3:23pm |Former Long Beach State closer Bryan Shaw was called up today by the Arizona Diamondbacks, becoming the 13th former Dirtbag in Major League Baseball for the 2011 season and the 40th Long Beach State player to join the professional ranks.
  

Shaw joins the bullpen for the Diamondbacks after starting the season in AA and converting seven saves before joining the AAA Reno Aces, where he had three saves in eight appearances. Combined this season, Shaw has a 2.37 ERA in 30.1 innings pitched.

 

Shaw spent three years as the Long Beach State closer after joining the team as a freshman in 2006. Shaw made four saves in 22 appearances that first year, and then posted a 6-2 record with a 2.39 ERA and a 6-2 overall record with 11 saves to help take the Dirtbags to a No. 1 postseason seed and a regional hosting appearance.

 

He matched those accomplishments in his final season with Long Beach State, helping the Dirtbags to host another regional in 2008. Shaw posted a career-best 1.84 ERA over 27 appearances, making eight saves over 29.1 innings. He finished his career at Long Beach State with 23 saves, fourth all-time in the LBSU career listings. His 2.20 career ERA was the second-best for any player with 100 innings pitched in his career.

 

Drafted in the second round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Shaw was one of a school-record 11 players selected in the 2008 MLB draft. He becomes the third player from that class to reach the major leagues, joining Washington second baseman Danny Espinosa and Philadelphia pitcher Vance Worley in the bigs.

 

Along with Adam Wilk, Shaw is the second former Dirtbag to reach the majors for the first time in 2011. The Dirtbags have now had 13 former players in Major League Baseball in 2011, the most of any collegiate program.