May 21, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
BRIEFLY...
The 2001 baseball season for Loyola Marymount was a season of odd streaks and a youth movement, as the year concluded with the Lions starting four freshman, four juniors and only one senior. The youth movement would bring about a five-game winning streak to end the season. The season began in a similar fashion, as the Lions started the 2001 campaign with its best start in program history with a 5-0 record. Thus, in the first five and the final five games of the season the Lions posted a 10-0 record. That was the up-side to the Lions season. However, mixed in between was a 14-game skid that foiled the Lions' chances to defend their three consecutive conference titles. But it will be the final five-game win streak that will define this year's squad. The Lions finished the 2001 season finished with a 21-37 record and 8-22 mark in conference play.
The Final Five...
Heading into the final set of games of the 2001 season, including a series with Coast Division leader Gonzaga in West Coast Conference play, the Lions knew they could play the role of spoiler. Playing perhaps some of their best baseball of the season, the Lions' would go on a hitting binge that would make a statement that the future is bright. With a win in the final game of the series against San Francisco, 10-6, LMU would set off a five-game win streak in which they finished with no fewer than 14 hits in a game. They had 14 or more hits only seven times prior to the final five games. They would hit 15 home runs in the winning streak, an average of three per game. Entering the streak, they were averaging .6 home runs per game. Juniors Kris Zacuto and Tommy Perez would lead the power burst with five and three home runs, respectively. The junior catcher had three home runs heading into the final five. The Lions would finish hitting .393 over the five games, raising their team average nearly 10 points on the season to finish at .295. The defense tightened as well, as the Lions committed just two errors in the final five games. Freshman Joshua Muecke earned two wins on the week, finishing with 16 strikeouts in 14.1 innings of work. With a win over Cal State Northridge, 12-7, and a sweep of Gonzaga, the Lions had the Bulldogs sweating bullets about getting into the WCC Championships against Pepperdine. They needed help, as San Francisco defeated Santa Clara to give the Bulldogs the division title. They enter the championship series against Pepperdine on a three-game conference losing streak thanks to the Lions.
A bright future...
Recapping the final five games for the Lions, only two seniors played offensively, as the LMU offense hit its stride at the end of the season. Here is a look at why the future is bright based on the performances in the final week of play for the Lions:
* Tommy Perez - A junior who ended the season as the WCC Player of the Week. He earned the honor hitting .684 (13-for-19) for the week, netting eight RBI, three home runs, two doubles, eight runs scored and 24 total bases for a slugging percentage of 1.263.
* Kris Zacuto - A junior preseason All-American candidate led the team in conference play with a .353 batting average. In the final five games of the season he hit .409 (9-for-22) with 10 RBI, five home runs, three doubles, 10 runs scored and a 1.227 slugging percentage (27 total bases).
* Billy Lockin - A freshman who improved throughout the season and finished hitting .500 (10-for-20) in the final week of play. All 10 hits were singles, as he scored three times, had six RBI and finished with three stolen bases. He was solid at second base, getting 14 putouts, 14 assists in 28 chances. He had no errors.
* Jonathan Higashi - A freshman who started behind the plate in the final five games for the Lions. He finished the week hitting .391 (9-for-23) with seven runs scored and four RBI. He stole two bases and added a sacrifice hit.
* C.J. Wilson - A junior multi-role player that finished the final five games of the season hitting .364 (8-for-22) with two home runs and a double. He also earned a victory against Cal State Northridge, finishing the week throwing 9.1 innings and striking out eight batters. He earned his second save of the season in the 6-4 win over Gonzaga
* Vincent Cordova - A freshman right-hander who finished the season with one of his strongest outings, getting a 10-6 win over Gonzaga. He pitched 7.2 innings and allowed only four earned runs, striking out five and surrendering six hits.
* Joshua Muecke - A freshman left-hander who earned two wins in the Lions' win streak. He went 8.0 innings against Gonzaga, allowing just three runs on 10 hits. He struckout nine and walked only three on the day. He started the winning streak with a 10-6 win over San Francisco. He went 6.1 innings and allowed six runs on 10 hits. He finished his last two starts with 16 strikeouts.
* Joshua Whitesell - Another multi-role player, the freshman finished the final week hitting .375 (6-for-16) with a home run and four runs scored.
A Quiet Leader...
