March 28, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - THIS WEEK

THE SCHEDULE
Games 25-28
LMU Lions vs. Portland Pilots
Friday, Mar. 28, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. at Portland's Joe Etzel Field
Saturday, Mar. 29, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. at Portland's Joe Etzel Field
Sunday, Mar. 30, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. at Portland's Joe Etzel Field
LMU Lions vs. Cal State Fullerton Titans
Tuesday, Apr. 1, 2008 at 3 p.m. at LMU's Page Stadium

LIONS' ALL-ACCESS
Check out LMU baseball on Lions' All-Access. LMU's Tyler Geivett and a host of other LMU broadcasters will have the call. Thanks to an agreement with CSTV, more than 150 LMU Athletics events will air live via the internet again this season. Every baseball game will be broadcast over the Internet free of charge on LMULions.com.

LMU ON THE WEB
Get the latest in LMU sports news via the official home of LMU athletics on the Internet. Visit www.LMULions.com 24-hours a day for scores, stats, features, photos and up-to date news releases on every intercollegiate sport. Listen live to all the action from Lions' All-Access and follow the game through GAMETRACKER.

BRIEFLY
The Lions will open West Coast Conference play this weekend in Portland, Ore. after an outstanding performance over the last week. With the conference season comes a guaranteed three-game weekend series for the first time this year. LMU will square-off against Portland on Friday at 3 p.m. before taking on the Pilots at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

LAST WEEK
The Lions are coming off a 3-1 week last week, traveling to Northridge, Calif. on Saturday to play the final two games of a four-game series against the Matadors. LMU hit five home runs, including two by sophomore Angelo Songco, en route to splitting the Saturday doubleheader. LMU took game one by a count of 9-4 before falling in game two, 10-3. Songco, Ryan Wheeler and T.J. Bernardy each collected two hits, including a home run apiece, to lead the Lion offense in game one. Junior Mike Kenney got the start and the victory in the game, tossing six and two-thirds innings and allowing four runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out three batters. LMU got offense early in game two, with Andy Preston collecting his third home run of the year in the top of the first. Kyle Spraker, who had his five-game hitting streak snapped in game one, was back to his old ways in game two, finishing 3-for-5 with a RBI. Freshman Martin Viramontes was saddled with the loss after pitching four and a third innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and one walk while striking out three batters. Following Easter Sunday, LMU hosted USC on Monday, recording its first victory of the season when the team trails after seven innings. LMU used four runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to defeat USC by a count of 11-10. The Lions trailed by as many as six runs in the game. Freshman Jonathan Johnson had the game-winning hit, singling into left field to push the final two runs across for LMU in the eighth. Preston led the Lions offensively, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a RBI and a double. Five Lion hitters collected two hits in the game, with shortstop Spraker finishing 2-for-3 with a run scored, a double and three RBI. Songco batted 2-for-5 with two RBI, while Wheeler went 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk and three runs scored. Seniors Michael Glomb and A.J. LaMonda completed the multi-hit performers for LMU, after Glomb batted 2-for-4 with a RBI and three runs scored and LaMonda finished 2-for-6 with two RBI and a run scored. The Lions completed the season series sweep of the Trojans on Tuesday night, beating USC at Dedeaux Field. LMU scored eight runs on 10 hits and received a quality pitching effort en route to defeating USC by a score of 8-2 on Tuesday. Senior Andy Beal got the start for the Lions, pitching six and a third innings and allowing just two runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out three batters to improve to 2-2 on the year. Wheeler paced the Lion offense, finishing 4-for-5 with a double and a RBI. Bernardy also collected a double in the victory, batting 2-for-3 with a run scored, a walk and a RBI.

