March 4, 2003

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BRIEFLY... Winners of eight of its last nine, Loyola Marymount will turn its attention to UCLA, this afternoon. After sweeping San Jose State in a three-game series this past weekend, the Lions will play the fourth game of a seven-game homestand for the Lions. LMU is 8-5 overall this season, but 6-1 at home. After dropping their home-opener to Washington on Feb. 14, the Lions won five consecutive games, which included a pair over the Huskies, a midweek game over Cal State Northridge and the opening two games against Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. The last time LMU had won five straight games was to close the 2001 season.

OPPONENT RUN DOWN... The Bruins of UCLA enter Tuesday's game with a 10-10 overall mark, after posting a 2-1 record and a second place finish at the Kia Baseball Bash in Fullerton. UCLA crushed defending national champion Texas 13-2, before downing powerhouse Tulane, 12-2. The Bruins fell to host Cal State Fullerton 7-1 in the title game. The Bruins will start Hector Ambriz (0-3, 5.82). UCLA is led by Chris Denove, who has a .362 batting average and 18 RBI, and Preston Griffin, who leads the team with four homers to go along with 15 RBI.

Late Inning Heroics Hands LMU First Sweep of Season... Heading into the bottom of the ninth inning of last Saturday's game with San Jose State, LMU had been outscored 31-4 in the eighth and ninth innings combined in the season. What happened in their last three late-inning at-bats would hand the Lions their first series sweep since downing Gonzaga for three straight, May 11-13, 2001. LMU scored three runs in the ninth inning on Saturday and six runs in the eighth and ninth frames Sunday to post 7-6 and 8-7 come-from-behind victories. Sean Smith and Matt White drove in the winning RBI, respectively.

Up Next... The Lions will conclude its seven-game homestand with a weekend series with UC Santa Barbara. LMU will welcome the Gauchos (8-9 overall) to Page Stadium for three games starting Friday at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday's games will begin at 1 p.m.

Near No-No Earns WCC Honor... Against Cal State Northridge, Kyle Huddy did not surrender a hit until there was one out in the fifth inning. After hitting the first batter he faced, Huddy retired the next 13 batters he faced and left the game following the fifth inning, striking out six without issuing a walk. Huddy then retired the final four Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo hitters to earn his first save of the season on Feb. 22. His efforts earned him LMU's third consecutive West Coast Conference weekly honor, as Huddy was named the WCC/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 25. For the week, Huddy allowed just three hits and one run, limiting the opposition to a .107 batting average. Huddy also struckout 11 batters, while issuing just one walk.

Cordova earns WCC Nod... LMU junior right-hander Vincent Cordova was tabbed as the West Coast Conference/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 18. Cordova, was spectacular in the Lions' 5-3 win over Washington last Saturday. The Whittier, CA native scattered four hits over six innings, walked only two and struck out five Huskies. The win was Cordova's first on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.45. Cordova earned honorable mention All-WCC in 2002 after posting a team-best record of 8-4. Prior to this season, Baseball America tabbed Cordova as its pick for WCC Pitcher of the Year and to be selected to the all-conference team. Cordova was also considered the fifth best Major League prospect in the league.

Pettit earns WCC POW... Freshman Chris Pettit was named the WCC/Rawlings Player of the Week, on Feb. 11. The rookie from San Dimas, CA shared the honor with Pepperdine's Chris Kelly. Pettit started all three games against California, going 6-for-12 with a triple and two RBI. He also had a slugging percentage of .667, while making four putouts with a 1.000 fielding percentage. Pettit also leads the Lions in hits (6) and total bases (8).

Offensive Explosion... The Lions have scored seven or more runs in five of their last seven games, including a 12-4 victory against Cal State Northridge. In the win over the Matadors, LMU posted 12 hits as 18 different Lions had a plate appearance. First baseman Carl Stoeber was 2-for-4 with a triple and six RBI, to go along with his first career home run. LMU's Joe Frazee went 3-for-3.

LMU Picked to Win WCC's West Division by Baseball America... The LMU baseball team was been picked by Baseball America to finish second in the West Coast Conference and to win the league's West Division. The Lions were also selected to place second and to win their division in the WCC Coaches Preseason Poll. LMU right-handed pitcher Vince Cordova (8-4, 6.52) is the publication's pick for WCC Pitcher of the Year and to be selected to the all-conference team. Left-handed pitcher Josh Muecke (2-5, 6.10) joined Cordova as a preseason WCC pick for the all-conference team. Cordova was considered the fifth best prospect, while Muecke was 10th. All-WCC performer Jonathan Higashi was selected as the best defensive catcher, while freshman right-handed pitcher Stephen Kahn was listed as the fourth-best newcomer. Kahn was an eighth-round Major League draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers, but decided to play for LMU.

