Collegiate Baseball unless otherwise noted As of 2023, no fewer than 56 players who played for Long Beach State have made appearances in Major League Baseball, a figure which consistently ranks as one of the highest of any university in the nation. Some of

3808-590: The Dick Howser Trophy , the Roger Clemens Award , and the Golden Spikes Award . Another 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

3920-462: The Lions to two WCC titles and their first ever CWS appearance. By contrast, Long Beach was coming off the worst stretch in program history, going a combined 66–163 over four seasons. Additionally, the team was being forced to play without the benefit a true home field, splitting games between Long Beach City College , Cerritos College , and Blair Field . (Ironically, the lack of a field ended up being

4032-428: The NCAA announced the cancellation of all spring championships. The following day, the Big West announced the immediate cancellation of all remaining spring competition. The Dirtbags' abortive season was described by Baseball America as "one of 2020's great stories before the season was cut short," and caused others to draw parallels between Valenzuela's first season and Dave Snow's iconic rookie campaign in 1989. For

4144-574: The Union was a daily newspaper, giving heavy competition to the Daily 49er . Journalism majors who worked on the "Union" did so under a pseudonym as it was a practice forbidden by the dean of the Journalism department. DIG Magazine , the campus magazine, has gone through many changes throughout the years. It started off as The Lantern , a magazine for night-time students, before transforming to UniverCity in 1973. Then, it turned into University Magazine. In

4256-466: The 1970 season. 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 to 1965, and even earned NCAA all-district honors his senior year. After a mildly distinguished 3-year career in the New York Mets minor league system (netting one selection to

4368-511: The 2001 season for family reasons. In 13 years at LBSU, Snow compiled a record 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 1998 - he 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

4480-463: The 2021 season, while still operating under pandemic -related restrictions, the Big West announced more restrictive limits on out-of-conference competition. As a result, nearly all of the Dirtbags' out of conference slate was eliminated, the lone exception being a three-game road series in April against fellow California school Pacific . Despite not having any fall practice and being one of he last teams in

4592-417: The 49ers posted significantly improved records of 17–4 and 18–6, respectively. They were paced by utility man Carl Evans, who would later become Long Beach State's first All-Conference player (after the school's admission to the CCAA ). In 1957 Long Beach State was admitted into the NCAA 's College Division (now Division II ) after three years of competition as an independent. McConnell remained as head of

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4704-465: The 49ers to the NCAA tournament . At season end, Gonsalves received 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 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

4816-523: 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, and the Dirtbags played their way to a 5–3 lead going into

4928-491: The Big West for the first time in 22 years. Also of note, the Dirtbags lost each of their 7 meetings with the arch-rival Titans over that two-year 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

5040-409: The Big West, the Dirtbags began the 2019 season with a 5–26 Start, and Buckley was relieved of his coaching job. Assistant coach Greg Bergeron was named interim head coach following his firing. The team finished the season with a 14–41 overall record, the worst winning percentage since 1988, the year before Dave Snow was hired as head coach. On June 9, 2019, LBSU athletic director Andy Fee announced

5152-459: 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

5264-498: The Dirtbags finished the regular season with a 37–17–1 record, including a dominant 20–4 campaign in the Big West that netted the program's first conference title since 2008 and earned Buckley the honor of being named Big West coach of the year. The Dirtbags also compiled a 5–1 regular season record against arch rival Fullerton , and were recognized with a top 10 ranking in all major polls. Long Beach went on to host their first NCAA regional since 2008, and after an early loss to Texas

5376-528: The Dirtbags won 3 consecutive games out of the loser's bracket and advance to the Super Regional. There they faced none other than the Fullerton Titans , marking the first time in history that the heated rivals had played each other with a trip to the College World Series on the line. The Titans ultimately eliminated the Dirtbags on their home turf in the third and final game of the series. At season end

