{"id":2078,"date":"2010-02-19T06:48:00","date_gmt":"2010-02-19T06:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/sports\/preview-newest-dirtbag-magallon-a-perfect-fit-for-lbsu\/"},"modified":"2010-02-19T06:48:00","modified_gmt":"2010-02-19T06:48:00","slug":"preview-newest-dirtbag-magallon-a-perfect-fit-for-lbsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/preview-newest-dirtbag-magallon-a-perfect-fit-for-lbsu","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW: Newest Dirtbag Magallon A Perfect Fit For LBSU"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Pitching will be of ‘Paramount’ importance as Long Beach State starts the 2010 baseball season this weekend.  <\/span>The Dirtbags will host Pepperdine and Oregon on Friday and Saturday before heading to Fullerton on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

After a year that saw the Long Beach State pitching staff struggle with a 25-29 record and a 5.18 ERA, help is on the way.  <\/span>Paramount graduate Eddie Magallon certainly isn’t a savior, nor will he blow you away with his stuff.  <\/span>But the freshman right-hander is a flat out winner and someone that never backs down.  <\/span>A perfect Dirtbag.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Magallon went 25-5 with less than a 2.00 ERA in his three years at Paramount, which included being part of three San Gabriel Valley League championships.  <\/span>He was the SGVL MVP his sophomore year and struck out over 100 batters in 100 innings with the Pirates.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The 6-foot, 175-pound freshman comes with a proud record of exceeding expectations and was the only two-time member of last year’s Press Telegram Dream Team.  <\/span>One of his best qualities is his perseverance in the face of adversity, both on and off the field.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Just before the beginning of his junior season, Magallon’s mother and best friend, Maria, 43, passed away and his world was turned upside down.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He took a little time off, but after regrouping with his family, teammates, friends and coaches, the Paramount star came back and led the Pirates to a CIF run, which included out-pitching Laguna Hills ace Jeff Rauh, who was 14-0 heading into their match up with Paramount at Blair Field in the second round of the playoffs.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Magallon’s father, Jesus, and brothers, Jesus, Jr., 26, and 18-year old Ozzie have forged an unbreakable bond and have tried to move forward in both Maria’s memory, but also Eddie’s sister, Angie’s, who passed away at 23 just a year before their mother had.  <\/span>Mr. Magallon works to support his three sons and is their hero, because of his work ethic, love and support.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

And to be able to stay home and play in front of his family and friends, and to have his school paid for, is like hitting the lottery for the Magallon family.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

“It means the world to me to be able to stay close to home and so that I don’t burden my dad financially,” Eddie Magallon said. “He and my mom gave me everything and I couldn’t be more happy to play locally for a great school and so that my friends and family can come and see me.”<\/o:p><\/p>\n

One of this writer’s favorite moments was two years ago, when as a junior Magallon and the Pirates were trying to finish an undefeated SGVL schedule and were leading Gahr midway through the game.  <\/span>Magallon gave up a three-run blast and Paramount coach Cameron Chinn came out to the mound to calm his star down.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Without saying anything back, Magallon gave Chinn the answered he needed.  <\/span>“I went out to make sure he was calm and everything was good and Eddie looked at me like ‘coach, I’ve got this.'”<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Magallon went out and struck out seven of the next 12 batters to close out the Gladiators and the SGVL title.  <\/span>He and his teammates went 41-4 in SGVL play over his three-year varsity career at Paramount.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Chinn has seen Magallon grow tremendously over the three years at Paramount.  <\/span>The way Magallon dealt with adversity in his personal life and on a baseball diamond has been something that Chinn, one of the area’s most respected coaches, is most proud of.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

“I remember after his mom passed away, we didn’t know what to expect if he’d be back, and after a few days, he came back and after grieving with Eddie and his family, he showed us what a true champion is and led us to where we wanted to go,” Chinn said. “I think I’ll be much more nervous in the stands at Blair Field than I did watching him from the dugout, because I want so badly for him to succeed.”<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Magallon has use of four and sometimes five pitches and is never afraid to throw any of them at any time.  <\/span>It\u2019s something that has caught even his newest teammates’ attention.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

“I\u2019m in awe of how Eddie just goes out there and isn’t afraid or tentative in going after anything or anyone, despite not throwing gas or being overly intimidating,” former Lakewood star and teammate Matt Duffy said. “He has a nasty change up and his competitive nature is something that rivals any player I’ve played with or against.  <\/span>I’m really glad to have gotten to know him.”<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Magallon knows he’s not going to be the big man on campus right now, but he’s more than happy to just be a part of such a rich tradition in Long Beach.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

“I’ve always had a lot of respect for Long Beach State baseball and I want to do anything and everything I can to help us get to the next level,” Magallon said. “I am not going to go out and blow anyone away, but I will battle anyone that coach decides he wants me to face and I will never be outworked, and I will accept whatever role they want me to play.”<\/o:p><\/p>\n

It’s that attitude that has Magallon so popular with his current teammates, former teammates and yes, with the ladies as well.  <\/span>Magallon’s growth at the collegiate level will be measured slowly, but his heart, work ethic and determination are on par with the nation’s elite.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In time, when they get to know him, all Long Beach State baseball fans will grow to love Eddie Magallon, because this young man is a champion on and off the diamond.  <\/span>Through the worst of times, his heart and competitive streak shine brightest, and it’s been something that even his rivals admire.  <\/span>SGVL coaches Jess Gonzalez (Downey) and Gerardo Perez (Gahr) both said before playing the Pirates that “anytime Eddie has the ball in his hands, Paramount is the team to beat.”<\/o:p><\/p>\n

As we watch this freshman and this team move forward, we know one thing is for certain.  <\/span>His mother Maria and sister Angie are looking down on Eddie from heaven with a huge smile, because he’s made them both incredibly proud.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paramount graduate Eddie Magallon is the newest Long Beach State pitcher, and there’s good reason for Dirtbag Nation to be excited to see him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":16910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-2078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2078"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=2078"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}