STARTING ROTATION SET... The Lions have their top three starting pitchers back from last season. Senior Justin Abreu will join juniors Vince Cordova and Josh Muecke in the weekend's rotation. Cordova had an impressive campaign in WCC play last season earning honorable mention. He earned eight wins to lead the Lions. Abreu led last year's squad with the lowest earned run average, while Muecke paced the team in strikeouts. The three lead LMU in earned run average and have a combined 3.13 ERA in their 12 starts. They have allowed just 24 earned runs in 69.0 IP, with 46 strikeouts and just 23 walks. For the season, the three have a combined 4-1 record.

2002 Season... After finishing the 2002 campaign with a record of 22-34, which included 18 games against ranked opponents, the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) baseball team finished the 2002 campaign with a record of 22-34, which included 18 games against ranked opponents. The Lions non-conference schedule was rated as the toughest in the country and featured seven teams that were ranked at some point in the 2002 season. The Lions finished the West Coast Conference at 15-15, posting a seven-game turnaround from the 2001 season with just two seniors on the roster.

LOCKIN EARNS ALL-AMERICA... Junior Billy Lockin continued to add to his list of honors following a breakout season in 2002. The Lion shortstop was named first-team All-America by Jewish Sports Review. Lockin was also a first-team West Coast Conference selection. Lockin led the team with a .371 average as a sophomore, which ranked sixth in the WCC in 2002. His .439 on base percentage led all Lions and was eighth in the conference. He was also second in the league with 82 hits on the season, including his first career home run. Lockin added 15 doubles, two triples, 45 runs scored and 38 RBI. He had 27 multiple hit games and finished the season on a 10-game hitting streak. Lockin became one of the Lions' biggest threats on the base paths stealing 15 bases, which ranked second in the WCC. As one of the first true leadoff hitters at LMU in a decade, Lockin started at the leadoff spot in 52 of the Lions' 56 games, hitting .483 in that position

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR (AGAIN)... Sophomore Sean Smith, a local product from Culver City High School, became the Lions' fourth WCC Freshman of the Year winner in the past six seasons and was a first-team All-Conference selection. He finished the season hitting .320 in anchoring the middle of the Lions' infield. He finished sixth in the West Coast Conference with a .404 average against WCC opponents. He was second with 11 multiple RBI games. In the month of March, Smith went on a torrid pace, earning back-to-back Rawlings WCC Player of the Week honors on March 18 and then again on March 25. He was the only player in the WCC to win the honor in consecutive weeks. He started in all but two games for the Lions all season and finished with 11 doubles, a triple and three home runs. His 41 RBI was third on the squad. He was just as impressive defensively all season as he was at the plate. Smith finished flawless at second base in conference play. In 168 chances against WCC opponents Smith finished with 88 putouts, 80 assists and no errors, which was tops in the WCC.

FAB FROSH... The tradition of impressive Lion freshmen appears to be in tact as three LMU rookies have made an immediate impact. Chris Pettit has started all 13 LMU games, while Kyle Mura and James Cooper started six and 10 games at third base and rightfield, respectively. They are a combined .357 (35-of-98), with Pettit posting the team's top two average (.383). Last season, sophomore Joe Frazee from Carlsbad, Calif., finished his freshman season of collegiate baseball hitting .335 (61-for-182), including a .383 clip in the West Coast Conference. He finished ranked third among consistent starters on the 2002 squad and during the middle of the season had a 20-game hitting streak. For their efforts, Sean Smith was named a first-team Freshman All-America by Collegiate Baseball, while Frazee was named honorable mention.

PIPE LINE TO THE PROS... LMU's pipe line to the pros continues as pitchers C.J. Wilson and James Clelland were both selected by teams in the 2001 Major League Baseball draft. 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 six 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. Left-handed pitcher Billy Traber, who was named second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, was the 16th overall pick, being selected by the New York Mets. Right-hander Michael Schultz 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.

IN THE NUMBERS... The Lions finished the 2002 season with a 12-12 record at Page Stadium and 10-22 on the road. The vast difference is in the numbers. At home, the Lions hit .370 in the hitter-friendly Page Stadium, while opponents hit .352. On the road their opponents hit .329 and the Lions dropped all the way to .269, more than a 100 point difference. In addition, the Lions opponent's ERA went from 3.96 at their home parks to 8.29 when at Page Stadium. This season the Lions are 6-1 at home and 2-4 on the road. LMU is averaging 7.7 runs per every home game, while managing just 4.8 on the road.

20+ YEARS AT PAGE STADIUM... LMU opens its 21st season with George C. Page Stadium as its home. 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 is named in honor of George C. Page, president of the Incentive Aid Foundation. LMU's historic first game in Page Stadium was played on March 19, 1983. 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 89-68 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 21 years, as LMU has posted a 334-222-1 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 league championship years at home.

THE MIKOS MONSTER... Thanks to a gift from Paul Mikos, a new left field wall was installed at Page Stadium last season 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.