Daily 49er, April 9, 2018 by Beach Media

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH

VOL. LXVIX, ISSUE 66 | APRIL 9, 2018

Photos by Hunter Lee | Daily 49er

I think we have to be prepared to reach out to more audiences. I hope that the future brings us opportunities to renovate and really do some new building.”

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I learned a lot once I got here. I just never put any brain cells on Prospector Pete at all, or [the] 49ers. It wasn’t even, you know… I’m embarrassed to say I was just not awakened.”

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D49er

E xclusive Q: A:

Menʼs basketball head coach Dan Monson recently got his contract extended, what are your thoughts on that?

“I am satisfied. I delegate that decision making to the athletic director [Andy Fee]. The athletic director has the best understanding of who else is out there, what they [would] cost, what’s the state of the team now, and [while] I was listening to a podcast that Andy [Fee] does with sports writers JJ Fiddler and Mike Guardabascio, [Fiddler and Guardabascio] made the comment that when Andy Fee and Dan put out the [news of the contract], they acknowledged that we hadn’t met expectations for the past number of years. And Dan has agreed to a pretty significant salary reduction. There’s still incentives that he could earn, but if he doesn’t win then he doesn’t get the money. We hope he wins because that’s good too. I’m kind of looking at it from a little detached, not expert opinion... [and] I think that winning is very important, but an honest game is also. We have no violations, no NCAA concerns about the way we do business, our graduation rates are really high. So anybody that judges a coach just on wins, I think, is missing the point that these are student athletes.”

Q: A:

I kind of messed that up by trying to be funny about disaster and also talking about money, which wasn’t really the real reason [for changing commencement]...If I had to do it over again, I would have announced it sooner.”

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UP CLOSE w i t h

C o n o l e y

By Miranda Andrade-Ceja Editor in Chief

Whatʼs it like being the president of a university in this political climate?

“It’s multi-modal in a sense. I’m just horrified at the increase in hate crimes...I’ve been proud of our students for standing up. My current biggest worry that really makes my job not fun is [rescinding of] Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. And so we’re involved with many many other universities in any legal action we can take. So that part of the job has been hard, being that people who we have elected to represent everybody have ignored the plight of, in our case, hundreds of hundreds of students who are really good students. So that’s hard. We [also] get much more praise than we get criticism...I don’t forget the criticism but it wouldn’t be healthy for me to just think about that all the time. Sometimes it comes late at night. I got criticized last night for doing something and unfortunately I read the email like at 10:30 p.m., so that was bad. So I went to bed with it. But I try really to remember that this is a balance. I really love the job. Working with students and [working with] generally great faculty and great staff.”

Q: A:

Whatʼs your opinion on our mascot, the 49er? Do you prefer LBSU or CSULB?

“You know, I don’t care that much about 49ers, [and] there are so many 49ers, we could have attached that “49ers” to anything... but it just so happened we did to miners, and now that is an unfortunate truncation of history to have done that. There’s big teams, professional teams, that are the 49ers. It would be nice if we had a different name. And as a general move, in the CSU I understand, they try to get away from human mascots, generally. I don’t know who we would have...Some of the nice animals in the ocean are taken. The dolphin is taken. The otter is taken. I like otters, otters are cute. I was thinking next year we should have a big student referendum on names or mascots. Mascots, you know. You meet some of the local alums and they have a chant that they have ‘nothing could be finer than to be a forty-niner.’ They’re very attached to that. There is definitely a push and pull [on the current mascot]... [and] I prefer Long Beach State, just because I’m a New Yorker. Long Beach State, it’s easy.” But I get [the conflict], there’s feelings on both sides.”

FUNDING

President Conoley addresses budget deﬁcit The shortfall will be mitigated by increased enrollment and online class opportunities, some departments will face tenure track-hire slowdowns.

