Cal State senior wins CCAA weekly award

 For the second time this season, Cal State San Bernardino pitcher Matt Long has been selected as the Wilson/California Collegiate Athletic Association baseball pitcher of the week.

            Long was recognized for his complete-game six-hitter in an 11-1 win over San Francisco State last Friday that set the stage for the Coyotes to sweep all four games from the Gators.

            The 6-3 senior right-hander from Woodland, Calif., struck out 12 batters in the game to give him an even 100 on the season which leads the CCAA by a wide margin.

            Long is now 6-5 on the season with a 3.14 earned run average. He is 4-4 in the CCAA with 70 strikeouts and a 3.38 ERA in eight CCAA starts totaling 56 innings.

            In last Friday’s win over SFSU, Long was strong from start to finish. He demonstrated that in the bottom of the ninth when he struck out the side to end the game after giving up a leadoff hit.

            Over his last three outings, all victories, Long has pitched 25 innings, yielded just 12 hits and five runs and struck out 38 batters while walking nine. Only three of the hits off him went for extra bases.

            Long needs five more strikeouts this season to eclipse the all-time single-season record of 104 set by John Major in 1996. He has already smashed Major’s career strikeout mark of 150, having fanned 227 batters in two-plus seasons. One more win and he equals Major’s career win record of 15. Long has 14 in his third season with CSUSB.

            Long also earned CCAA pitcher of the week honors in March for a 5-0 shutout win over Cal Poly Pomona. He has three complete games in 12 starts for CSUSB.

He is expected to start Thursday at Cal State L.A. The Coyotes take a six-game win streak into the four-game series with the Golden Eagles and are now 22-19 overall, 13-15 in the CCAA.