April 28, 2003

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BRIEFLY... After being swept by West Coast Conference rival Santa Clara this past weekend, LMU will look to get back on the winning track when the Lions travel to UCLA on Tuesday, before heading to San Diego this weekend. LMU has dropped 11 of its last 12 games after sweeping Saint Mary's April 4-6. The Lions are 22-23 overall, 9-12 in the WCC.

OPPONENT RUN DOWN... The Lions will travel to UCLA, Tuesday after downing the Bruins 9-0 on March 4. In that game, LMU's Kyle Huddy threw a complete-game shutout, while Carl Stoeber went 2-for-5 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored for the Lions. UCLA is 19-25, 5-7 in the Pacific 10 Conference after taking two-of-three games at No. 4 Arizona State and dropping an 11-1 decision to No. 1 Cal State Fullerton last Tuesday. The Bruins had this weekend off and are led by Brett McMillan's .362 batting average, while Preston Griffin has a team-high eight home runs and 34 RBI. UCLA has a .285 team batting average, with a 5.87 team ERA. The Bruins will start right-handed junior Casey Janssen (3-5, 7.28) against LMU.

UP NEXT... LMU will look to get back into the conference race when the Lions travel to West Division leader San Diego. The Toreros dropped two-of-three games at Gonzaga this past weekend and will enter Friday's game with LMU at 23-27 overall, 12-12 in the WCC. San Diego has already claimed two of the three games over the Lions at Page Stadium this season, taking 7-4 and 4-1 decisions on Friday and Saturday, before dropping the finale 9-2. USD is hitting .290 on the season, led by Joey Prast's .373 clip. Prast also leads the Toreros with 10 home runs and 52 RBI, while the pitching staff sports a 5.66 earned run average. USD has a projected starting rotation of right-handed pitchers Kyle Collins (6-4, 4.17) and Aaron Wilson (3-6, 5.18) on Friday and Saturday, respectively, followed by southpaw Justin Blaine (2-4, 4.44) on Sunday.

CRUZ NEARING MILESTONES... LMU head coach Frank Cruz has posted 193 career victories heading into Tuesday's game with Long Beach State. With one more win, Cruz will pass former Pepperdine skipper Wayne Wright for 12th place for all-time victories at a WCC school. Cruz, a three-time WCC Coach of the Year, is tied with former Saint Mary's coach Miles McAfee and former USF skipper Ken Bowman with 104 conference wins. When Cruz earns his 200th win, he will become just the second Lion head coach to do so, trailing only Marv Wood's (1970-84) 371 wins.

OLLER NAMED WCC & LMU PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR MARCH... LMU's Jonathan Oller was named both the Loyola Marymount University male student-athlete and the West Coast Conference/Rawlings Player of the Month for March. During the month, Oller registered outstanding power numbers, hammering a conference leading nine homeruns, including a pair of grand slams, while also pacing the league in RBI with 26. The sophomore amassed a slugging percentage of .855 and scored a team-high 17 runs, while earning two WCC/Rawlings Player of the Week awards. Oller also led Lion regulars in batting average, hitting at a .391 clip.

LIONS POST PAIR OF TOP-10 WINS... This season, the Lions downed a pair of top-10 opponents. On April 1, the Lions pounded No. 8 Long Beach State 11-6 at Blair Field. Three Lions posted three hits, with Joshua Whitesell hitting a home run and two doubles, as LMU had a 49er opponent season-high 18 hits. LMU's win over the Beach was one of three WCC victories over top opponents this week, as Pepperdine downed No. 2 Cal State Fullerton and San Francisco beat No. 4 Stanford. On March 19, LMU earned a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over No. 5 Cal State Fullerton. Jonathan Higashi had two RBI, including the game-winner. The Fullerton win was the biggest upset for LMU since downing No. 2 USC on Feb. 20, 2001. The last win over the No. 5 team in the nation was when the 1986 College World Series team downed LSU in Omaha.

HIGASHI NAMED TO JOHNNY BENCH WATCH LIST... LMU catcher Jonathan Higashi was listed among 32 players named to the watch list for the 2003 Johnny Bench Award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate catcher. Ten semifinalists will be selected from those on the watch list and announced on May 20; a national panel will then select three finalists, who will be announced June 2 prior to the College World Series. The winner will be announced at the 6th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet in Wichita, Kan.

LIONS SWEEP WCC HONORS... The West Coast Conference office announced on March 18 that the Lions swept the weekly honors. For second consecutive week, LMU's Jonathan Oller was named the WCC's Player of the Week, while pitcher Vincent Cordova won his second WCC Pitcher of the Week honor, as well. In a three-game sweep of Portland, Oller hit four homeruns, including a pair of grand slams. He was six-for-12 during the sweep, with 11 RBI and 18 total bases for a slugging percentage of 1.500. Cordova pitched a complete-game shutout, as LMU downed the Pilots 6-0 on March 14. In his first complete-game shutout of his career, Cordova allowing just five hits, while striking out nine and walking only one. LMU won seven of the first 12 weekly conference honors of the season.

