Feb. 13, 2002
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BRIEFLY...
Loyola Marymount University will play the final four games of their first homestand of the new season at Page Stadium as they host the LMU Baseball Classic, which will feature LMU, the 16th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Cal Poly Mustangs. The Classic will begin with the Lions taking on the Cowboys on Friday, Feb. 15 at 2:00 p.m. OSU will then take on Cal Poly on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. Cal Poly and the Lions will close the Classic with games on both Sunday and Monday. Sunday starts at 1 p.m. and Monday at 2 p.m. The Lions will then wrap up the six-game home stand against 14th-ranked Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, Feb. 19. The Titans will be the Lions third ranked opponent in their first nine games of the season.
CALM BEFORE THE STORM...
The Lions schedule is one of the toughest in the country and as the Lions wrap up their homestand with two ranked opponents, it is just a sign of what is to come. The Lions will go on the road in 11 of their next 12 games. The trip will include three-game series against 19th-ranked Texas, 5th-ranked Arizona State and 21st-ranked Mississippi State. Also in that stretch are return games against both the Bruins and Cal State Fullerton. The lone home game will be San Diego State, the only team in that stretch not receiving votes in the national polls.
SCOUTING THE CLASSIC...
OKLAHOMA STATE...BRIEFLY...The Oklahoma State Cowboys enter the weekend at 2-0 and ranked 16th in the nation by the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Top 25 College Coaches Poll. SOLID START...The Cowboys began their season on a solid note, beating up Prairie View A&M in a doubleheader to start the season. They took game one 33-2 and completed the sweep 21-0. They pounded out 23 and 16 hits, respectively, in the two contests. SCOUTING THE COWBOYS... Oklahoma State played two completely different line-ups in their first two games with no one player playing in two games. Jake Bollig, Toby Rhodes and Josh Fields all went perfect in their starts. Bollig went 4-for-4 with five runs scored, two home runs and eight RBI. Rhodes and Fields each went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. CAL POLY...BRIEFLY...Cal Poly has had a busy early 2002 season, playing in 16 games heading into the LMU Baseball Classic. They are 8-6-1 after losing to Fresno State on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 14-7. The season began with three wins and a tie against Hawaii-Hilo...WCC WOES...Of the Mustangs five loses on the season, three were in a series sweep against the West Coast Conference's San Diego, ranked 22nd by Baseball America. SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS...Junior first baseman Tony Alcantar leads the Mustangs with a .500 batting average (18-for-36). He has two home runs, four doubles and 10 RBI. Sophomore Kyle Wilson leads the team with three home runs. As a team they are hitting .333 and have 11 home runs in 14 games.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK...
Junior right-handed pitcher Kevin Jenson was named the West Coast Conference/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week for Feb. 5 thanks to his 5-0 shutout of UC Santa Barbara in the first game of the 2002 season. The Yuba City native pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits in his debut with the Lions. He struckout four Gauchos and walked just one in the win. Jenson, a transfer from Yuba Community College, claimed the first pitcher of the week honor given in the 2002 season as he earned the Lions first shutout since May 9, 2000, when they blanked UCSB. When the Lions earned the 2-0 shutout in 2000 they had three MLB draft picks on the roster.
STREAKING...
After five games of the new 2002 season, three players have streaked out to earn hits in every game so far this season. Seniors Tommy Perez and Kris Zacuto have earned hits in all five games this season, along with sophomore Jonathan Higashi. With the start of the 2002 season, both Perez and Higashi have extended hitting streaks that started at the end of the 2001 campaign. Higashi last finished a game without a hit on April 27, 2001 against Santa Clara, going 0-for-1. Perez last went hitless against the Broncos on April 29, 2001. For both it puts their hitting streak to 12 games heading into the LMU Baseball Classic. Perez, Higashi and Zacuto all lead the Lions with seven hits.
SOLID DEBUTS...
In his first season of collegiate baseball, freshman Christian Campos stormed out of the gates to finish hitting .455 from the plate in a three-game series against UC Santa Barbara. The outfielder from Modesto, CA, went 5-for-11 (.455) against the Gauchos, earning a hit in all three games. In his first game as a Lion, Campos was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer that helped the Lions to a 5-0 shutout victory. In game two of the series he went 2-for-4 with four RBI in a 8-4 loss. In the final game in the series he went 1-for-4 with a run scored to help the Lions to a series sweep of UCSB. His hit in game three was as double. He finished with a slugging percentage of .818, adding two walks and five putouts from right field. On the season Campos is hitting .278, coming back to earth in LMU's two home games last week. He leads the team with seven RBI and nine total bases.
A YOUTH MOVEMENT...
Frank Cruz headed into the 2002 campaign with possibly his youngest squad in his five previous years at the helm of the program. The Lions roster features 23 players that are underclassman or newcomers to the program. However, the underclassman and some key upperclassman lead the Lions to an impressive finish to 2001 that pushed the Lions to receive first place consideration in the West Coast Conference preseason poll. That group had solid beginnings to the 2002 season, as the Lions go after their fourth WCC title in five years.