5488-532: The Dirtbags' program as an assistant 2001, Dave Snow's final year as head coach. During his seven years as pitching coach he tutored seven future Major Leaguers including Abe Alvarez , Jason Vargas and 2004 National Player of the Year Jered Weaver . Buckley then spend two seasons serving as pitching coordinator for the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system, before returning to LBSU in 2010 to take

5600-487: The Dirtbags' record stood at 42–20–1, marking the most wins by the program in 20 years, since the 1998 team that reached the College World Series semifinal. 2017 also saw LBSU's largest draft class since the MLB draft was reduced in 2012, with 8 dirtbags drafted, headed by first team All-American catcher David Banuelos and second team All-American pitcher Darren McCaughan. After missing the postseason in 2018 by finishing 5th in

5712-530: The ES&;P Club supported the installation of waterless urinals in the university's men's restrooms. The ES&P Club hosts an annual Earth Week celebration each April, including documentary screenings, discussions, and speaker series. In addition, there has been a push in recent years to revive the organic gardens on campus, culminating in 2015 with the launch of the Grow Beach University Gardens,

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5824-481: The Fall 2023 cohort, the school received over 10,733 applications, while 3,270 applicants were granted admission. The admit yield was 56%. The 2021 edition of Washington Monthly' s College Guide and Rankings list CSULB as the No. 2 Master's-level university in the nation. In 2021, The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranked CSULB 8th in the nation for Campus Diversity. The category ranking, called "environment" by

5936-683: The Garden features a large pond populated with koi . The campus is built on the ancient Tongva village and burial site known as Puvungna ("the place of the gathering" or "in the ball"), which is a sacred site for the Tongva and Acjachemen . In 1974, the now twenty-two acre site was added to the National Register of Historic Places after the site was uncovered in the development of the nearby Japanese Garden . From 1992 to 1995, CSULB attempted to challenge this designation in order to commercially develop

6048-439: The LBSU alumni base about his lack of roots in the program, he also remarked, "I'm not an alum, I get it. I do. But if you're talking about any one person that didn't go to Long Beach State that you could call a Dirtbag, you're talking about me." Valenzuela's first season at Long Beach State ended up being the pandemic -shortened 2020 season . The season began promisingly, with the Dirtbags winning all four weekend series to begin

6160-693: The Mojave Desert environment. It is operated by the California Desert Studies Consortium, a consortium of 7 CSU campuses: Fullerton , Cal Poly Pomona , Long Beach , San Bernardino , Northridge , Dominguez Hills and Los Angeles . CSULB comprises three Liberal Arts colleges: and five vocational colleges: Together, the colleges offer a total of 81 baccalaureate degrees, 67 master's degrees, 16 education-related credential programs, and three doctoral degrees (two joint and one independent). California State University, Long Beach

6272-508: 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 (behind Cal State Fullerton , who would go on to win their first national championship that year). They were paced by the team's first ever All-American selection, center fielder Rob Townley. Unfortunately, Gonsalves would never again coach

6384-422: The baseball program for three more years, accumulating a 48–42 cumulative record in NCAA play and finishing between 3rd and 5th in the conference each year. After the 1959 season McConnell stepped down as coach of the Long Beach State baseball team, however he stayed on as a staff member in the P.E. department for nearly 30 more years. When asked later which accomplishment he was most proud of during his time with

6496-425: The baseball program, he responded it was that 50 of the 57 baseball players he coached graduated. 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. Led by the team's first future Major Leaguer in pitcher Dick Nen , the 1960 team finished the season with a promising 20–14 overall record and

6608-447: The beginning of conference play, and by the last weekend of April they sat near the bottom of the conference with an overall record of 15–24. But over the last month of the season, the Dirtbags won 14 of their final 17 games and salvaged a 4th-place finish in the conference. At season end, the team ranked 7th in the country in ERA and 247th (out of 293 Division 1 teams) in runs scored per game. In

