March 5, 2003

Los Angeles, Calif. -- For the fourth consecutive week, a Loyola Marymount baseball player has earned West Coast Conference/Rawlings Athlete of the Week honors. LMU designated hitter and left-handed pitcher Joshua Whitesell was named the WCC's Player of the Week.

In a series sweep over San Jose State, Whitesell started each game as the Lions' designated hitter, posting a .600 batting average (6-for-10), with four doubles, five RBI and two runs scored. The junior from Rialto, Calif., also had an on-base percentage of .714 and a slugging percentage of 1.000.

Whitesell's two-RBI double capped a five-run eighth inning to tie the game on Sunday, before LMU's 8-7 victory. Whitesell also made an appearance on the mound for LMU, pitching two innings in the Lions' 7-6 victory over the Spartans on Saturday. He threw two innings, allowing just one run and posted a strikeout to end a bases-loaded rally, preserving a win.

For the past two weeks LMU pitchers have been honored, as Kyle Huddy was named on Feb. 25 and Vincent Cordova earned the honor on Feb. 18, while Lion freshman Chris Pettit was named the WCC Player of the Week on Feb. 11. The Lions (9-5) return to action this weekend when they host UC Santa Barbara for a three-game series. The first game is Friday at 2 p.m. at Page Stadium. The Saturday and Sunday games are scheduled for 1 p.m.

- GO LIONS -