By Miranda Andrade-Ceja Editor in Chief

An $11 million Cal State Long Beach budget deficit may result in an increased availability of online classes, a delay in new renovation projects and a “strategic chilling” of the number of tenure-track

hires, according to President Jane Close Conoley. The university is developing ways to mitigate the shortage for the 2018-2019 school year. Conoley sat down with the Daily 49er Thursday, where she explained that the university had learned the severity of the budget shortfall last week from Provost

Brian Jersky and Chief Financial Officer Scott Apel. Originally, the university predicted a worst-case budget shortage of $7 to $8 million for the 2018-2019 school year if Gov. Jerry Brown allocated the $92.1 million to the Cal State University system after the May Revision. According to Conoley, the cur-

rent deficit is a combined result of Brown’s proposed funds to the Cal State system and a lower amount of revenue from tuition costs over the 2017-2018 school year. While no definite plan for hansee SHORTFALL, page 2

2 NEWS SHORTFALL

continued from page 1

dling the debt is in place, Conoley said the university is in the process of finding solutions to bridge the gap. Due to an excess of graduating students during the 2016-2017 school year, the school is missing $5 million in tuition-based revenue. While the number of graduating students was high, the university admitted its typical number of 8,200 students, leaving a deficiency in funds. “We can fix some of that,” Conoley said. “But we can’t fix it overnight...What we didn’t anticipate was 400 extra students graduating.” Conoley attributes this jump in graduation rates to the statewide Graduation Initiative, which intends to increase fouryear graduation rates among Cal State and University of California students. While the university predicted that graduation rates would rise from 16 percent to 19 or 20 percent, Cal State Long Beach saw a jump from 16 percent to 25 percent in the 2016-2017 school year. “It’s kind of good news, students were finding classes they needed to take to graduate,” Conoley said. “So they didn’t have to stay an extra semester if they didn’t want to.” As a result, the university intends to alter its targeted number of enrolled transfer and freshman students from 8,200 to 9,000 accepted applicants. Additionally, the university intends to slow down its tenure-track hiring for departments with lower enrollment in what Conoley called a strategic hiring “chill.” Conoley said this plan was strategic because all departments will not be equally impacted — for example, departments with a low professor-to-student ratio will still be considered for hires, as will departments that are considered promising studies in their

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fields by the university. “About 70-80 percent of our budget is in salaries, so when you want to do something about deficits you immediately turn to salaries,” Conoley said. “Because that’s where the money is residing.” Although Conoley did not elaborate on which departments would be affected by the hiring slow-down, she said new tenure-track hires for the 2018-2019 school year would not be affected. Additionally, the university is planning on expanding its online courses to increase funds, which Conoley said, is a relatively un-

Certainly the live music turned out to be such an important thing, that we said, ‘Well, then it’s not worth it...’ It’s not worth making people miserable.”

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Jane Close Conoley CSULB President tapped source of revenue. While the campus has a limited number of full-time spots for students trying to enroll, students engaging in online certificate courses are not included in the enrollment count. “My current best thinking is that through [the College of Continuing and Professional Education] we could increase our online offerings,” Conoley said. “I think that would be a way we can protect our state-side students from fees.” The last component of the university’s developing plan is to further delay new on-campus renovation projects, though in-progress construction and renovation will not be halted. According to Conoley, the general CSU system is awarded $15 million in “one-time money” for deferred maintenance. However, she explained that the university could really use somewhere

in the ballpark of “$100 million” to make all of the necessary renovations on campus. “Some of those buildings should be levelled, and we should build multiple story buildings [in their place]. We only have this much land, so we shouldn’t be building one-story things…” Conoley said. “[But] how much money do you put into a building that isn’t really worth it anymore?” The changes for the upcoming spring commencement, as reported by the Daily 49er, will also be helping the university with mitigating the budget gap. Conoley said the change in both venue and schedule of ceremonies for the 2017-2018 commencement is saving the university approximately $60,000 in overall costs, while $40,000$50,000 of that new revenue being provided by reduced shuttle services. The university would have saved $13,000 by cutting live music from the commencement ceremonies, but according to Conoley, backlash from the graduating students encouraged administration to seek other methods of trimming costs. “Certainly the live music turned out to be such an important thing, that we said, ‘Well, then it’s not worth it,’” Conoley said. “It’s not worth making people miserable.”

