The games in the ‘Myd had a decidedly youthful air about them yesterday, thanks to Long Beach State’s High School Nights program, which the school’s athletic department is very pleased with, so far.  Among tonight’s attendees were several players from the Wilson basketball team, including Mike Wilder and Joel Bitonio—Wilder is the Moore League’s leading scorer so far this season.  Under the program, all high school athletes (and students) can attend a specific set of games for free, as long as they make a reservation a few days ahead of time (info can be found at bottom).

Vic Cegles, LBSU’s AD, said, “It’s going awesome, our marketing guys are doing a great job with it.”

“It’s going well—we were expecting about 250 kids tonight,” said David Benedict, Senior Associate Athletics Director in charge of External Relations.  Prospective LBSU students and student-athletes are helping to pack the stands, too, as they made up just over 10% of the attendees at last night’s Temple game.  “It’s what we should be doing,” said Benedict.

It’s part of a new “take care of the backyard first” approach to recruiting and community relations, as the school would doubtless benefit from creating ongoing relationships with the wealth of prep talent in the area. 

The Dirtbags are expanding their youth outreach as well, with a jointly-hosted Big West showcase camp they’re putting together with Fullerton and UC Irvine.  “We all see the same guys anyway,” said Michael Callin, Director of Baseball Operations.  “So we might as well join forces and do this thing right.”  The team will also likely be doing ticket giveaways similar to the basketball program.

If you’re a high schooler interested in attending a game, there are still seven men’s and women’s basketball games available, so check out the above schedule and contact Dedan Brozino at 562.985.8094 or dbrozino@csulb.edu to RSVP.  For more info on the baseball showcase champ, click this link.