6720-636: The bottom of the ninth inning. But the Tigers used their final at-bats to mount a 3-run rally, eliminating the Dirtbags in dramatic fashion. The Tigers went on to dominate the National Championship Game, beating Wichita State 8–0 for their second national title. Long Beach State reached the College World Series again in 1998, led by an offense that has been recognized as "the best offensive power in program history." Lefty Mike Gallo turned in

6832-583: The campus newspaper was published on November 11, 1949 as "The Forty-Niner." The newspaper was renamed on September 3, 1975, as the Daily Forty-Niner , and then rebranded to Long Beach Current on August 19, 2024. It publishes Monday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and once weekly during the summer sessions. It was one of the first college newspapers in the country to have an Internet edition, starting in August 1994. 22 West Magazine , which

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6944-451: The campus numerous design awards, as well as other awards from gardening societies. Recent construction maintains the characteristic glass-and-brick style. The integration of landscaping and architecture is apparent at the school's theater complex, where a dense grove of ficus trees is planted in such a way that it forms a continuation of the pillar-supported canopy at the theater's entrance. The university's registration offices are located in

7056-509: The challenge of sustainability, with the support of its student government, student body, and organizations, such as the Environmental Science & Policy Club. The Environmental Science & Policy Club (ES&P Club) has brought support to environmental awareness and sustainability through club activities, such as coastal clean-ups, hikes, plant-restoration project, tabling, conferences, guest speakers, & Kaleidoscope. In 2006,

7168-416: The city of Long Beach . In 1954, then 5-year old Long Beach State College asked newly hired P.E. professor John McConnell (a former cross country runner also serving as the school's associate basketball coach) to be the first head coach of the new baseball team. Helming a program with only 14 players on the roster, no athletic scholarships, and a shoestring budget, the team was forced to hold practices on

7280-464: 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. At the beginning of LBSU's time in Division 1 , and for much of Gonsalves's time as head coach, the baseball program was afforded only 2 scholarships per year, significantly less than the NCAA maximum of 13. In addition, chronic underfunding of

7392-608: The country to resume practice in the Spring, the Dirtbags finished third in the conference with an overall record of 28–15, winning 16 of their final 19 contests. During the offseason, Valenzuela was awarded a contract extension though the 2026 season. The Dirtbags' 2022 season was marked by alternating streaks of brilliance and disappointment. The team opened the season with two convincing victories over then No. 3 Mississippi St ), then promptly lost each of their next 6 games, then won 10 of their next 12. The team slumped again just in time for

7504-570: The early 2000s, the magazine transformed to DIG Magazine as a music magazine before transitioning to a general art & culture magazine. Today, the magazine features interesting people and groups within the community, and discusses topics that concern students' interests. The California State University Long Beach Foundation owns the KKJZ non-commercial broadcast license of 88.1 FM, a jazz and blues radio station. Global Jazz, Inc., an affiliate of Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters, Inc. , programs and manages

7616-430: The final game of the season. They were awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons, where they were eliminated in the regional final after losing two dramatic matches with #8 ranked regional host Miami . 2017 turned out to be the team's finest season under Buckley. On the backs of a pitching squad that ranked 8th in the nation in ERA and an offense that ranked 184th in runs scored,

7728-400: The first LBSU head coach since Dave Snow (and only the second in over 60 years) to have no prior playing or coaching experience at Long Beach State. But at his opening press conference, Valenzuela spoke highly of the Dirtbag spirit: "Everyone can play, we can go sign a ton of guys who can play. What separates kids for me is that mentality, that fight." Later, in regards to perceived concern among

7840-408: The first of a seven-year run for the team, where from 2002 to 2008 the Dirtbags never finished worse than second in the conference and only once ended with fewer than 37 wins. Six of those 7 seasons also saw the Dirtbags earn a berth in the NCAA tournament. A notable hallmark Weathers' tenure was the amount of Major League talent produced at Long Beach State. Because of the limited budget afforded to

7952-432: The first year under head coach Dave Snow . Inheriting a program that was mired in an extended stretch of sub-par seasons, Snow began his tenure (partly by necessity) by focusing his recruiting efforts on prospects who had been overlooked by higher-profile programs, with an emphasis on finding "hard-nosed guys with something to prove." Over the course of the season, infield coach Dave Malpass would routinely take his players to