WAYS THE UNIVERSITY PLANS TO SAVE MONEY: • Adding more online classes with

College Continuing Professional Education • A slow-down in tenure track hires for certain departments • Delaying infrastructure projects on campus

SENATE

Starting a vision for 2030 Ongoing ﬁscal uncertainty pressures administrators to develop new plans to combat campus issues. By Lauren Martinez Staff Writer

The Academic Senate gathered Thursday for the first time in over a month to hear President Jane Close Conoley announce her new initiative “Beach 2030: Building our future on changing tides,” which is set to begin fall of 2018. The initiative aims to gather community input to plan for the future of the campus. The university plans to do this through conducting a series of workshops and by using an online platform called Foresight Engine for community residents. The end result is to create a framework focusing on mental health and poverty challenges for students, ways to combat dwindling funding in the Cal State University system, and work on increasing affordable housing options for Long Beach. According to the Beach 2030 FAQ, “unrelenting advances in technologies

— from machine learning to virtual and augmented reality and even bio-programming — require us to rethink not only what skills everyone will need...but also how they can best acquire them.”

My top goal is that all of us will exit from the process with an appreciation of how to be better at reading the signals that surround us, in terms of requirements for change.”

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Jane Close Conoley CSULB President During the announcement, Conoley stressed the importance of involving the Long Beach community in order for the program to be successful. “It will be a very broad, inclusive process — faculty, staff, students, alums [and] other stakeholders, Conoley said. “My top goal is that all of us will exit from the

process with an appreciation of how to be better at reading the signals that surround us, in terms of requirements for change.” Conoley explained that the university has paired with Institute for the Future, a nonprofit organization. Together with the institute, Cal State Long Beach plans to host multiple workshops and an online forum during the upcoming fall semester that are aimed at encouraging cooperation from the campus community. Academic senate chair Dan O’Connor explained that the online forum for Beach 2030 will grant accessibility to anyone who wishes to contribute their thoughts and opinions, but that the resource will be monitored for safety. “There will be a big event with an online component that will provide access to basically everyone in the world to comment on this,” O’Connor said. “We want to try to reach as many students [as possible]. We want to talk to the faculty about allowing [students] time to go on the engine and contribute their thoughts about the future of the university. There will be many activities in many ways for everybody to contribute.” The program will be open to both faculty and students who want to participate. For more information, visit www.itft.org.

EXCLUSIVE: UP CLOSE WITH CONOLEY The thing I don’t like about the Sand Bar is they serve only chardonnay, and I don’t like that. And then they have these weird kind of like fake cocktails made of wine and they’re really disgusting. So, I haven’t drunk much from the Sand Bar.”

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We have already agreed to fund murals and other things in that place where that [Prospector Pete] is, to contextualize that history that there were other people there. It wasn’t just about the 49ers.”

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We’re looking at working with the tribes in our area about the Pavunga site and seeing if we can engage the help of a native architect who was head of the Native American museum in Washington.”

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Sometimes it comes late at night. I got criticized last night for doing something and unfortunately I read the email like at 10:30, so that was bad. So I went to bed with it.”

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We don’t have any money to move [Prospector Pete] and we still don’t have any money for a new statue. Former students paid for that statue. Apparently it cost them a thousand dollars, that was a diﬀerent time.”

