March 15, 2002
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BRIEFLY...
The Loyola Marymount University (LMU) baseball program just put the finishing touches on an eight-game road trip that included seven games against teams in the Baseball Weekly Coaches Poll. The Lions will begin a three-game series against the University of Portland in the first of West Coast Conference play for both teams. It will be the Lions first home game since Feb. 26 and just their second in the last 12 contests when the series against the Pilots begins on Friday, March 15 at 2 p.m.
TOUGH STRETCH...
The game against Cal State Fullerton was the fourth straight contest in which the Lions battled a team ranked in the top-25 nationally. The Titans entered the game ranked 17th by the Baseball Weekly Coaches Poll. The Lions just finished a three-game set with Mississippi State, who was ranked 25th in the nation and moved to 24th this week. Prior to the Bulldogs the Lions faced 15th-ranked Arizona State and 17th-ranked Texas. Of the Lions first 21 games this season, 13 were against ranked opponents, including 11 of the last 13. The ranked opponents gives LMU the toughest non-conference schedule in the country.
SCOUTING THE PILOTS...
The University of Portland enters the weekend series against the Lions with a 6-8 record. Like the Lions, it will be the Pilots opening series in West Coast Conference play. The Pilots recently dropped two of three games from Cal Poly and have lost four of their last six. They have played two games in extra innings, a 6-4 11-inning loss to Missouri and a 11-7 win in 10 innings against Pacific. On the season Portland is hitting .285 as a team, led by Matt Hollod with a .423 average. Hollod, one of four players to have started every game this season for Portland, has 22 hits and a team-leading five doubles. His .577 slugging percentage is also tops on the team. Eric Hull, also a 14-game starter, is hitting .368 on the year with 21 hits and four doubles. Kory Casto, another to have started every game, leads the team with 15 RBI and is fourth with a .316 batting average. Pilots' head coach Chris Sperry, in his fifth season at Portland, will send three seniors to the mound against the Lions, Steve Chamberlain, Matt Hollod and Zach Yarbrough. The left-handed Holland has the best record for the Pilots at 2-0. In 15.1 innings he has allowed 11 earned runs for a 6.46 ERA. Both Camberlain and Yarabrough have better ERAs, with Camberlain at 3.42 and Yarbrough at 3.21. As a team they have a 5.80 ERA and opponents are hitting .304 against them.
REMEMBER THE TITANS...
It was a rough two-game series against Cal State Fullerton. The two teams completed the series on Wednesday, as Fullerton came from behind for the second straight game with two outs in the decisive inning to claim the win, 6-5. The two teams entered extra frames tied at 4-4. LMU, who erased a 3-0 deficit to start the game, looked to steal one from the 16th-ranked team in the country. They would start its half of the 10th inning with senior Kris Zacuto's single up the middle. Junior Joe Silva would place a sacrifice bunt to advance Zacuto to second. However, Zacuto was out trying to advance to third. With one out senior Tommy Perez would reach on a hit by pitch with Siva on second base. Freshman Anthony Santana would then single to left field to score Silva to give the Lions their first lead of the game. Titan reliever Martin would get out of the rest of the jam to allow just one run in the inning. Trailing 5-4, heading into the bottom of the 10th, Fullerton rallied with three consecutive two-out hits. Shane Costa blooped a 3-2 pitch to left field to start the rally and Geoff Comfort drilled a triple to left-center field to score Costa with the tying run. Hanley then hit the first pitch he saw over the head of right fielder Brady Koch, a mid-inning defensive replacement, who appeared to misjudge the ball. The rally made a winner of Martin, who allowed a go-ahead single to Santana in the top of the 10th. The rally also extended Fullerton's streak of consecutive wins when leading after seven innings to 60 games. It was the second time this season the Lions have lost a lead to the Titans with two outs in the decisive inning (Fullerton scored three runs in the top of the ninth with two outs in the first meeting on Feb. 19). For the game, Zacuto finished 3-for-4 on the night, while Santana had a career-high three RBI. This was the 63rd meeting since 1976 between Cal State Fullerton and LMU, who were both part of the SCBA in the 1970s and 80s. Fullerton holds a deciding 50-13 edge on the Lions.