8064-491: The highest-drafted player in school history (3rd overall), which 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 ). Perhaps 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

8176-499: The hiring of Dave Snow as head coach. The Dirtbags established themselves as one of the strongest teams on the West Coast . From 2010 to present day, more active Major League professional ballplayers are alumni of Long Beach State than any other school. Since 1993 the Dirtbags have played their home games exclusively at Blair Field , a semi-professional baseball facility located less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from campus and owned by

8288-486: The hiring of St. Mary's Eric Valenzuela as head coach. In his six seasons as head coach of the Gaels , Valenzuela took a program that had only two winnings seasons in its history prior to his arrival and produced four consecutive 30-win seasons from 2016 to 2019, along with its first ever postseason appearances in 2016 and 2017. A former player at Arizona State and later Pepperdine (from where he graduated), Valenzuela became

8400-636: The last 5 years, two fraternities have been removed for various instances of sexual assault and misconduct, specifically Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Chi . The latter's expulsion was not made known to the university community, causing controversy within the student body. CSULB provides housing to accommodate 3,000 students: Long Beach State competes in NCAA Division I in 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. The university

8512-438: 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 coaching experience to maintain the level of success that Snow had established before him. In Weathers's 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

8624-517: 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. On June 1, 2010, 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

8736-473: The national title game. 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 , where Snow had previously spent 7 years as an assistant under Augie Garrido and had declined an offer to return as head coach in 1987 (during Snow's time at LMU ). The two Cal States proceeded to dominate Southern California baseball: during Snow's 13-year tenure,

8848-428: The next three years, including an abysmal 6–25–1 record in 1963. This lack of production led to Clegg's resignation following the 1963 season. True success came when the program handed the reins to former freshman junior varsity coach, and assistant basketball 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

8960-629: The notable alumni: Long Beach State California State University, Long Beach ( CSULB ), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University ( LBSU ), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California . The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the California State University system (CSU). The university enrolls around 35,843 undergraduate students and 5,346 graduate students as of fall 2024. [1] The graduate programs include master's degrees, credentials, post-baccalaureate certificates, and doctoral programs. CSULB

9072-510: The off-season, when LBSU lost 11 players to the 2008 draft , making it the largest draft class in school history and one that featured several star contributors, 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

9184-428: The official athletic program brand name in the 2020–21 school year. One can see the cheer "Go Beach!" written on many CSULB products around campus and on the large water tower near the entrance to the campus. The school colors have been black and gold since 2000, when they were changed by a student referendum (after George Allen changed the football uniform colors) from the original brown and gold. Long Beach State

9296-485: The offseason, athletic director Andy Fee announced he would be leaving to take the same position at the Washington Huskies . 2023 saw the Dirtbags' highest win total under Valenzuela, as they posted a 33–22 overall record. Their 17–13 mark in conference play was identical to the previous season's, but this time netted only a 7th-place finish in the Big West . Three weeks after the close of the season, Valenzuela made

9408-414: The only LBSU coach to be named NCAA Coach of the Year (1989). 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 College in the late 1960s, had previously served as head coach at Utah and Chapman College before spending

9520-440: The open courtyard of Brotman Hall, which is "roofed" by a similar jungle-like canopy. The Psychology building is also notable for its soaring, airy courtyard planted with tall Eucalyptus trees. The University Student Union (USU) building is located at the center of campus. The three-story glass building occupies roughly 180,000 square feet (17,000 m ), housing numerous offices, and offering more casual attractions, including

9632-436: The position of associate head coach under Mike Weathers . Following 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

9744-443: The program forced Gonsalves to split time between his coaching responsibilities and fund raising in order to meet his team's basic operating requirements. However, in his first year, despite the team's relatively uninspiring 29–23 overall record, Gonsalves led the team to an 11–4 record in conference play. This was enough to capture the first ever conference title of the newly formed Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), which sent