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NEWS 3

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GRAND PRIX

Drifting & driving

housands of fans from all around the world poured into the stands of the Long Beach Toyota racetrack Saturday to watch professional drivers slide loud and powerful custom cars around the track for the 15th annual season of Formula DRIFT. The vehicles roaring around the track were judged by driving style and their ability to “drift” rather than which car completed the track first. Norwegian Fredric Aasbø claimed victory over the first calendar event. The site has been the starting course for the Formula DRIFT season since the inaugural race in 2004. During a drifting performance, rookie Chelsea Denofa’s Ferrari hit a wall, setting the vehicle to engulf in flames. Denofa escaped the crash unscathed. Photos by Colby Buchanan | Daily 49er

By Colby Buchanan Contributing Writer

Federico Sceriffo, top right, watches as the flames from his Ferrari 599 GTB are extinguished. Forrest Wang, top right, takes a Bye Run after James Deane’s car is unable to compete due to damage. Fredric Aasbø (left car), above, during his lead run against Piotr Wiecek during the semifinals.

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4 ARTS & LIFE

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GALLERY

By the community, for the community Various artworks from students of marginalized groups take up the walls in the USU art gallery. By Kristi Alarcon Contributing Writer

Largely marginalized communities got their chance in the spotlight — or rather, on the canvas through Associated Students, Inc.’s latest art gallery. ASI kicked off a memorable evening at the “Conscious Collections Opening” Thursday in the University Student Union Art Gallery. For the month of April, ASI wanted to compile art from specific communities such as students of color, women/trans/ non-binary folks, undocumented students, students with disabilities and environmental advocates. The room was loaded with paintings, illustrations and photography from 23 students, each telling a personal story, describing their backgrounds and passions. Emely Lopez, third year liberal studies major chose to use her platform to voice her passion for education. Her illustration showed a group of students coming together on a school bus to

depict a celebration of the power of education. “This evening means so much to me because I’m able to showcase my three passions: education, community and youth,” Lopez said. “Each artwork tells such a personal story that is relevant in our society. I’m grateful for the opportunity to tell mine.” Artist wore colored ribbons around their neck throughout the night to set themselves apart and make it easier for attendees to identify them. Fourth year psychology major Mlou Aquino stood within a few feet of her artwork throughout the night while talking to people about her inspiration and posing for pictures with friends. Aquino’s piece consisted of two poster papers covered with ‘90s themed television characters taking up every inch of the surface. “I think it’s awesome that so many different types of communities are being represented,” Aquino said. “It’s amazing to share this platform and have a voice about your own opinions with everyone else. A lot of the work that I do is mostly about expressing my identity. I like to center my drawing around ‘90s cartoons which I did in this art show, mainly because most students here can relate and put themselves into my work to relive childhood memories.” The energy throughout the night was celebratory, with LED lights illuminating dark corners

Adriana Ramirez | Daily 49er

Narsiso Martinez, whose artwork draws inspiration from his time as a farmworker, is one of 23 student artists featured in ASI’s “Conscious Collection” art gallery in the University Student Union.

of the room and jazz music playing as visitors trickled in and out. Students who participated in the event were given the opportunity to share their stories and different experiences by the means of art. By giving these individuals a platform to inspire and connect with other students of various backgrounds, ASI hoped to broaden attendee’s perspectives on the social groups featured in the show. “Art is huge in representation because through art we have the power to shift conversation, to mobilize people and organize a community to fight for justice,” Gaby Hernandez, ASI’s Commissioner of Undocumented Stu-

dents said. “It’s important to remember that every story matters. If you express your artwork you have a voice.” About 100 family members, friends and visitors came to support as they strolled around the gallery, viewing the art and treating themselves to finger foods and mocktails. Attendees were asked to share stories of battles and accomplishments such as students who struggle with undocumentation in their family and have come out transgender. “Conscious Collection” will be on display in the USU Art Gallery through Thursday. It is available for viewing from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

MOVIE REVIEW

By Carlos Villicana Special Projects Editor

Silence is the greatest asset of “A Quiet Place,” the new horror film directed by John Krasinski. You may know him as Jim from “The Office,” but there’s nothing funny happening here. The premise is simple: a family must remain silent to avoid sightless monsters who prowl the Earth and hunt by following noise. Sound leads to death, and “A Quiet Place” wastes no time making this clear. The beginning of a genre movie

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Gaby Hernandez Commissioner of Undocumented Students

‘A Quiet Place’ robbing itself of the ability to rely on dialogue is its greatest strength, and it makes what little words are spoken matter more.