Junior Kris Zacuto was named a preseason third-team All-American by the NCBWA and he lived up to the billing in the 2001 season. As the only player to appear in all 58 games this season, Zacuto emerged as the Lions' most consistent player on his way to his second consecutive All-WCC first-team selection. He led the team with a .353 average in conference play, including some of his best games of his career in six meetings against Gonzaga. In the first three-game series against Gonzaga the junior finished hitting .692 (9-for-13). He finished the week with two doubles and his third homer of the season. In the final series of the season, Zacuto ate up the Bulldog's pitching, going 6-for-13 with three home runs and a pair of doubles. In six games against Gonzaga he was 15-for-26 (.577) with 10 runs scored, four doubles, five home runs and 12 RBI. He also had a 1.308 slugging percentage. He finished the season second behind Tommy Perez with a .332 batting average. He finished the season leading the team with 74 hits, 117 total bases, 17 doubles and 46 runs scored. His 45 career doubles puts him tied for 8th all-time in the LMU history books with Darrel Deak (1988-91). Zacuto is also one triple shy of the career top 10. Three guys sit at 10th place with eight triples.
Career Doubles List:
1) 72 Miah Bradbury 1987-90
2) 62 Anthony Napolitano 1991-94
3) 61 Billy Bean 1983-86
4) 58 David Jones 1976-79
5) 50 Scott Walter 1998-00
50 Jim McAnany 1984-87
7) 46 Joe Ciccarella 1989-91
8) 45 Darrel Deak 1988-91
45 Kris Zacuto 1999-current
10) 44 Chris Donnels 1985-87
ANOTHER P.O.W...
As was the Lions' 2001 campaign, Junior Tommy Perez's season was one of ups-and-downs. He was named by the West Coast Conference as its Player of the Week twice, winning the honor on Feb. 20 and again in the final week of the season on March 15. However, at one point in the middle of the WCC season, he was hitting .195. However, his late run helped the Lions to a five-game win streak. He had his first multiple home run game of his career in the final game of the series against California, getting a three-run shot in the first and a solo shot over left-center in the eighth. How hot was the junior against Cal in earning player of the week? He finished the week hitting .615 (8-for-13), with six RBI, three home runs and one double. He scored seven times and finished the week with a 1.385 slugging percentage. He added another impressive week hitting .417 in games against USC and Santa Clara. He finished the week 5-for-12 with two home runs, a triple and seven RBI. He finished the week with a slugging percentage of 1.083. He finished the 2001 season on a torrid pace, hitting .684 (13-for-19) in the final four games to earn his second P.O.W. He had eight RBI and eight runs scored, hit three home runs and two doubles. His slugging percentage of 1.263 jumped his season average to .607 to lead the team. In the final week, he moved his average from .299 to .341 to lead the Lions. His 11 home runs and 45 RBI are also a team high. He now has 30 home runs in his career, tied for fifth all-time with Jim McAnary.
Career Home Run List:
1) 45 Chris Donnels 1985-87
2) 36 Scott Walter 1998-00
36 Miah Bradbury 1987-90
4) 35 Jesse Ibarra 1992-94
5) 30 Jim McAnary 1984-87
30 Tommy Perez 1999-01
7) 28 Darrel Deak 1988-91
8) 27 Anthony Angel 1998-00
27 Brian Leighton 1983-84
10) 23 Brian Turang 1987-88
FIRST P.O.W...
Senior outfielder David Maffei earned the Lions' first West Coast Conference Player of the Week nod of the season. He finished the Lions' 2-2 week with a .857 slugging percentage. The left fielder had four hits on the week, all for extra bases. He finished with two doubles and two home runs. The 12 total bases drove in eight runs for the Lions, while Maffei himself scored six times. He led the team in runs scored, home runs, RBI and total bases. He wrapped up another strong week for the Lions, going 6-for-14 in his final home stand in a Lions' uniform. His .375 average over the four-game week puts him at .293 for the season.
CAMEO APPEARANCE...
Senior right-handed pitcher Chris Gray become a staple out of the bullpen for the Lions in his four years with LMU. With his 33 appearances this season, which is 5th place in the record books for single season appearances, he finishes his career in second place all-time on the career appearance list with 107. Darryl Scott holds the record for appearances by a pitcher with 131 in his career that spanned from 1987-90. Gray started the season with 74 career appearances. Of Gray's 107 current appearances, only seven have been starts. He holds a 9-12 record with a 5.33 career ERA.
Career Appearances
Name No. Years
1. Darryl Scott 131 1987-90
2. Chris Gray 107 1998-01
3. Joe Caruso 98 1989-91
4. Jeff Cecchin 92 1995-98
5. Shawn Hammett 90 1992-95
Tim Layana 90 1983-86
7. Ben Bonilla 89 1997-00
8. Rod Volk 85 1971-74
9. Tom Henderson 82 1973-76
10. Brian Felten 80 1998-01
TWO-WAY THREATS...
