Religious leader Harold Camping, founder and president of broadcasting network Family Stations, Inc., has publicly announced the end of the world will take place on Saturday, May 21, 2011. Rev. Camping claims to have developed a mathematical system of studying the Bible which allowed him to learn when the end will come.

Sportswriters, of course, love to do their own predicting, using a system of statistics, personal observations, and stuff that other sports writers have conjured up after prayer sessions with what ESPN’s Neil Everett favors in his home run catch phrase “Bartender, Jack!” (translated: pour me some Jack Daniels). So assuming the world does not end on Saturday, let’s you and I go ahead and make some predictions.

The never-say-die Dirtbags got to level at 25-25 Wednesday night with a four-run sixth inning and another Brandon Pinder save en route to a 4-3 win and a series sweep of Pepperdine. Jeff Yamaguchi drove in two runs with an opposite field single and Pinder and the pen made it hold up. Northridge, last in the Big West, is next for the ‘Niners–Friday at 6:30pm, Saturday at 2:00pm and Sunday at 1:00pm.

As you should know, I am no novice to the forecasting business. Last weekend, like the weather guy on TV, I said that there was a way for a sunny first place report from the Big West on the softball prospects of the Beach winning the conference title and automatic bid. We used the idea that Pacific had to play “contentious” Cal Poly and selected that word for more than paying homage to our lifelong love of alliteration. “Contentious” sort of means to contend and on Friday UOP had to contend with SLO for three extra innings. Alas UOP (32-19) got two out of three and the BWC hardware. The Beach beauties (37-16) also won two of three. They enter the postseason as an at-large entry but their excellent pedigree and RPI got them a not-so-awful first round contest against San Diego State who they face in ESPNU’s featured game Saturday at 2:30pm in Tempe.

Long Beach State holds a 48-21 advantage in the all-time series with the Aztecs. The 49ers last beat SDSU in 2009.  The 49ers are 11-16 against host Arizona State and 0-1 against North Dakota State, the other two teams in the Tempe Regional. Long Beach State will be making its 20th appearance in an NCAA Regional Tournament, and the third in the Kim Sowder era. The 49ers last appearance came at the Los Angeles Regional at UCLA where LBSU finished 1-2. The 49ers last won a regional tournament in 1993 when they finished 3-1 at the California Regional and advanced to the College World Series with a 2-1 win over the Golden Bears. LBSU is 23-32 all-time in NCAA Regional Tournaments.

NOTES ON MY NAPKIN—The baseball team got fairly well throttled by the Up-Titans last weekend behind the Orange Curtain (their booster news editor Don Hudson produced a very nice story on the Dust and he actually enjoys the jabs I send their way.)… This weekend should be like moving from a nuclear reactor to a toaster oven, at least in the level of pressure you expect from a first place team like Fullerton and a last place team like Northridge.

The Friday action could very well be the last start at home for junior right-hander Andrew Gagnon, who is projected to be an early round MLB draft pick. Others expected to sign pro contracts next month are shortstop Kirk Singer, with the size and quickness the pros love (and the prospect of seeing more fastballs in show), Brennan Metzger, great glove and wheels, and Brandon Pinder, experienced and finding his groove again. Saturday will feature a genuine first round selection, as Angels pitcher Jered Weaver makes his return to Blair Field on “Weaver Day.” The 2011 AL All-Star will throw out the first pitch and the first 250 fans will get that free T-shirt. The weekend then concludes with senior day on Sunday, where the Dirtbags will honor their two seniors, Troy Watson and Matt Hibbert.

While Long Beach still has a tough series at Irvine left on the docket, they have a goal to win more than they have lost and the Matadors have a 21-29 overall record, are just 4-14 in Big West play, in last place and a chance to achieve that goal. The Matador bats have done well. Marty Bowen leads the way with a .320 average, just in front of outfielder Drew Muren who is hitting .310. CSUN swept the series between the teams in 2010 at Matador Field, getting an extra-inning win on Friday, before closing out the series with two more wins. Long Beach State holds the edge in the all-time series, leading the Matadors 65-56.

While his career loss totals continue to grow the reason the MLB cross checkers are in the house is that Mr. Gagnon still has one of the Big West’s lowest ERA’s at 2.83 (27 earned runs in 86.0 innings and a miserly .220 batting average allowed).

CLOSING NUMBERS—$646,000, as in the pay day for Paul Goydos at the Player’s Championship. Three years ago he donned that Dirtbag cap and lost by a slippery chip shot to Sergio Garcia. He loves that stadium course. And what’s next, Paul tweeted this to his posse: “Hit it great the last 3 days!! Playing Colonial next week, great course! Looking forward to another good week.”

We close with a trip to the newly augmented 49er trophy room. The Long Beach State men compiled 177.5 points to win the 2011 Big West Track & Field Championship Saturday at Anteater Stadium. The 49er women finished fourth overall with 98.5 points

Ben Woodruff claimed the men’s javelin title with a mark of 205-05, while Colin Dunbar added a seventh-place finish with a lifetime-best 181-05.

Dunbar, who won the hammer throw on Friday, also took top honors in the discus with a distance of 174-09. He became just the second Big West athlete to score in all four throwing events as he accounted for 28 of LBSU’s points. The only other individual to accomplish the feat was 49er coach Cory Loebl, who compiled 30 points in four events in 2003.

On the women’s side Katrina Graves-Johnson took home runner-up honors in the high jump, clearing a lifetime-best 5-10. Bonus good news, even if the Dirtbag baseball team stumbles at UCI next weekend Long Beach State now has enough points to win the annual Black and Blue competition with UC Irvine and that lifetime, or not, free appetizers from Duke’s of Huntington Beach.