* Tommy Perez - A senior who ended his third season with the Lions 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. 2002 - Is hitting .350 (7-for-20) to start the season, earning three RBI.
* Kris Zacuto - A senior 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). He earned his second straight first-team All-Conference award last season and is a preseason All-Conference selection heading into 2002. 2002 - Playing at first base and designated hitter, Zacuto is hitting .318 (7-for-22) with a double and two RBI.
* Billy Lockin - A sophomore who improved throughout his freshman 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 and finished the season with a five-game hitting streak. 2002 - Leads the team with a .500 batting average (5-for-10) with three RBI.
* Jonathan Higashi - Another sophomore who finished his first year of collegiate baseball strong. He 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. Higashi was the Lions' best hitter in fall baseball and enters the 2002 season with a six-game hitting streak. 2002 - He is hitting .333 (7-for-21) with two doubles and four runs scored.
A Quiet Leader...
Senior 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 in 2001, 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 placed him tied for 8th all-time in the LMU history books with Darrel Deak (1988-91). With his double against Cal State Northridge, Zacuto moved into a tie for seventh place with Joe Ciccarella. Zacuto is also one triple shy of the career top-10. Three guys sit at 10th place with eight triples.
A SENIOR LEADER...
As was the Lions' 2001 campaign, senior Tommy Perez's third 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 he 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 were also a team high. He now has 30 home runs in his career, tied for fifth all-time with Jim McAnary. His 123 career RBI has him 18 from cracking the top-10, tieing Time Williams (1988-91) and David Jones (1976-79) with 141 career RBI.
PIPE LINE TO THE PROS...
The 2001 season once again produced prospects for the 2001 Major League Baseball draft. LMU's pipe line to the pros continues to run strong as pitchers C.J. Wilson and James Clelland were both selected by teams. Wilson was selected in the fifth round by the Texas Rangers and Clelland was a free agent by the Montreal Expos. The two signees give the Lions 14 players in the past five seasons who have gone pro. 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 Diamondbacks remained committed to the Lions pitching, signing 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.
20 Years of Baseball at Page Stadium...
Now in its 20th season as the home of Lion Baseball, George C. Page Stadium has established itself as a tough place for opponents. With its newest addition, Page Stadium continues to stake claim as college baseball's most unique ballpark. 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 80-66 record at Page, a winning percentage of more than 55 percent. That percentage is just below the Lions' overall mark at home in the park's 19 years, as LMU has posted a 325-222-1 record (.593). 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).
THE MIKOS MONSTER...
Thanks to a gift from Paul Mikos, a new leftfield wall has been installed at Page Stadium that contains a manual scoreboard, complete with out-of-twon scores reminiscent of some of Major League Baseball's classic ballparks. The Mikos Blue Monster stands 130-feet wide and 37-feet tall. Within the wall is one of only a handful of manual scoreboards in all of baseball. The board itself isn't small, standing 18-feet tall and 46-feet wide. Complete with a line score. The scoreboard will have electronic balls, strikes and outs, along with electronic at-bat and hit/error identification. Every other component will be tallied using 2-foot square aluminum score cards slipped in behind the scoreboard manually. The first ever home run was hit over the wall as LMU took on UCLA on Feb. 11. It was hit by UCLA's Adam Berry.
BRING IT ON...
When reading the 2002 Loyola Marymount University (LMU) baseball schedule, one might confuse it for one of the many national polls that are releases each week. The Lions released their 2002 schedule, which features eight teams in the Collegiate Baseball's top-40 and seven among Baseball America's top-25. On the docket for the 2002 Lions is a home-and-home with No. 4 (Collegiate Baseball) USC (March 19 & April 16), a home contest against No. 10 Oklahoma State (Feb. 15), a three-game road trip to No. 15 Texas (Feb. 22-24) and a home-and-home with Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 19 & March 13). The Lions also have three-game road trips to both No. 20 Arizona State (March 1-3) and No. 23 Mississippi State (March 8-10), while playing home-and-home games with No. 33 Cal State Northridge (Feb. 5 & Mary 14) and No. 37 Long Beach State (April 9 & April 30). Once those are out of the way, the Lions will still have a three-game road series with UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 31-Feb. 2), who advanced to the NCAA Regionals a year ago, a home-and-home with perennial top-25 program UCLA (Feb. 11 & March 5), a pair of games against Cal Poly (Feb. 17-18) and a home game against the Mountain West Conference's second place team, San Diego State (Feb. 26). That is just the Lions' non-conference schedule. The eight ranked teams is among the most on any schedule on the west coast and the nation. The Lions will look to earn its seventh overall conference title and fourth in five years in the West Coast Conference.
