For Tucker’s sit-down with Mike Weathers to discuss the upcoming season, click here!

In a column at the end of last season, I wrote that the Dirtbags had become victims of their own success.

Years of winning, spurred on by great players had finally caught up to them and they couldn’t withstand losing 11 players from the 2008 squad as last season was the first in the twenty years of Dirtbag baseball that the “Boys of Blair” finished with a losing record.

This is not atypical. The University of North Carolina men’s basketball team won the NCAA national championship in April and will miss this year’s tournament. They lost their best players to the draft and you can only re-tool so many times before the youth, inexperience and drop in talent catches up to you.

But there were other problems to mention, too. Competition in the area and in the Big West conference continues to improve. That hasn’t changed and Long Beach State is not shying away from it. In addition to their 25 games against conference opponents the Dirtbags will play 17 games against the Pac-10 including three apiece with perennial power Stanford and recent two-time College World Series champs Oregon State.

The other issue was money. While the financial problems in Sacramento continue to plague the CSU system, the Dirtbags did take a major step forward when they took over operations at Blair Field from the city of Long Beach.

 The dilapidated on-campus practice facilities are now a thing of the past and the team can now call historic Blair Field its permanent home. This is a huge boost for recruiting purposes and will also allow the school and the team to make some much needed changes.

Just walking around the stadium yesterday there was a little more black and gold than before and LBSU will continue to put their own touches on a fabulous home.

The struggles of last year’s team were apparent when it came time for the MLB draft. The Dirtbags lost ace Adam Wilk and closer Charlie Ruiz but none of the eligible players on the offensive side were selected, although Taylor Krick did sign as an undrafted free agent.

Even with the loss of Krick, LBSU brings back every other key contributor on offense from a year ago. Stung by the bitter taste of last season and motivated to play at the next level the core of the hitters has a lot to play for in 2010.

Seniors Steve Tinoco (.343 batting average) and TJ Mittelstaedt (.316 BA, 46 RBI’s) are back. Juniors Jordan Casas (.308 BA, 22 steals), Jonathan Jones (.307 BA, 40 runs) and Devin Lohman (.307 BA, 61 hits) are all going to be grinding it out too. Second-year Dirtbag Kellen Hoime will be back behind the plate where he really emerged last season and a promising group of sophomores like Derek Legg and Brennan Metzger continue to improve.

Transfer Joey Terdoslavich has generated a lot of buzz. The switch-hitter can drive the ball from both sides of the plate and the Dirtbags are eager to see him in action after he had to sit out a year after leaving the University of Miami (Florida). 

Jake Thompson and Drew Gagnon are back in the starter’s role for a team that really struggled on the mound last year. The return of pitching coach Troy Buckley from a stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates should pay huge dividends. Buckley’s staffs were among the best in the country before he departed the Beach and he has some good talent to work with.

Junior college transfer (Santa Ana) Branden Pinder will push the incumbents for potential early weekend starts and coach Mike Weathers hopes freshman Eddie Magallon could be his Tuesday starter. 

With such a tough schedule, Weathers has been emphasizing the importance of those mid-week games to his team’s record and momentum headed from one series into the next so to have a quality fourth starter instead of going with the “staff” game where a litany of middle relievers see the mound would be a huge advantage.

It was a good off-season for the Dirtbags when you consider my three main concerns following last season’s swoon. They avoided the dreaded draft-day massacre, and the school took over Blair Field’s operations which will pave the way for some improvements while also giving the team a permanent home. Both of those components strengthen the team’s chances as they face such a difficult schedule.

There is still a lack of money and in tough times making the students pay extra fees is no easy sell so controlling Blair Field is a great way to keep the Dirtbags relevant in Southern California without breaking the bank. 

Weathers acknowledges how arduous the schedule is and how his team’s won’t win as many games as they used to. But with speed, good hitting and better pitching this team should once again be up to the task. 

It’s too early to answer the question I posed at the end of last year: “Is this a fluke year or a sign of longer, calculated swoon?” But the pieces are in place for the Dirtbags to recapture success in 2010.

For more on LBSU baseball, check out Tucker Savoye’s “Dirtbag Baseball” blog. And make sure you come back to LBPOSTsports.com tomorrow for a season opening feature and video.