April 3, 2003
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Briefly
The Loyola Marymount University softball swept its doubleheader at UC Riverside last Wednesday afternoon winning Game 1, 8-2 and Game 2, 4-2. Trisha Gomes blasted a three-run home run, her fifth of the year, in the second game. Gomes leads the Lions with a .346 batting average and was selected as the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Player of the Week.
Up Next
The Lions continue their grimacing road schedule that hasn't seen them play at home in over a month. LMU opens up its Pacific Coast Softball Conference games on the road this weekend playing four games at Santa Clara. The Lions and the Broncos will square off in back-to-back doubleheaders this Saturday and Sunday, April 5 & 6. Both contests are scheduled for a 12 p.m. first pitch.
The Pacific Coast Softball Conference - A League Of Their Own
The NCAA Division I Management Council Administrative Committee announced the approval of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference (PCSC) for Division I conference membership in women's softball on October 17, 2002. The inaugural season of PCSC softball is slated to begin on April 5, 2003. Wendy Guthrie, former Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator at the University of San Diego and current professor in the Sport Management Masters program at the University of San Francisco, will serve as Commissioner of the new conference. Dr. Bill Husak, Director of Athletics at Loyola Marymount University, has taken on the role of President of the Conference Officers. The conference is comprised of six schools: California State University- Sacramento, Loyola Marymount University, Portland State University, Saint Mary's College of California, Santa Clara University, and the University of San Diego. Prior to joining the PCSC, the schools were members of the Western Athletic Conference, Western Intercollegiate Softball League, and Big West Conference for softball league play. Sacramento State and Loyola Marymount have been selected by the PCSC Coaches as the preseason favorites to finish first in the 2003 Pacific Coast Softball Conference standings. Sacramento State finished the 2002 season 18-33 overall and 7-17 in Big West Conference play. The Hornets went on to finish their fall season with a record of 7-0, including two victories over defending national champion California. After falling to Santa Clara in the Western Intercollegiate Softball League title game, Loyola Marymount ended its 2002 season with a record of 38-34. The Lions won 16 of their final 20 contests and earned a ranking of No. 8 in the West Region. Portland State earned the third spot in the preseason poll. The Vikings enter the PCSC following an 11-13 run in the Western Athletic Conference. Portland State's 11 conference wins were the most since the team joined the WAC in 2000. The Vikings finished 22-35 overall. Santa Clara was picked to finish fourth in the poll, followed by St. Mary's and San Diego.
Lions Love Extra Time
Extra inning games don't seem to bother the Lions to much. LMU is 4-1 in extra inning games including the most recent 9-7 win over UC Santa Barbara which took nine innings to complete. The Lions one loss beyond regulation came in a 10-inning contest against Sacramento State. Three of the four wins have come by a slime one-run margin.
PCSC Play Begins
The Lions are geared up and ready to kick off their first ever season in the inaugural Pacific Coast Softball Conference (PCSC). LMU is very familiar with three of the five other teams in the conference (San Diego, Saint Mary's) having faced them many times. The Lions know a little about Portland State having been a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) with them in 2001 and 2002. Sacramento State however, is a fairly new opponent for the Lions having faced the Hornets in only one previous doubleheader in 1999. All in all, LMU has posted a 105-72 all-time record in previous encounters against current PCSC schools.
Make-Up Games
The Lions have had three dates cancelled due to rain this year. Two of those were doubleheaders against UC Riverside and Cal Poly. LMU will host UC Riverside in a makeup game at LMU's softball field on Tuesday, April 8 at 2 p.m. The Lions will make up their game against Cal Poly on Wednesday, April 23 at 12 p.m. in San Luis Obispo.
Gomes Named PCSC Player Of The Week
Loyola Marymount junior Trisha Gomes was selected as the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Player of the Week this week. The catcher led LMU to a 2-0 record last week with a 5-for-7 performance at the plate. Gomes went 3-for-4 in Game 1 against UC Riverside, including two doubles. In Game 2 against the Highlanders she was 2-for-3 with the bat. Gomes hit a three-run home run that drove in the eventual game-winning run as the Lions completed the sweep of UCR. She finished the week with an impressive .714 batting average.
Head Coach Gary Ferrin
LMU's all-time winningest coach enters his ninth season with the Lions' program. His all-time coaching record stands at 305-265-1, which includes five straight 30-plus win seasons. He was honored in 2000 as the WAC Coach of the Year and has had just two years in which the Lions have finished below .500.
Broncos Tidbits
Santa Clara University welcomes LMU with an 18-14 overall record. The Broncos have been tough as the home team this season owning a 10-3 mark when batting last. SCU will meet up with No.24 Oregon State before facing the Lions. Jessica Clee leads the Broncos' bats with a .323 batting average. Extra base hits is the name of the game for the Broncos. As a team they have hit 29 doubles, five triples and 16 home runs. Equally as impressive has been SCU' pitching staff who owns a 1.60 ERA. The hurlers are led by Jaime Forman-Lau who has thrown seven shutouts so far. Forman-Lau owns a 12-7 record, a 1.25 ERA and has struck out 153 batters on the season.
Lions vs. Broncos: The Series
The first game of the four this weekend will mark the 49th meeting between the two schools. LMU owns a 26-22 advantage in the all-time series against the Broncos. Most recently, the Lions took 2-of-3 from Santa Clara last year in the Western Intercollegiate Softball League Tournament.
The Long Ball - Record Watch
Sophomore Danielle Kaminaka and junior Sami Strinz are in fighting for the title of all-time home run leader at LMU. Kaminaka has hit seven home runs, while Strinz has hit five so far this season. They are No.1 and 2 in the record book with 16 and 15 career home runs, respectively. Also getting into the mix is junior Trisha Gomes. Gomes has hit five home runs this season, including a three-run homer against UC Riverside (Mar.26), placing her third on the list.