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True fear inhabits ‘A Quiet Place’ This nearly wordless ﬁ lm is an early contender for 2018’s best horror movie.

“Art is huge in representation because through art we have the power to shift conversation, to mobilize people and organize a community to ﬁght for justice.”

Courtesy of IMBD

John Krasinski and Noah Jupe star in Krasinki’s new horror film, “A Quiet Place” which relies on the absence of sound to drive its terror home.

is crucial as it sets tone, expectations and consequences. Krasinski and his crew do all of this masterfully in the prologue for “A Quiet Place.” An eerie silence replaces verbal exposition. The characters largely communicate via sign language, and anything the audience needs to know is expressed visually. How these monsters arrived and so brutally destroyed society is never explained in great detail and it doesn’t need to be. It’s the danger they pose which needs to be known, and establishing this early draws the viewer into caring about the survival of this family.

The story begins during the 89th day following the creatures’ arrival. Lee and Evelyn Abbott, portrayed by Krasinski and Emily Blunt, lead their children on a supply hunt through an empty town. Everything that follows is the family’s attempt to survive in this new world while raising their children with lessons from life before and after this danger. Naturally, the monsters make that difficult. An admirable restraint is shown when it comes to displaying the monsters and the damage they cause. A common fault of horror movies is that directors

show too much carnage, so much so that eventually rivers of blood and piles of intestines are just images. This isn’t the case in “A Quiet Place,” where the bloody aftermath is seldom seen and a full view of the monsters is avoided until the moment it has the most impact on viewers. Similarly, the music sounds familiar if you’ve seen a decent number of horror movies. It’s a serviceable soundtrack because it complements the tone of the movie, but I genuinely struggle to recall anything unique about it. The moments scored by silence are more harrowing because they

force you to listen closely for any sign of trouble. “A Quiet Place” is a rather straightforward thriller. The pacing resembles that of a roller coaster. Tension is present throughout because of the audience’s expectations. For a few moments, you’re relaxed and everything feels fine until the action begins. Small victories for the protagonists are frequently followed by a new threat until (and if) a solution is found. “A Quiet Place” robbing itself of the ability to rely on dialogue is its greatest strength, and it makes what little words are spoken matter more. Where many other filmmakers would use dialogue as a crutch to communicate ideas, Krasinski does such an effective job without it that you literally began to root against noises because you know what it means. That is the mark of an effective horror film.

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6 OPINIONS

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

U.S. retreat from Syria will carry disastrous implications Trump shows no desire of stopping the Assad regime from ravaging Syria. By Sabrina Flores

Assistant Photo Editor

or many American citizens, the seven-year-long civil war raging in Syria seems like a distant reality floating in the background of domestic affairs. As for myself, I find it difficult to ignore the injustices committed against the people of Syria and America’s frustratingly stale attitude toward them. If it wasn’t apparent that the needs of millions of Syrians have been pushed to the backburner, President Donald Trump’s recent decision to withdraw American troops from the nation has made it so. The decision to retract forces, and therefore aid, from a territory relentlessly under attack from the Assad regime comes as no surprise to those who have followed Trump’s policies throughout his presidency. Yet this move could be catastrophic. As explained in Janine di Giovanni’s opinion piece for the New York Times, Syrians were beginning to relinquish their preconceived ideas of anti-American sentiment because of the presence and assistant provided by the U.S. Despite constantly being met with resistance, Trump continues to stand by his desire to remove any trace of Islam in America. Trump’s only concern seems to be stroking the fire of Islamophobia and ridding our nation of any traces of the religion and its followers. His sudden and outright idiotic decision to deny essential support to Syrian refugees, ban their entrance and slash the budget for humanitarian aid points a finger to a man indifferent to suffering. Maybe I’m being too harsh on the man underneath the “Make America Great Again” hat, but I feel obligated to point out Trump is attempting, for the third time, to instate his notorious travel ban at the feet of the Supreme Court. If passed, this travel ban combined, with American retreat from the area, will make it increasingly difficult for Syrians seeking asylum and safety to be allowed into America. Though it may not be Trump’s decision alone that creates a discontinuation in the tentative hope Syrians have expressed toward America, paired with a long, tiresome and complicated history, it carries significant negative connotations. The situation can also be attributed to the long standing reluctance to increase American influence in the Middle East. This sudden and unexpected decision by Trump has left many Syrians pessimistic and distrusting, as they find

