May 8, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - THIS WEEK

THE SCHEDULE
Games 49-51
LMU Lions vs. Arizona State Sun Devils
Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at ASU's Packard Stadium
Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. at ASU's Packard Stadium
Monday, May 12, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. at ASU's Packard 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
After completing finals earlier in the week, LMU will take a break from conference play this weekend as they visit No. 3 Arizona State at ASU's Packard Stadium on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday's game is slated for 7 p.m. while Sunday and Monday will both be played at 6 p.m. After the three-game set with the Sun Devils, LMU will return home for its final four games, starting on Wednesday at 3 p.m. when it hosts No. 13 UC Irvine.

LAST WEEK
The Lions are coming off a 2-3 week last week, earning victories over No. 7 UC Irvine on Tuesday and Santa Clara on Friday in conference action. The Lions went on to fall in the final two games of the three-game set with the Broncos, dropping a mid-week game to UCLA on the road as well earlier in the week. The Lions scored 10 two-out runs and collected 17 hits (the most surrendered by UCI pitching this season) en route to taking the 11-3 victory against the Anteaters. Senior A.J. LaMonda and sophomore Angelo Songco paced the Lion offense, finishing with three hits apiece. LaMonda finished 3-for-5 with a double, a walk, two runs scored and a RBI. Songco batted 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and a RBI. Sophomore Ryan Wheeler's two-hit performance, along with LaMonda's three, resulted in each claiming their team-leading 18th multiple-hit game this year. Junior Lee Roberts was outstanding as the Lion starter, lasting seven innings and surrendering three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five batters en route to claiming his second victory of the season. Freshman Chris Eusebio dealt one inning of scoreless relief before left-hander Steve Connolly closed the door on the Anteaters in the ninth with a scoreless frame of his own. LMU surrendered four runs in the first inning and two in the second en route to falling 6-2 to UCLA on Wednesday at UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium. Senior Sean Dovel guided the Lion offense, finishing 3-for-4 with his third home run of the season. T.J. Bernardy batted 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk in the loss. Junior Ernie Cho got the start and took the loss for LMU, allowing six runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one batter over an inning and a third. Senior Nate Keadle dealt an inning and two-thirds scoreless before Andy Beal tossed the next three relief innings for the Lions, striking out two batters. Russell Lowell and Chris Eusebio teamed to pitch the final two innings on the hill, allowing only one runner over the span. LMU collected nine runs on 16 hits en route to defeating Santa Clara by a score of 9-6 on Friday. The victory snapped the Broncos' season-long six-game winning streak. Songco and freshman Jonathan Johnson paced the Lion offense, finishing with three hits apiece. Songco batted 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and a RBI. The home run served as the back end of back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning. Glomb collected the first home run in the inning, finishing the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Johnson went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the victory. Freshman Matt Koch contributed a 2-for-4 day with three RBI, a double and a run scored to help LMU to the win. Freshman Martin Viramontes tossed six innings as the Lion starter, surrendering only two hits over the span and allowing two runs while striking out three batters to earn the victory. LMU managed only one run in the sixth and seventh innings en route to dropping a 7-2 decision to Santa Clara on Saturday. Dovel led the Lion offense on the day, finishing 2-for-4 with a triple. The three-bagger was Dovel's first of the season and third of his career. A.J. LaMonda, Ryan Wheeler and Andy Preston collected the other three Lion extra-base hits, each posting a double in the loss. Sophomore Xavier Esquivel got the start and claimed the loss after tossing six and two-thirds innings and allowing six runs on nine hits and three walks and striking out four batters. LMU made things exciting in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday, scoring three times before eventually dropping a 5-4 decision to Santa Clara in the rubber-game of the series. Songco paced the Lion offense, finishing 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, a run scored and two RBI. Johnson also chipped-in two hits, batting 2-for-4 with a run scored and a double in the ninth. Senior Nate Keadle got the start and lasted four and a third innings, allowing four runs on nine hits while striking out three batters before taking the loss and falling to 1-4 on the season.

LMU ACCORDING TO BOYD'S WORLD
According to Boyd's World on Wednesday, the Lions rank second in Strength of Schedule (SOS), which takes into account the results and success of LMU's opponents this season, 42nd in Iterative Strength Rating (ISR), which is essentially how tough a schedule looks today based on past results of the opponents and how LMU has fared thus far, and 70th in Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), the official NCAA measure of team quality used by the tournament selection committee. Arizona State ranks first in ISR, fourth in RPI and 24th in SOS.

SATURDAY STARTER
Right-hander Martin Viramontes will make his ninth start of the season when LMU takes on Arizona State on Saturday night. Viramontes brings a 3-4 record and a 5.06 ERA with 48 strikeouts into the first game of the series. He earned the victory in his last start, lasting six innings and allowing two runs on two hits and four walks as the Lions defeated Santa Clara, 9-6, on May 2. The freshman has also recorded victories over San Diego State on March 8 and then-No. 12 Cal on March 15. Viramontes struck out a career-high 13 batters in his collegiate debut on March 1 vs. UC Santa Barbara.

SUNDAY STARTER
Right-hander Xavier Esquivel will make his fifth start of the season, and third in as many appearances, in game two of the series against the Sun Devils. Esquivel brings a 4-4 record and a 6.23 ERA into the game, taking the loss in LMU's 7-2 loss to Santa Clara on May 3. In that start, Esquivel lasted six and two-thirds inning and allowed six runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out four batters. In his four previous starts, the sophomore has recorded a 0-3 record and a 10.54 ERA (16 er in 13.2 ip). Esquivel has recorded victories over UC Santa Barbara (February 29), UC Riverside (March 11), Portland (March 29) and then-No. 6 Pepperdine (April 18).