NEAR THE TOP OF BOYD'S WORLD
LMU's schedule and success so far has resulted in high rankings according to Boyd's World. The Lions currently rank 22nd in Iterative Strength Ratings (ISR), which is essentially how tough a schedule looks today based on past results of the opponents and how LMU has fared thus far. In addition, LMU places 29th in Ratings Power Index (RPI), the official NCAA measure of team quality used by the tournament selection committee, and third in Strength of Schedule (SOS), which takes into account the results and success of LMU's opponents this season. LMU is tops in the West Coast Conference in all categories except ISR, where San Diego (16th), Pepperdine (19th) and Santa Clara (21st) have the advantage.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING
Four Lion hitters are currently riding hit streaks headed into the weekend series against Portland. Senior Michael Glomb (eight games), sophomore Will Dugoni (seven games), senior A.J. LaMonda (five games) and sophomore Angelo Songco (four games) will all look to extend their streaks this weekend. Glomb is batting .429 (12-for-28) with nine runs scored, five RBI, a double and two walks over the streak. Dugoni totes a .474 average (9-for-19) with seven runs scored, a walk, two stolen bases and five RBI over the seven games. LaMonda, who has been an offensive leader throughout 2008, is 8-for-23 (.348) with two runs scored, two walks and three RBI over his hitting streak. Songco carries a .316 mark (6-for-19) with three runs scored, two home runs and four RBI over the span. Senior Andy Preston, who had his 11-game hitting streak snapped on Tuesday at USC, finished the span batting .455 (20-for-44) with eight runs scored, five doubles, three home runs, three walks, three hit-by-pitches and 15 RBI.

A LEADER IN LaMONDA
In addition to his five-game hitting streak, senior A.J. LaMonda has recorded a team-high 11 multiple hit games this season, including the only five-hit game for the Lions this year. LaMonda collected the career-high five hits against USD on March 9, finishing 5-for-6 with two runs scored, a triple and four RBI. Hitting out of the leadoff spot on the day, he became the first Lion to collect five hits in a game since Billy Lockin did so on March 24, 2002 versus San Francisco. The senior first baseman and outfielder currently ranks first in hits (33), RBI (18), triples (1) and sacrifice flies (2), second in runs scored (16), total bases (43) and stolen bases (4), and third in batting average (.330) and walks (8).

TOUGH WITH TWO OUT
LMU as a team is batting .292 (81-for-277) with two outs in an inning this season. Will Dugoni is batting an unbelievable .778 (7-for-9) with two outs this year, followed by A.J. LaMonda at .406 (13-for-32). Ollie Enos and Andy Preston round-out the top-four in the situation, posting marks of .385 (10-for-26) and .364 (8-for-22), in that order. Moreover, Dugoni is 3-for-4 (.750) with four RBI with runners in scoring position and two outs in an inning. Enos is batting .533 (8-for-15) in that situation, while Ryan Wheeler posts an impressive mark of .500 (6-for-12) as well. LaMonda connects at a .375 clip (6-for-16). Enos and LaMonda have cashed-in on the most RBI in the situation, collecting seven apiece, followed by Wheeler at five.

KEEP THE "WHEELS" TURNING
Sophomore Ryan Wheeler batted .476 (10-for-21) with six runs scored, two doubles, a triple and a home run to help guide the Lions to a 4-1 record over the last week. The native of Torrance, Calif. collected four RBI and a team-leading 17 total bases over the span. Wheeler hit safely in four of the five games, including multiple hits in all four. Wheeler finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double and a stolen base on Thursday, 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored on Saturday in game one against CSUN, 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk and three runs scored on Monday against USC, and 4-for-5 with a double and a RBI on Thursday. The four-hit performance on Tuesday matched a career-high, which was set earlier this season against then No. 12 Oregon State on March 7. Wheeler currently leads the team in runs scored at 18, is second in RBI with 17 and is third in hits with 28. In addition to his impressive numbers with two out in an inning, Wheeler is also hitting .350 (21-for-60) against right-handed pitching, .429 (9-for-21) as a leadoff hitter in an inning and .326 (14-for-43) with runners on base.

THE DIG ON DUGONI
Sophomore Will Dugoni has made the most of his opportunities this season. The Fremont, Calif. has earned the last six straight starts at second base, collecting a hit in his last seven games played as well. Over the six-game span, Dugoni leads the Lion offense in batting average, toting a .444 mark at 8-for-18 with seven runs scored, five RBI and two stolen bases.