Daily 49er Miranda Andrade-Ceja Editor-in-Chief eicd49er@gmail.com

Mac Walby Managing Editor managingd49er@gmail.com

Umnaber Morukc | Abaca Press

Syrian Democratic Forces soldiers looking out smoke rising after an air attack while battles against the Islamic State continue in Raqqa, Syria, on August 12, 2017. An American fighting for Islamic State in Raqqa has surrendered and is in U.S. custody.

themselves once again abandoned by Americans and helpagainst refugees and make migration to America increasless to improve their situation. Giovanni quoted his Syrian ingly difficult for asylum seekers, we should focus on raisfriend Kassem Eid in his article as a first hand source on ing funds for relocation programs, rehabilitation centers the issue. and family reunification. “I was brokenhearted to see how they [America] let In the past year alone, bombings have killed thousands Assad massacre 2,000 people in less of innocent civilians; according to an than two weeks,” Eid said. “There article written by CNN, in 2018 alone His sudden and were more chemical attacks, more 342 Syrian children were killed in the outright idiotic atrocities. More people displaced first two months of 2018. Without the from their homes. And no one did help provided by the United States, decision to deny anything.” Syria no longer retains any hope of essential support to Syrian refWhile Trump has clarified that ending the civil war peacefully. ugees, ban their entrance and he is not seeking to immediately American retreat will allow forces slash the budget for humaniwithdraw the 2,000 troops stationed such as Iran and Russia, both of tarian aid points a finger to a in Syria, he is quoted saying, “I want which have no interest in protecting to get out [of Syria] — I want to bring the quality of civilian life in Syria, man indifferent to suffering. our troops back home.” to be used as utensils by Assad to The question is what will happen acquire influence over the area and when the measly aid that did exist is snuffed out? Trump’s further lock down his reign of the region. national security team has warned the president that his War-torn Syrians now look to us for support as they are decision will leave Syrians struggling for survival. caught in the cusps of war, hoping we will step up the plate Unfortunately I can’t say that I know a solution to this when they are in the most dire need. I too hope we’ll step perpetual problem. But I do know that rather than push up to the metaphorical plate.

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Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in this issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinions of the Daily 49er are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reﬂect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staﬀ members. All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily 49er.

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SPORTS 7

MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM | SPORTSD49ER@GMAIL.COM SOFTBALL

MacLeod’s three-run homerun knocks off UC Riverside The 49ers offense erupts in the fifth inning to defeat the Highlanders. By Kevin Colindres Assistant Sports Editor

Lauren MacLeod walks onto the plate knowing she is not going to strike out. The senior catcher grips her bat with two outs on the scoreboard and keeps fighting until a 3-2 count in the fifth inning. She composes herself and she surveys the pitch by UC Riverside’s Hailey Dolcini. One big swing later and she hits one out to left field. The mere sound of the hit lets the audience know that it’s gone, and the crowd of 437 stand and cheer. MacLeod runs around the bases screaming in joy as she provides the spark needed to extend the No. 18 Long Beach State softball team win streak to 13. “I have the mindset that I’m not going to strike out, I want to get any type of hit possible that can produce for the team,” MacLeod said. “I was excited because I know that we really needed that hit.” Long Beach (32-7, 6-0 Big West) extended its win streak to 13 after defeating UC Riverside (25-15, 2-4 Big West) 4-2 for the third time in a row. The 49ers were dominant in the series, keeping the Highlanders scoreless