9856-479: The program's first conference championship and first entry into the NCAA National Tournament 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

9968-414: 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. The young 49ers posted a modest 3–13 record for the 1954 season. From 1955 to 1956, still hampered by a limited roster and forced to employ a 3-man pitching rotation,

10080-525: The publication, assessed the percentage of Pell Grant recipients, the racial and ethnic diversity of students and faculty, and the proportion of students who come from outside the United States. 2022–2023 USNWR Rankings The university has three student publications: the Long Beach Current (until 2024 known as the Daily Forty-Niner ), 22 West Magazine (formerly The Long Beach Union Newspaper ) and DIG Magazine. The first issue of

10192-428: The radio station. In 2015, Global Jazz moved the station thirty miles from Long Beach to West Los Angeles. While KKJZ began as a radio station exclusively playing Jazz and Blues music it has recently expanded its playlist to include Rhythm and Blues artists. 22 West Radio is a free format, student run internet radio station at CSU, Long Beach. It is also an HD Radio station via 88.1 HD3 as of 2013 . The radio station

10304-408: 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

10416-453: The same award at LMU , making him the first repeat winner of the prestigious award). The team suffered a regression in 1990, slipping to 4th in the conference and missing the postseason. But the following year Snow led the '91 team to a 46–19 record – good for a 2nd-place finish in the conference and an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament . The team again won their regional and advanced to their second College World Series , this time reaching

10528-438: The scholarship. For applicants for fall 2010, National Achievement Program Semifinalists/Finalists and National Hispanic Recognition scholars were also considered. In August 2020, CSULB unveiled its new shark mascot, Elbee, following a 2019 student-led process that selected the shark as Beach's new mascot. While Elbee is a shark, the university's Division I intercollegiate athletics program remains "Beach Athletics". As of 2022,

10640-532: The school changed its name to California State College at Long Beach . In 1967, the California state legislature revamped the state college system. As part of these changes, the university was renamed California State College, Long Beach in 1968 and became closely integrated into the California State College system. In 1965, CSULB hosted the first International Sculpture Symposium to be held both at

10752-412: The school to university status in 1972, along with 12 other state college campuses, based on total enrollment, size of graduate programs, complexity and diversity of majors and number of doctorates held by faculty at each college. The school subsequently became California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Later that year, the campus opened the largest library facility in the then 19-campus CSU system:

10864-430: The season (including vs then No. 17 Wake Forest and then No. 6 Mississippi St ). On March 9, the Dirtbags' season record stood at 10-5 and they were ranked in all major polls, including a No. 12 ranking by Baseball America . On March 12, with LBSU already en route to No. 29 Tulane for their first away series of the season, the Big West announced the indefinite suspension of all spring competition. Later that same day,

10976-506: The season allowed the Mustangs to finish 2nd in the Big West ahead of Long Beach.) After another middling season in 2013, the Dirtbags broke their 7-year postseason drought in 2014 by posting a 32–24 record and finishing 2nd in the Big West behind Cal Poly , good for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament . Long Beach reached the final of the Gainesville regional before being eliminated by

11088-511: The seating elements 45 degrees into the air, creating room for five volleyball courts or three basketball courts. The Pyramid is home to the Southern California Summer Pro League , a noted showcase for current and prospective NBA basketball players. The University Art Museum's permanent collection contains primarily abstract expressionist paintings, works on paper, and an outdoor sculpture garden that began in 1966. The UAM

11200-403: The second round before being eliminated. From 1992–'94 the Dirtbags won three consecutive Big West titles and reaching the College World Series yet again in '93, for their third CWS berth in five years. 1993 was arguably the Dirtbags' finest season, as the Dirtbags advanced farther in a postseason than ever before or since: 3 outs from a berth in the National Championship Game. After capturing

