Listen to Live Play-By-Play
May 26, 2006
Baseball:
LBCC opens state championship play Saturday at Noon vs. Sierra
A HISTORY OF CHAMPIONS
Long Beach City College makes its first state championship appearance in 20 years this weekend at John Euless Park in Fresno and looks to win the school’s first state title in 30 years.
LBCC returns to the state final four for the first time since 1986. Under then head coach Ken Gaylord, the Vikings compiled a 26-14 overall record and finished third at the tournament.
Long Beach last won a state championship in 1976. Current assistant coach Bob Myers led the Vikings to the title in just his first season as head coach with a 34-9 record.
Overall, the Vikings have won four state championships, which ranks fourth all-time in California history.
LBCC will be making its 12th appearance in the state final four.
VIKINGS PLAY-BY-PLAY ONLINE THIS WEEKEND
Live play-by-play of all LBCC’s games this weekend will be broadcast online at www.waldcast.net. Ronnie Wald, voice of Cal State Dominguez Hills athletics, will make the call. Fans can either go directly to waldcast.net, or click the link from the LBCC athletics site (http://athletics.lbcc.edu).
THE 2006 VIKINGS
Regardless of this weekend’s outcome, the 2006 Vikings will go down as one of the best squads in school history.
This year’s team is just one victory shy from tying the 1954 squad for the all-time school-record in wins. The 1954 state champion Vikings, under legendary head coach Joe Hicks, compiled a 39-6 overall record.
STREAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME
The Vikings take a season-best 11-game winning streak into this weekend’s action. Earlier in the year, LBCC had a nine-game win streak.
The season got off to a rocky start. LBCC lost two of its first three at the season-opening Bakersfield tournament and was 7-5 after its first 12 games.
Following its 6-4 loss to College of the Canyons on February 17, the Vikings went on its nine-game win streak and won 19 of its next 21. LBCC was nearly unbeatable at home this season, posting a 22-1 mark at Joe Hicks Memorial Field.
LBCC POSTSEASON HONORS
Long Beach head coach Casey Crook was named South Coast Conference Coach of the Year and sophomore Tommy Peale was named SCC Player of the Year following the Vikings conference championship regular season.
Overall, the Vikings captured 11 SCC postseason honors. Four were named first-team all-conference, three earned second team honors, and two were honorable mention selections.
Crook was named SCC Coach of the Year for the second time in his 13-year career. This season, he’s led the Vikings to its first conference title since 1996 with a 21-3 SCC record and LBCC’s first 30-win season since 1999.
Peale will make a case for state player of the year after leading California with a perfect 15-0 record on the mound this season. He was easily the SCC’s top player this season with a 1.20 ERA while also batting .348 with 27 RBI. Peale was a 2005 All-American and first-team All-SCC selection.
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