LOOKING BACK...
The Lions finished their recent trip to Mississippi State falling in game one, 7-1 and game two, 8-5. They rebounded in game three with a 3-2 win, their first against a top-25 team this season. The first game of the series, the first game ever East of the Mississippi River for LMU, was a four-hit performance by Bulldog pitchers Paul Maholm and Chris Young. Maholm earned the win as senior Kris Zacuto had two of the Lions' hits, including his 54th career double. The second game saw the Lions jump out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and then retake the lead 5-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth. However, MSU's Brent Lewis hit a three-run homer to lift the Bulldogs to the win in the sixth inning. Game three was a pitcher's dual until the end, as sophomore starter Joshua Muecke was solid for the Lions. He pitched six innings, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits while striking out four. Mississippi State starter Joey Collums was just as impressive, going eight innings, allowing just two runs on six hits. Lions' reliever Vincent Cordova was nearly perfect in three innings of relief, allowing just three hits. He would earn the win, going to 2-1 on the season. A walk to freshman Joseph Hendricks would load the bases for freshman Joe Frazee, who was 2-for-2 with two RBI on the afternoon. Lacher would walk Frazee to score Silva for the winning run.
UNUSUAL THREE-BAGGER...
Senior Tommy Perez hit just his third triple of his career against the Longhorns, the first of the season for the Lions. Perez, who is quickly climbing the all-time home run list with 33, had two triples as a junior while hitting 11 home runs. In his sophomore and freshman seasons combined, Perez had 19 home runs and no triples.
DOUBLED-UP...
Senior Kris Zacuto continues to climb up the record books at LMU. With a pair of doubles against UCLA and another against Mississippi State, he has moved a step closer to fourth place on the all-time doubles list at LMU. He is now four shy of David Jones (1976-78) for fourth all-time with 58 doubles in a career at LMU. Zacuto, the only two-time All-West Coast Conference selection on the roster, added his second home run of the season against Texas, giving him 22 in his career, one shy of the all-time top-10. His nine doubles through 20 games has him on pace to finish the season in the top-10 for doubles in a season. The record is 31 set by LMU Hall of Famer Miah Bradbury in the 1989 season. Zacuto is on the pace to finish with 24 doubles. If Zacuto holds this pace, he will finish with 69, three shy of the all-time doubles record of 72 also held by Bradbury. Zacuto's climb up the records is thanks in part to his .333 batting, which is tops on the team this season. He is one of just three players to start every game for the Lions in 2002 (Tommy Perez and Sean Smith). Zacuto's .512 slugging percentage is tops on the team, as is his 15 RBI (tied with Perez).
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. Jenson has made five appearances this season, three as starts. He has a 7.36 ERA with a 1-4 record.
SOLID DEBUT...
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. He has struggled against the nation's top teams, dropping to .207 on the season after the series against Mississippi State. He is still third on the team with 12 RBI and is tied for second with two home runs. He had a game-high 10 putouts against Cal State Fullerton.
A SENIOR LEADER...
Senior Tommy Perez has started his final season at LMU right where he left off in his junior campaign. He was named by the West Coast Conference as its Player of the Week twice, including the honor in the final week of the season on May 15. 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 had 30 home runs in his career heading into the 2002 season, tied for fifth all-time with Jim McAnary. He has already added three this season, putting him at fifth all-time with 33. In addition, his 13 RBI (second on the team) has him at 136 for his career, five shy from cracking the top-10 all-time at LMU. He would tie Tim 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-town 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 was hit by UCLA's Adam Berry on Feb. 11. The first Lion to hit it over the Blue Monster was Tommy Perez against Cal Poly on Feb. 17.