CONFERENCE SWEEPS... The Lions started the West Coast Conference slate with a three-game sweep of Portland. The Lions outscored Portland 35-7 in the sweep. LMU allowed just six earned runs (2.00 ERA), while posting a .357 batting average with 41 hits. It was LMU's first conference series sweep since downing Gonzaga for three straight, May 11-13, 2001. The Lions earned their second conference sweep, downing Saint Mary's, April 4-6.

OLLER NAMED WCC POW... LMU's Jonathan Oller was named the WCC's co-Player of the Week on March 12. Oller posted a .529 average (9-for-17) while starting all four games for the Lions at third base and in leftfield. Oller hit a home run to help LMU beat UCSB on March 9, while scoring runs scored, driving in three RBI and posting an on-base percentage of .556 for the Lions in the four games. Oller shared the honor with San Francisco's Armand Gaerlan.

WHITESELL NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY... LMU designated hitter and left-handed pitcher Joshua Whitesell was tabbed as the West Coast Conference/Rawlings Player of the Month for February. Whitesell posted a .371 batting average (13-for-35) in the month of February, second highest on the team. He had seven doubles and two homeruns, with 11 RBI in the month. The junior from Rialto, Calif., also made two appearances on the mound as one of only two left-handed LMU pitchers.

Huddy Throws Complete Game Shutout... After being named the WCC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 25, Kyle Huddy followed up a one-hit five-inning 12-4 victory over Cal State Northridge, with a complete-game shutout of UCLA, winning 9-0. Huddy thew nine innings, allowing four hits (two in the first inning), while striking out eight and walking just one. It was the first LMU complete-game shutout since Lion senior Justin Abreu blanked UC Santa Barbara 2-0, on May 9, 2000. The last complete-game shutout in Page Stadium by a LMU pitcher was March 24, 1996, when Lucas Fitzgerald downed Portland 3-0, allowing just two hits in nine IP.

Whitesell Earns WCC POW... LMU designated hitter and left-handed pitcher Joshua Whitesell was named the WCC's Player of the Week on March 4. In a series sweep over San Jose State, Whitesell posted a .600 batting average (6-for-10), with four doubles, five RBI and two runs scored. He 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 allowed just one run and posted a strikeout to end a bases-loaded rally.

Late Inning Heroics Hands LMU First Sweep of Season... Heading into the bottom of the ninth inning versus San Jose State on Saturday, March 1, LMU had been outscored 31-4 in the eighth and ninth innings combined during the season. What happened in their next 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.

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 led the Lions in hits (6) and total bases (8) for the week.

Offensive Explosion... The Lions posted a 14-2 victory at Portland on March 16. In the win over the Pilots, LMU posted 16 hits as 16 different Lions had a plate appearance, including a pair of pitchers, while all eight starting position players recorded a hit. Third baseman Jonathan Oller hit two homeruns, including a grand slam, to go along with his five RBI. LMU's Carl Stoeber went 3-for-4, with a run and a RBI. The 12-run victory was preceded by a equally dominating 15-5 win over the Pilots. The Lions posted a team-high 19 hits during a March 11th victory over Cal State Northridge.

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 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 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 four starting pitchers back from last season. Senior Justin Abreu will join juniors Vincent Cordova and Joshua Muecke and sophomore Kyle Huddy in the team'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. This season, Huddy is 4-3 as a starter, including a complete-game shutout against UCLA.

WHAT A RETURN... After suffering a shoulder injury in 2001, senior Justin Abreu posted one of the come-back-of-the-year stories, earning the Rawlings/WCC Pitcher of the Month honors in March, last season. In 23.0 innings pitched, Abreu allowed just six earned runs on 21 hits. His opponents hit just .247 against him in March. He was even tougher with runners on base, allowing just six hits in 40 at-bats, a .150 batting average. He finished the 2002 campaign with a 5-5 record and the lowest ERA on the team at 5.76.

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 five LMU rookies have made an immediate impact. Chris Pettit and James Cooper have both started 41 games in the outfield, while Kyle Mura has started 15 games in the infield. Both Pettit and Cooper rank among the team's leaders in both hits and batting average. Freshmen pitchers Jeff Stevens and Stephen Kahn have also been crucial to the Lions success. They have combined to win five games, with five saves, while striking out 75 in just 62.2 IP. Last season, sophomores Joe Frazee and Sean Smith were named Freshman All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball. Including Smith, four Lions have earned WCC Freshman of the Year in the past six seasons.

PIPE LINE TO THE PROS... LMU's pipe line to the pros continues as former LMU All-American Billy Traber was named to the opening day roster of the Cleveland Indians. Traber, who was named second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, was the 16th overall pick, being selected by the New York Mets, before being traded to the Indians. 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. In addition to Traber, 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.

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, with 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 98-76 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 343-230-1 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. 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.