11312-418: The site into a strip mall and student housing. The Tongva people filed a lawsuit and initiated a protest, which involved physically occupying the land day and night to stave off bulldozers even while threatened with arrest by campus officials. In 2019, the university dumped dirt and debris onto the site and drove heavy equipment over the ground in the construction of a new student housing development. This

11424-486: The state-funded school, the Dirtbags staff was often forced 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's junior season in 2004 became the most decorated for a player in school history, netting him his second consecutive first team All-America selection while also winning (among other honors)

11536-496: The surprise announcement that he would be leaving Long Beach State to return to St. Mary's to take over the newly vacant head coaching position. At the same time, Associate Head Coach Bryan Peters was announced as the Interim Head Coach. Valenzuela later suggested that Long Beach's prolonged absence of a permanent athletic director played a role in his decision. Although the baseball team – like all other LBSU sports teams –

11648-517: The team performed well in conference play, winning all but 2 of their head-to-head series. In fact, heading into the final weekend of the season, the Dirtbags found themselves only 1 game behind Fullerton , with the final 3-game series between the two rivals once again set to determine the Big West title. Fullerton ended up winning two of the three games, clinching the Titans' 3rd straight conference championship. ( Cal Poly 's 7-game winning streak to close

11760-425: 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 adopted as something to be proud of, referring to the team's scrappy playing style (which left the aggressive players' white uniforms covered in dirt – a "dirtbag") and success against higher profile programs. The term first appeared in 1989,

11872-419: The two teams more often than not decided the conference championship. From 2002 to 2008, the two rivals combined to win 6 more Big West titles (1 shared). In the 20 seasons from 1989 to 2008, 17 ended with either the Dirtbags or the Titans being crowned Big West champions. Immediately after capturing the 2008 Big West title, the Dirtbags saw the conference power balance tip decidedly against them. It started in

11984-437: The underdog fourth seed Charleston . On March 1, 2015, freshman starter Chris Matthewson and freshman reliever Darren McCaughan combined for the first no-hitter in program history against Wichita State . The Dirtbags finished the season at 28–26 and placed 6th in the Big West . In 2016 the Dirtbags finished the regular season with a strong 36–20 record, barely missing the Big West championship after losing to Fullerton in

12096-492: The university was classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" in recognition of the university's evolution from a master's-level comprehensive institution to one that awards doctorates and conducts a significant amount of research. The campus spans 323 acres (131 ha) across 84 buildings, and is located 3 miles (5 km) from the Pacific Ocean. It has its own U.S. Postal ZIP Code , 90840. CSULB

12208-421: Was its first president. It offered 25 courses, taught by 13 faculty members, in two apartment buildings at 5381 Anaheim Road in Long Beach . In June 1950, the a $ 1 million, 322 acres (130 ha) plot of land was purchased as a permanent campus for the renamed Long Beach State College , following an "overwhelming" vote from the city's population. Student enrollment subsequently grew rapidly. Carl W. McIntosh

12320-559: Was named the college's second president in 1959. While McIntosh was president, the school's enrollment surged from about 10,000 to over 30,000, and he rapidly expanded and revamped the curriculum. McIntosh tripled the number of faculty and constructed 30 new campus buildings. Although the 1960s were a period of deep unrest on American college campuses, McIntosh's collegial governing style, gentle public demeanor, and willingness to permit peaceful protest on campus helped preserve Long Beach State College relatively serene social climate. In 1964,

12432-568: Was received negatively by the Tongva and Acjachemen , who organized in an attempt to preserve the site from future damage. The site remains a natural area with a few trees. The university, in its push to support climate sustainability, installed solar panels on the Brotman Hall building and the Facilities Management canopy parking in 2007. The university has been taking steps in addressing

12544-637: Was the first accredited museum in the CSU system . In addition, the museum's Gordon F. Hampton collection is housed at the Downtown Los Angeles law offices of Sheppard Mullin. The campus is also home to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center , a 1,074-seat theater named after CSULB alumni Richard and Karen Carpenter . The Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is an artistic retreat of solitude and beauty. Among its many picturesque attractions,

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