Long Beach State Athletics has hired TJ Bruce to be the new head coach of the Long Beach State baseball program, the university announced this past weekend.
Bruce will begin his coaching tenure for the 2025 Dirtbags season, leading returning notable players such as juniors Ty Borgogno and Armando Briseno, seniors Kyle Ashworth, Alex Champagne and Connor Charpiot and several more upperclassmen.
Last season the Dirtbags finished with a disappointing 10-20 conference record in the Big West, but hit new heights in fan attendance.
“Dirtbags Baseball is an institution in the Long Beach community built on an incredible fan base, historic success, and alumni who have excelled at the professional baseball level. Identifying someone who understands and can embrace the Dirtbags Baseball brand was critical to this hire, and TJ Bruce is that coach,” said Executive Director of Athletics Bobby Smitheran in a public statement.
Bruce’s hiring is somewhat of a homecoming, occurring 20 years after he donned the Dirtbags pinstripe uniforms as a player in 2004. He only played one season with the Dirtbags, during a year when they recorded 40 wins, reached the Super Regionals and ranked No. 12 in the nation.
Bruce previously spent six seasons on the Dirtbags staff, during which the team made three postseason appearances, including a run for the Super Regionals in 2005.
“We are thrilled to welcome TJ home to a program he knows well, having worn the Dirtbags uniform as a former student-athlete and assistant coach,” Smitheran said in a public statement.
“TJ returns to Long Beach State with head coaching experience, a winning pedigree, and a track record of success at the highest levels in college baseball.
Bruce has also spent time as the recruiting coordinator with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), helping secure multiple key players in the Bruins’ run to the College World Series in 2012 and a National Championship in 2013.
In 2021, Bruce was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year after leading Nevada Baseball to both the regular season and tournament championships, sending Nevada to the NCAA postseason for just the fifth time in program history, and the first time since 2000. In his seven-season tenure with the Wolf Pack, Bruce qualified for every Mountain West Conference Tournament and had the highest winning percentage of any coach in the conference.
Bruce then joined TCU as an Associate Head Coach, and the Horned Frogs had great success immediately upon his arrival in Fort Worth in 2023. TCU would reach the 2023 College World Series, the sixth trip to Omaha in program history, and advanced to the national semifinals for the first time. Coaching the offense with TCU, the 2023 squad had a .298 batting average,hit 89 home runs and set a program record with 141 stolen bases.
“My family and I are so excited to come back to where my coaching career started for this incredible opportunity at Long Beach State,” Bruce said in a public statement. “I am grateful to President Conoley and Bobby Smitheran for the chance to lead the Dirtbags baseball program, with its rich tradition of success at a world class university. We will be committed to the development of our student-athletes and upholding the values that make Dirtbag Nation so special. We will hit the ground running and work tirelessly to make our alumni, fans and the great city of Long Beach proud.”