Taking two different routes to LMU, both junior C.J. Wilson and freshman Joshua Whitesell became two-way threats for the Lions in the 2001 season. Whitesell, a lefty from Rialto High School, has been a pleasant addition to the Lions' lineup, pitching in 21 games and appearing in 49 offensively. He has a 6.54 ERA and has appeared in games as a designated hitter, first baseman and in the outfield. He has a .314 batting average, bumping up the average 10 points after a 6-for-16 performance in the Lions' final four games. In the series he hit his fourth home run of his young career and added his 10th double. The freshman had his best game offensively against the Pepperdine Waves. Not only did he hit his first career home run, but he followed it with his second, a shot over the right field wall. He was the second player this season to hit multiple home runs in one game (Tommy Perez and Kris Zacuto). Against Cal Poly he finished with his best four-game series of his career. He was .438 from the plate, getting a team-high seven hits during the four-game set. He added two doubles in the series and finished with a slugging percentage of .562. He was one of the young heroes in game one against Portland, as his two-out, two RBI double tied the game in the bottom of the ninth to send it into extra innings. He also picked up a win on the mound in game one of the doubleheader against the Mustangs, pitching the final 3.1 innings during a 11-10 win in 11 innings. He finishes the season 3-5, pitching 52.1 innings and 56 strikeouts.
CAREER FIRST...
Junior Kayzell Milton, who continues to amaze following full recovery from cancer two years ago, showed some rare power against Gonzaga. Milton, who had 21 hits on the season earned his first home run of his career in game one against the Bulldogs. He finished the week against Santa Clara going 2-for-4 (.500) with a run scored. Against Portland and Long Beach State, Milton finished the week hitting 3-for-9 (.333) with a double and a run scored. He had his third straight week hitting better than .300 with a 3-for-10 effort against Saint Mary's. In the final four games of the season, Milton hit .375 (3-for-8) with a double and four RBI. He finishes his junior campaign hitting .266. He finished conference play hitting .362.
Cruz Helps Team USA to Memorable Summer
Loyola Marymount University head baseball coach Frank Cruz became a major frequent flyer this summer. The fifth-year head coach of the Lions was asked to be an assistant coach for the USA National Baseball team this summer, which took him to almost every corner of the world, finishing the tour in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Similar to what he has done with the Lions' program in leading them to three consecutive West Coast Conference titles, Team USA found unparalleled success this summer. Cruz was part of the USA National Team's win over Cuba, 8-5, to claim the championship of the Baseball Week Tournament in Haarlem, The Netherlands Sunday. The win was the second for the National Team over Cuba in four days after defeating the Cubans 9-1. Cruz helped Team USA finish the 2000 Red, White and Blue Tour with a 27-3-1 record, including a 6-0 mark in the tournament. Team USA closed the season with a 21-game unbeaten streak dating to July 7th, which included 20 wins and one tie. The Americans won its last eight games in a row. Cuba dropped to 4-2 in the tournament, with their only losses coming to the USA. The victory gives the National Team a .900 winning percentage, the best in team history. The 1984 team, featuring future Major League All-Stars McGwire, Barry Larkin, Will Clark and B.J. Surhoff, was 37-5-1, for an .881 winning percentage. Cruz and the LMU Lion's program has seen similar success in owning the WCC the past three seasons. In 2000, the Lions posted a 22-8 record in the WCC and 40-19 overall. The team featured six future MLB draft picks and ranked third all-time for victories in a season. Entering his fifth season at LMU, Cruz has posted a 128-109-1 record and has earned two WCC Coach of the Year honors (1998 & 2000).
WCC Three-Peat...
The Lions did not make the WCC Championship for the first time since its inception two years ago and the WCC will see a new conference champion for the first time since 1997. Ranked #16 at the time, the Loyola Marymount Lions captured their third straight West Coast Conference Championship with a 6-2 win over Pepperdine University at Page Stadium in game two of the WCC baseball championships. Junior right fielder Jason Aspito led the Lions offensively with his 10th home run of the season. He finished the game 2-for-4, scoring two runs and driving in three RBIs. RHP Michael Schultz went the distance for LMU, he gave up just two runs on four hits while fanning five batters for his ninth win of the season. After using a solid pitching performance from junior Billy Traber to take game one in the best-of-three series, the Lions turned the pitching duties to Schultz. The junior shut down the Waves, going seven before allowing the two runs in the eighth. He closed the game with a perfect ninth to lift the Lions to the title. The Lions took a 1-0 lead in the fifth as Jeff Walker's single drove in Kris Zacuto. The first baseman singled to left with two outs. Schultz faced the minimum in the bottom half to hold the 1-0 lead. LMU broke through in the sixth, scoring three runs thanks to the home run by Aspito. The blast to right that hit the scoreboard scored Scott Walter and Mike Hymes. The Lions added two in the eighth, also with two outs. The rally started with Aspito's single. Aspito scored on Anthony Angel's triple. Angel was driven in by Zacuto's single. For the two game championship series, Angel, the WCC co-Player of the Year, finished 6-for-10 with two doubles, a triple and four RBI.