in their first two games, but they would give up their first run of the series to tie the game up at 1-1 in the fourth inning. “I’m proud of the way we fought back, and it wasn’t perfect, but we battled and we got some key at-bats,” head coach Kim Sowder said. It wasn’t the most effective night for sophomore right handed pitcher Cielo Meza, who was pulled out in the third inning after giving up multiple walks. Sophomore right handed pitcher Devyn Magnett came in and took care of business to win the game for the 49ers. “It’s a good confidence builder because I think everybody has each other’s back,” Magnett said. “[Cielo] cheered me on, we’re really good at picking each other up.” Sowder felt confident in bringing in Magnett early after Meza’s early struggles, which paid dividends as only one run would be given up in the final inning of the match. MacLeod got the day started with a sacrifice pop fly in the first inning that sent junior infielder Nichole Fry home. This gave her the first of her three RBI’s of the match. From there on out, the offense was stagnant until MacLeod’s big play, but the 49ers defense stayed locked in to finish the game. Long Beach goes on the road against Fullerton for the start of a three game series. The series starts with a 6 p.m. match Friday against the Titans.

Bobby Yagake | Daily 49er

Long Beach State pitcher Devyn Magnett gets ready to throw the ball at the UC Riverside game Sunday.

BASEBALL

Oﬀense nowhere to be found in Dirtbags’ ﬁrst Big West series loss Long Beach hit a team .189 over the weekend on its way to dropping two out of three games against UC Irvine. By Luke Ramirez

Assistant Sports Editor

The Long Beach State Dirtbags picked an inopportune time to turn in one of its’ worst offensive weekends of the season. The team scored four runs over three games against UC Irvine and shut out 8-0 in game three Sunday at Blair Field to lose its first Big West Conference series. “It’s kind of been that way all year,” head coach Troy Buckley said. “There was a little bit of snow balling and we weren’t able to put a tourniquet on the self-inflicted wounds we had today.” Entering game three with the series tied at one game each, UC Irvine (17-13, 3-3 Big West) took an early lead after tallying three

hits against Long Beach junior starting pitcher Tyler Radcliffe. The Dirtbags couldn’t get a free out on a sacrifice bunt and faced bases loaded with no outs in the top of the second. Radcliffe got a pop up to stay in the infield for the first out and then induced a ground ball to junior second baseman Jarren Duran. The ball wasn’t hit hard enough to allow freshman shortstop Santino Rivera to get the throw to first in time and Irvine was able to score two runs on the play. LBSU (12-20, 1-2 Big West) could not get anything going through the sixth inning, despite hitting the ball hard all over the field. The offense was 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position for the first six innings wasting a lead off base runner in three of those six frames. The Anteaters broke the game open after a four-run top of the sixth that began with a Cole Kreuter leadoff double. He came in to score along with three other teammates after Long Beach junior reliever Dylan Spacke in-

herited runners on first and second with one out. He threw more gas on the fire after hitting Irvine freshman Brenden Brooks with the bases loaded. Three of the four earned runs were charged to Long Beach freshman reliever Adam Seminaris, who took over for Radcliffe in the third and pitched three innings. Not much changed for the Long Beach offense in the final three innings, as it went out of tune going 1-for-10. “We had a little better at bats [than in game two] but the times we had runners in scoring position we weren’t very good,” Buckley said. After the game, Long Beach went straight into the dugout as opposed to having its post game talk in center field. Other than clearing the way so that the kids in attendance could run the bases, Buckley said he’s desperately trying to change things up. “I wore a jersey top for the first time since Mike [Weathers] retired,” Buckley said. “Wearing a jersey top is a big deal for me.”