TICKING TIME "GLOMB"
Senior Michael Glomb has raised his batting average from .250 to .333 over the last eight games, collecting a hit in all eight along the way. Included in the eight-games are four games with two hits, guiding Glomb to an impressive .429 batting average (12-for-28) and team-best nine runs scored over the span. Glomb, who has been an outstanding defender throughout his four-year career at LMU, has also contributed in the field in 2008, taking over the starting duties at third base and playing stellar defense.

STELLAR SITUATIONAL STATISTICS
In addition to the .292 mark with two outs in an inning, LMU is posting some impressive numbers in a variety of other situations this year. The Lions are batting .312 (128-for-410) with runners on base, .441 (15-for-34) with the bases loaded, and are putting the leadoff hitter in an inning on base at a .354 clip (74-for-209). With runners in scoring position, LMU is 79-for-269 (.294). The Lions post a mark of .600 (42-for-70) in at bats with a runner on third and less than two outs in a frame. On the defensive side, LMU pitching is allowing hitters just a .202 mark (25-for-124) with runners in scoring position and two outs. With the bases loaded, Lion pitching is equally impressive, allowing only four hits in 21 at bats (.190).

PRESS ON, PRESTON
Senior first baseman and designated hitter Andy Preston is proving to be one of the most consistent hitters in the Lion lineup. The left-handed hitter leads the squad in batting average at .378, slugging percentage at .595 and on base percentage at .471. In addition, Preston ranks first in total bases (44) and walks (10), second in home runs (3), and third in RBI (16), hits (28) and doubles (7). Preston had one of the best games of all the Lions on March 9 vs. USD. The left-handed hitter batted 4-for-6 with a career-high six RBI, four of which came on a grand slam in the six-run ninth inning. Preston became the first hitter to collect five or more RBI in a game since Elvis Herrera collected five on April 13, 2007 at Saint Mary's. In addition, the Hutchinson, Kan. native was the first hitter to hit a grand slam since A.J. LaMonda did so on May 29, 2005 versus Pepperdine.

SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST
LMU has outscored opponents 16-5 in ninth innings this season. The Lions also hold an advantage over their opponents in the first (10-7), fifth (16-15), sixth (17-16), seventh (28-18) and eighth (8-6) innings. The second (21-16), third (16-12) and fourth (29-24) favor the opponents. In total, LMU has outscored opponents by a count of 147-133.

SCOUTING PORTLAND
The Portland Pilots, coached by Chris Sperry (11th year at Portland), are 14-10, last winning, 2-0, on March 21 versus Utah Valley State, recording their first shutout victory of the season. Since then, Portland has lost one game, falling to Washington by a score of 6-5 on March 22. Top hitters for the Pilots include Bryant Kraus (.341, 15 runs scored, four doubles, three home runs, 15 RBI), Riley Henricks (.309, 13 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples, three home runs, 12 RBI) and Danny Meier (.294, 18 runs scored, four doubles, five home runs, 18 RBI). Mark Triolo leads the pitching staff, toting a 2.20 ERA and a 4-0 record in five starts and 32.2 innings pitched. Scott Burris leads the team in relief appearances, contributing 18 innings over 13 appearances to the tune of a 1.00 ERA. In 2007, the Pilots finished 21-30 overall, 7-14 (7th) in the West Coast Conference.

TITAN TIDBITS
The Cal State Fullerton Titans, coached by Dave Serrano (first year at Fullerton), are 13-8, last winning, 6-3, on March 25 against No. 14 USD, snapping San Diego's 10-game winning streak. The Titans have won four straight games and five of their last six as they enter Big West play against defending Big West Champion, UC Riverside, this weekend. Top hitters for Fullerton include Josh Fellhauer (.410, 19 runs scored, nine doubles, a triple, one home run, 11 RBI), Corey Jones (.352, nine runs scored, one double, one triple, 10 RBI), Jared Clark (.339, 13 runs scored, eight doubles, three home runs, 18 RBI) and Erik Komatsu (.300, 13 runs scored, four doubles, a triple, three home runs, 18 RBI). Daniel Renken leads the starting rotation in ERA, toting a 2.67 mark and a 3-1 record in four starts and 27.0 innings of work. Ryan Ackland and Brian Wilson pace the relief effort, turning in 11 and 12 appearances, respectively. Ackland has not allowed a run in 9.2 innings of relief, striking out eight batters over the span. Wilson has punched-out 11 hitters in 12.0 innings. In 2007, the Titans finished 38-25 overall, 10-11 in the Big West Conference.

