Unlike the September to May athletic year, the summer for college sports just never seems to wrap things up in tidy packages. Today’s Dust Plus is evidence of the bits and pieces that choke the in-basket but it’s time to clean out a hunk of these notes and quotes before they retire, expire, and…well, fill in your own rhyme.

Arizona has taken over as the new kids on the College World Series block facing up the dominating and two time defending champions from USC, the USC that is of course the University of South Carolina. One feature of their 2012 season was their move off campus to nearby Hi Corbett Field which had been vacant since the Colorado Rockies moved out in 201. True the Wildcat community rebelled, including the namesake of the campus diamond Jerry Kindall who coached Arizona’s three national championship teams.

“I wasn’t in support of it, and a lot of players and alumni felt that way,” Kindall said in a recent interview “Now, I see it was the right move.” And part of that right-ness was good old fashioned beer, that kind that spikes attendance for 49er baseball at their community based Blair Field.

Mostly because of beer sales, which were not permitted on campus, U of A attendance jumped at Hi Corbett to 2,628 a game from 1,103 on campus. With those good crowd counts Arizona bid successfully to host its first NCAA regional in 20 years. (Ironically LBSU began the Dirtbag era winning the 1989 Tucson regional). This year the Wildcats won their regional, one of the 16 four-team tournaments that begin the overall tournament, and then swept a best-of-three super regional against St. John’s to advance to the College World Series where they never trailed in any game and beat South Carolina to win the CWS for their first time since 1986.

Speaking of community facilities our dear friends from CSU Fullerton got over $300K to renovate “Rancho De Titan”, aka, their President’s House on a hill near the campus. That’s fix up dough, not acquisition money. King Alexander’s family lives in the Miller House over in Park Estates but it is in great shape and the orchids left by the donor families are healthy and happy. Meanwhile the sports first fandom at both places still fuss about new parking structures, dorms, performing arts and classroom centers, student and Rec centers, etc.

That brings the athletic fund raisers back to filling seats and pledge cards. Those pledge cards by the way are due by July 1st in denominations from the symbolic $49 bucks to $1500 for the Director’s Circle and the “skies the limit” for life in the other, and more, rare air.

Now to the old fashioned fund raising stuff, putting your backside in the bleachers via season tickets. Men’s basketball has an edgy approach going on, selling season tickets before the season schedule is known. Yes Dorothy there is a game with North Carolina coming to campus, and the usual Big West opponents but the marketing folks couldn’t wait so they are giving away incentives to buy early. In fact that they have numerically notable 49 deals including pictures with the Cheer and Dance team; Appearance by Prospector Pete; LBSU Sponsor Food Pack’ $25 Gift cards to the 49er Shop; Present game bal; Opportunity for group to create fan tunnel for player pre-game entrance to court; Go into locker room pre-game; Coach Monson voicemail recording; Two (2) courtside seats at one mutually agreeable home game; Guest host spot with 49er radio broadcaster Rob Brender; Opportunity to conduct a song with the Long Beach State band; Personalized scoreboard message ; Autographed t-shirt by Coach Monson; Lead a cheer on court with the cheer team; Pre-game run out with the basketball team; honorary Fan of the Game Introduced with Starting Line-Up; Two (2) passes to the Ukleja Room (Free Food & Drink); VIP Guest at one team practice; Two (2) tickets to one mutually agreeable away game and a bunch of other opportunities in the area of clothing food, parking, autographs, pictures, fame and fortune. And if you need a headache, you can be Athletics Director for a day.

Across the country most of the Ads, except Riverside, Connecticut and Bakersfield and a few more, are still smiling. The NCAA announced its multi-year academic performance rates (APR) for Division I teams which covers a four-year period from the academic years of 2007-08 to 2010-11, and Long Beach State exceeded the minimum score in all 18 sports the school offers for the sixth straight year.

“The APR has become the gold standard in measuring academic success and progress by the NCAA,” President F. King Alexander said. “The latest data show that our athletic program continues to be among the nation’s best in student-athlete academic performance in all sports and programs.”

The APR was developed by the NCAA in 2004 to measure the academic progress and performance of athletic programs at its member institutions. Long Beach State led the Big West Conference in men’s basketball; men’s cross country, and softball, while leading the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) in men’s volleyball. LBSU teams also ranked in the top three in six of the 14 Big West sports in which 49er teams compete.

Overall, every one of Long Beach State’s 18 teams exceeded the minimum standard multi-year score of 930 with nine of the 18 teams improving its score from last year and two matching last year’s rate. Softball showed the biggest improvement increasing its score by 20 points. Every LBSU team scored at least a 942, six points higher than last year’s low score, with the men’s cross country and men’s volleyball teams leading the way with perfect scores of 1,000. Women’s golf increased its score by one point from last year to a 992. Softball improved its score from 966 to 986, while women’s tennis improved form a 976 to 984 and baseball climbed two points to a 978. Women’s basketball scored a 983 after scoring a perfect 1,000 last year.