Luke Ramirez | Daily 49er

Long Beach junior third baseman Shaq Robinson makes a throw to first base to record an out in game three against UC Irvine on Sunday.

Long Beach blew a first inning lead in game one on Friday after going ahead 2-0 but allowed Irvine to tie the game in the sixth and then go ahead by one in the ninth. Sophomore ace Zak Baayoun allowed eight hits over six innings and only struck out two batters. In game two, the Dirtbags scored one run on three hits which was all the cushion junior Clayton Andrews needed on the mound. He went eight scoreless innings and stuck out 11 batters

to lead Long Beach to a 1-0 victory. Sunday’s loss equals the Dirtbags’ 2017 season total of 20 with 26 games still remaining on the schedule. Long Beach also learned it lost senior shortstop Laine Huffman for the season as he will have surgery to repair his rotator cuff and labrum in his right shoulder, as first reported by JJ Fiddler of The562sports.org. The Dirtbags host No. 20 UCLA at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Blair Field.

8 SPORTS

MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM | SPORTSD49ER@GMAIL.COM

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

No. 1 LBSU lock up Big West title on senior night Long Beach sweep UC San Diego for 23rd straight victory. By Zackery Handy Staff Writer

The ball would go back and forth over the net multiple times before creating a two-on-one matchup at the net, UC San Diego’s Nathan Thalken against Long Beach State junior outside hitter Kyle Ensing and senior middle blocker Jason Willahan. The three players would clash at the net with Ensing and Willahan blocking the ball for a Long Beach point, bringing the 1,411 fans to their feet. It was a special moment for Willahan, who turned to his teammates with arms wide open to celebrate the point. Willahan and four of his teammates celebrated senior night Saturday at the Walter Pyramid with a three set sweep over San Diego 25-21,25,18,25-13. The 49ers said goodbye to opposite hitter Davis Cannon, libero Matt Butler, outside hitter Bjarne Huus, and middle blockers Zach Gates and Willahan.

“It’s been an honor to play for this program and for this logo and for the coaching staff,” Willahan said. “It’s been all positive, I have nothing negative to say.” Long Beach (23-0, 8-0 Big West) would go on to earn the victory, and marked a 23-0 start, which is the longest ever in program history and the first ever Big West men’s volleyball regular season champions in the inaugural season of the sport. San Diego (9-16, 0-8 Big West) entered the match on a six-game losing streak, struggling to find any rhythm over the past month. Things would not change Saturday night as the team would be completely out-matched by Long Beach. “They’re very consistent, they are very good from the service line and bring a lot of pace,” said San Diego head coach Kevin Ring. The Tritons held a lead for a short time in set one, mainly due to self-inflicted errors at the service line with the 49ers committing seven service errors in the first set alone. “There’s no doubt we missed some serves early in the match and got behind,” said Long Beach head coach Alan Knipe. Long Beach cleaned up its act

Zackery Handy | Daily 49er The No. 1 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team celebrates the first ever Big West title at the Walter Pyramid.

from the service line and made a combined seven service errors over the next two sets. The 49ers would empty the bench, receiving contributions from 15 different players. “We have a system and a way we want to play and it’s not individually catered to certain guys,” Knipe said. “It’s a system that our guys believe in and work at and we stress that it’s a system that we can move

guys in and out and the execution shouldn’t change.” The 49ers were led by junior setter Josh Tuaniga as he would receive the only double-double in the match going for 34 assists and 11 digs. The win sealed the first ever Big West title for Long Beach with two games left to play on the conference schedule. “It’s a big deal just because the

amount of love I have for the program, the guys and the coaching staff,” Tuaniga said. “It’s a product of the work these guys have been putting in. I’m just stoked we could come out and get this and show people how much work we have been putting in.” Long Beach will start its final series of the year at 9 p.m. Friday against No. 6 Hawaii on the road at the Stan Sheriff Center.

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