THE AZTEC KINGS
Seniors A.J. LaMonda, Andy Beal and Andy Preston were named to the 2008 Aztec Invitational All-Tournament Team, it was announced March 10 at the conclusion of the five-day event. LaMonda was also named Tournament MVP as he helped lead the Lions to a 3-1 record and the Aztec Invitational Tournament Championship. LaMonda and Santa Clara's Ryan Conan shared the honor at first base. The Orange County, Calif. native batted .474 (9-for-19) with three runs scored, a triple, a walk, a stolen base and nine RBI over the four-game span. Preston batted .389 (7-for-18) with a double, four runs scored, a grand slam and seven RBI. Beal pitched six innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out eight batters.

JACK TAKES THE HILL
Loyola Marymount baseball honored one of its newest and most loyal fans when Jack Steinberg tossed out the ceremonial first pitch to kick-off the 2008 season at Page Stadium on February 29. Jack was issued a Lion jersey earlier in the week, and was ready and excited to throw out the pitch on Friday. In a recent writing to the Westchester/Playa Del Rey Hometown News entitled "Follow the Crack of the Bat", Jack's mother, Ivey, detailed Jack's story and how he became associated with LMU baseball. To read the heartfelt column, please visit the following link on the baseball page at lmulions.com: www.lmulions.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/021408aag.html

LMU ON OPENING DAY
Since 2001, LMU has been victorious in five of its eight games on Opening Day, falling this season to Sac State, 11-7. The Lions defeated Cal State Northridge 7-3 in 2001's opener at Page Stadium before defeating UC Santa Barbara on the road to start the 2002 campaign. LMU failed to make it three-straight in 2003, dropping a one-run decision to Cal to open the year. LMU was back to its winning ways in 2004, knocking-off UC Riverside, 5-4, and getting revenge against Cal with a one-run victory in 2005. Starting the 2006 season on the road in Arizona, LMU dropped the first game of the year, 10-5, before rebounding last season with a 9-5 victory over Sac State.

WALLACE WATCHES SONGCO
Outfielder Angelo Songco was named to the 2008 Brooks Wallace Award Preseason Watch List, it was announced in early January. Songco, the reigning WCC Freshman of the Year, 2008 preseason All-Conference selection and 2007 Freshman All-American, earned a spot the prestigious list that will eventually determine the Player of the Year. The left-hand hitting outfielder led LMU in doubles (22), RBI (33), slugging percentage (.528), sacrifice flies (7) and outfield assists (8) last season. In addition, he tied for the lead in triples (3) and was second in batting average (.321), runs scored (36), home runs (4), total bases (102) and walks (30). In WCC play alone, he led the team in batting average (.392), hits (29), doubles (10), slugging percentage (.635) and on-base percentage (.464). The Wallace Award is presented to the nation's top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame's annual induction festivities. The 2008 award banquet will be held Thursday, July 3, in the United Spirit Arena on the campus of Texas Tech.

WCC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
LMU was picked to finish fourth in the WCC 2008 preseason baseball poll, as selected by conference coaches. University of San Diego was chosen to repeat as West Coast Conference champion after receiving the maximum number of points, garnering all seven possible first-place votes and 49 overall points to take first place in the listing. Pepperdine was picked second with 42 overall points, while Santa Clara received the remaining first place vote and checked in at No. 3 in the poll with 32 points. LMU edged out Gonzaga for the fourth place spot, as the Lions received 29 points and the Zags garnered 28 points to grab the No. 5 spot. San Francisco was tabbed for a sixth place finish with 24 points, while Portland and Saint Mary's were picked to finish seventh and eighth with 12 points and eight points, respectively.