PIPE LINE TO THE PROS...
The 2000 season produced some of the top prospects in the country, as five Lions were selected in the first 20 rounds of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft. Junior left-handed pitcher Billy Traber, who was named second team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, was the 16th overall pick in the draft, being selected by the New York Mets. Right-hander Michael Schultz, who was also a junior, was selected in the second round with the 69th overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Schultz's and Traber's battery mate, junior Scott Walter, was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the third round with the 74th overall pick. The third team All-America selection was a Johnny Bench Award finalist for the countries best catcher and finished tops in the West Coast Conference with 19 home runs. In the ninth round, the Chicago White Sox selected utility specialist Jason Aspito with the 262nd pick in the 2000 draft. The WCC Co-Player of the Year, senior Anthony Angel, was selected by the Houston Astros in the 14th round as the 427th pick in the 2000 draft. Following the draft, the Arizona Diamondbacks remained committed to the Lions pitching, signing senior Ben Bonilla as a free agent.
LIONS AND THE REGIONALS...
The three-time defending West Coast Conference Champions headed into their third straight Regional appearance as the number three seed and facing Cal State Fullerton in the Lions first game. Behind the efforts of second team All-American Billy Traber, LMU earned its first postseason win since the upset of Stanford in 1998, 6-4 over the number two seeded Titans. Traber's complete game, 13-strikeout performance included two bases loaded jams, coming in the fifth and ninth innings with no outs. In the fifth, after the Titans loaded the bases on a walk, a single and an error, Traber struck out the next three batters to get out of the jam. With a 6-3 lead in the ninth, the Titans again loaded the bases. Traber allowed a run on a sac fly and retired the next two batters on a fly and a ground out for his 10th win of the season. David Maffei's two-run home run in the first inning started a four-run outburst for the Lions in the first two innings of the game. The win allowed the Lions to advance in the winner's bracket against Southern California. USC used a three-run eighth and a five-run ninth to break a 5-5 tie in the top of the eighth for a 13-5 win over the Lions. LMU dropped to 0-3 against the Trojans on the season. The Lions allowed 18 hits in the loss, dropping the Lions to an elimination game against Cal State Fullerton, who defeated Virginia Tech to advance. Michael Schultz went seven and two-thirds innings and picked up his sixth loss of the season. Jeff Walker was an offensive spark for the Lions, finishing the game 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double. Senior Ben Bonilla pitched a complete game for the Lions, but picked up his first loss of the season in a 5-2 defeat to Cal State Fullerton, knocking the Lions out of the NCAA Tournament. Fullerton's Ronnie Corona went eight innings and allowed only four hits and struck out 12 Lions for the win. Kirk Saarloos came in the ninth for the save. The Lions had only five players reach base, as Fullerton advanced to the championship against USC. The Trojans would win the regional to advance to the Super Regional.
19 Years of Baseball at Page Stadium...
Wrapping up its 19th season as the home of Lion baseball, George C. Page Stadium represents one of the finest collegiate baseball facilities in the country. The facility, which has been the site of filming for numerous commercials as well as feature films, is named in honor of George C. Page, president of the Incentive Aid Foundation. Maynard Kambak, father of LMU baseball alumnus Jeff Kambak, assisted Mr. Page in the stadium's construction that was completed in 1983. LMU's historic first game in Page Stadium was played on March 19, 1983, LMU losing to Cal State Fullerton, 5-1. In the 2000 campaign the Lions were an impressive 21-6 at Page Stadium, which was the best winning percentage (.778) in the conference. Since 1997, when Frank Cruz took over the program, LMU has established a 71-45 record at Page, a winning percentage of more than 61 percent. That percentage is also the Lions' overall mark at home in the park's 18 years, as the LMU has posted a 316-201 record (.611). Some of the best years have come in the five conference titles the Lions have won while calling Page Stadium home. They are 168-55 in conference championship years at home. The first Page Stadium conference title came in 1986 when the Lions posted a 24-8 record at home that season. The best record came in 1988, when LMU was 30-4 at home (88 percent).