The APR is determined by using the eligibility and retention for each student-athlete on scholarship during a particular academic year. Student-athletes are awarded one point for each semester they are enrolled and one point for each semester they are eligible for intercollegiate competition. A student-athlete can earn a maximum of two points per semester and a maximum of four points during an academic year. A total of 954 NCAA Division I sports teams were honored by the NCAA with Public Recognition Awards for the 2010-11 academic year. The list included 560 women’s teams and 394 men’s or mixed squads. Top performing APRs this year ranged from 978 to a perfect 1,000, with the majority of teams earning a perfect APR.

Geena Urango (first recipient for the USC sand volleyball program, partnered up with Caitlin Ledoux and won the USA Volleyball International Development Qualifier (IDQ) played in Playa del Rey, Calif. Urango (Los Alamitos, Calif.) and Ledoux (Phelan, Calif.) defeated Lynne Galli (San Diego, Calif.) and Kim DiCello (San Diego, Calif.) in the final, 21-18, 21-10. With the victory, Urango and Ledoux have qualified to compete at the NORECA beach volleyball events in Trinidad & Tobago (Oct. 12-14) and Antigua (Oct. 19-21).

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The gang at LBSU sports info have shared another coach interview, this time women’s golf and veteran coach Sue Ewart. Here it is:

1. Can you detail your coaching path to Long Beach State?

I spent my life competing and volunteering as a rules official. One day, Dede Rossi asked me if I was interested in coaching. The rest is history.

2. Beyond winning a championship, what are your goals for the upcoming season?

To be ranked in the top 30 at the end of the fall season and build on that during the spring. Win the Big West Championship and play in the postseason.

3. Who is an exciting new player we will see on you team next season?

Shawnee Martinez. Very consistent and capable of posting low scores.

4. What is your recruiting philosophy?

Replace the No. 1 player to keep the depth going. Beyond that, the biggest item is fitting the personalities to the team. It’s a long season and you need players to support one another.

5. How important are the summer months to the development of your team?

It’s important for the team to continue competing during the summer months. Most of the time the incoming freshman class has competed all summer long and are ready to step in. There are more junior tournaments available to play then regular amateur tournaments during the summer. So the current team must stay on top of their game.

6. If someone asked you for a recommendation where to eat in the Long Beach area, where would you send them and what would you tell them to order?

Naples Rib Company. What else, RIBS! And a brink of onion rings to top it off!

7. Outside of coaching and sports, what are your hobbies?

Taking care of my two boys, my husband and my father. Working in the garden.

8. If you had a weekend off during the season and you weren’t allowed to work, what would you do with the free time?

During the season? Never happens. But just in case it actually did, I’d sleep and try to be a couch potato for one day and then try to finish one of a hundred projects that are still waiting to be done.

9. What vacation spot has been your favorite to visit?

Hawaii.

10. Dodgers or Angels, and why? Lakers or Clippers, and why?

Honestly? It doesn’t change my mode of living one way or another. I’m happy when a So Cal team wins, but the euphoria only lasts a few minutes.

11. Excluding your team, what “49er Moment” from the 2011-12 season was your favorite?

The men’s golf team and their amazing season.

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Closing Numbers

There was one Dirtbag getting some of the swag from the 2012 College World series if you will count former player and assistant coach T.J. Bruce who has done his second season as an assistant coach with UCLA. Bruce serves as the infield coach, works with the hitters and assists recruiting efforts.

Prior to his arrival at UCLA, Bruce spent five seasons (2005, 2007-10) as an assistant coach at Long Beach State, helping lead the 49ers to NCAA Regional appearances in 2007 and 2008. He served as an undergraduate assistant coach at Long Beach State in 2005, guiding the 49ers to an NCAA Regional berth.

Working with the infielders as an assistant coach at Long Beach State, Bruce helped the development of All-Big West Conference selections Troy Tulowitzki (2003-05), Evan Longoria (2005-06), Danny Espinosa (2007) and Devin Lohman (2010). Tulowitzki and Longoria have since enjoyed successful major league careers with the Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively.

Bruce played for Long Beach State as a senior in 2004 after spending his first two seasons (2001-02) at Cerritos College and his junior year (2003) at Texas Tech. In 2004, he helped Long Beach State to an NCAA Super Regional. The 49ers fell one game short of advancing to the College World Series, dropping the best-of-three series to Arizona in a decisive third game that lasted 11 innings. That season, Bruce played alongside current Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Bruce, 29, resides with his wife, Heather, and their daughters, Rhowan (born Oct. 2009) and Harloe (born June 2011) in Lakewood, Calif.

Wrapping up some of this and that there are new coaches as UCSB in tennis and at UCI in basketball. The Gaucho net master comes down from Fresno State and the UCI bunch comes from all over but as a group has just two seasons of Div. I experience going into 2012-13. Last year’s staff had roughly 45 seasons under belts.

Last of the closing numbers are from college baseball where the USA attendance numbers are in and the Big West has but two entries in the top 50 turnstile counts. Number 36 was CSUF at 1736 and number 46 was Long Beach State at 1,391. The best in the US were LSU (10,736) followed by three other SEC big box seaters, Arkansas, South Carolina and Ole Miss. And Fresno, #37 checked in with 1641. Yes — and I too remember the days when Fresno and Wichita State were the big boys when it came to crowd counts.