FERRIN WINS 500
LMU softball head coach, Gary Ferrin, recently won his 500th career game as the Lions defeated Saint Mary's College by a count of 6-1 in Pacific Coast Softball Conference action on May 3. Coach Ferrin just completed his 14th season at the helm of the program, where he has led the Lions to three PCSC championships in the last six years, and two NCAA Tournament appearances. Ferrin will be presented with a plaque commemorating his 500th career victory in a pre-game ceremony before LMU's game against UC Irvine on Wednesday, May 14.

GLOMB GOES STREAKING
Senior Michael Glomb is currently riding a career-long and an LMU season-high 18-game hitting streak entering the weekend series against Arizona State. The streak is the longest by a Lion since Eric Farris hit in 25 straight games from the end of the 2006 season into the beginning of 2007. Glomb, a native of San Jose, Calif., is batting .370 (27-for-73) with 11 runs scored, 10 RBI, two doubles, two home runs and five walks over the span. The streak is seven games better than his previous high for this season (11, March 15-30), and six longer than his previous career-high set last year (12). In WCC games alone, Glomb leads the team in stolen bases (3), is second in runs scored (13), home runs (2) and hit-by-pitches (3), is third in hits (21), RBI (10) and total bases (31), and is fifth in slugging percentage (.413). In all games this season, Glomb ranks second in hit-by-pitches (9), third in runs scored (29), fourth in batting average (.321), on base percentage (.390) and hits (51), and fifth in RBI (20), home runs (2) and stolen bases (5).

KEEP THE "WHEELS" TURNING
Sophomore Ryan Wheeler has been on a tear nearly all of the 2008 campaign. The first baseman has collected a team-high tying 19 multiple hit games and is second with eight multiple-RBI games. He currently leads the team in batting average (.347), doubles (18), RBI (37) and triples (1), is second in slugging percentage (.511), runs scored (32), hits (61), total bases (90), stolen bases (5) and on base percentage (.411), ranks third in home runs (3), and is fourth in walks (16) and hit-by-pitches (6). In addition to his impressive numbers with two out in an inning (see "Tough with Two Out"), Wheeler is also hitting .393 (44-for-112) against right-handed pitching, reaching base at a .425 clip (17-for-40) as a leadoff hitter in an inning, batting .385 (35-for-91) with runners on base, .397 (23-for-58) with runners in scoring position and .824 (14-for-17) with a runner on third base and less than two out. In conference games alone, Wheeler ranks first in RBI (18), doubles (10) and stolen bases (3), second in batting average (.373), slugging percentage (.567), runs scored (13), hits (25), total bases (38), walks (7) and on base percentage (.436), and is third in home runs (1).

LMU IN THE WCC
LMU currently sits in seventh place, toting a 6-12 record, after five weeks of conference play. Entering the weekend, the Lions rank seventh overall in batting average (.294) amongst the eight teams. In other offensive categories, LMU is fourth in doubles (108), fifth in hits (497), sixth in stolen bases (38), seventh in on base percentage (.369), slugging percentage (.410), runs scored (280) home runs (26) and RBI (235) and eighth in triples (5) and walks (148). The LMU pitching staff ranks sixth overall in ERA, toting a 5.55 mark. In other categories, the Lions rank fourth in innings pitched (415.0) and strikeouts (298), fifth in walks (179), sixth in wins (22) and earned runs (256), seventh in batting average against (.302), hits (496) and runs (305), and eighth in saves (5). In conference games alone this year, LMU places second in doubles (44), walks (53) and stolen bases (18), third in hits (180) and triples (3), fifth in runs (101), sixth in on base percentage (.355), home runs (8) and RBI (87), and seventh in batting average (.282) and slugging percentage (.398). On the pitching side, LMU places second in innings pitched (157.0), fourth in strikeouts (99), sixth in wins (6) and saves (1), seventh in ERA (6.88), batting average against (.337) and walks (68), and eighth in hits (219), runs allowed (141) and earned runs allowed (120).

LIONS IN THE WCC
Individually in the WCC, Ryan Wheeler ranks 12th in batting average (.347), followed by Angelo Songco (21st, .335) and A.J. LaMonda (22nd, .332). Wheeler is tied for first in doubles (18), while Angelo Songco ranks sixth in home runs (10) and seventh in slugging percentage (.591). LaMonda is tied for sixth in hits at 64, while Kyle Spraker is ninth in stolen bases with nine. On the pitching side, junior Lee Roberts places 23rd in ERA (5.82), followed by Andy Beal (25th, 5.89). In other pitching categories, Beal is tied for second in games started (11), Ernie Cho and Chris Eusebio are tied for fourth with 21 appearances apiece, Roberts claims fifth in complete games with one, Xavier Esquivel is eighth in saves (3), Roberts is ninth with 20 appearances, and Beal is 10th in innings pitched with 62.2. In conference games alone, Songco is eighth in batting average (.400), fifth in doubles (7), sixth in hits (26), walks (10), total bases (42) and on base percentage (.494), and is ninth in slugging percentage (.646). Wheeler is 16th in batting average (.373), first in doubles (10) and fourth in RBI (18). On the pitching side in conference games alone, Martin Viramontes is 15th in ERA (5.14), followed by Mike Kenney (19th, 6.20) and Beal (22nd, 7.62). Eusebio is second in appearances with eight, while Viramontes totes a .262 opponent's batting average, which is good for ninth overall.

A LEADER IN LaMONDA
Senior A.J. LaMonda has recorded a team-high tying 19 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 outfielder currently ranks first in runs scored (35), hits (64) and triples (1), second in walks (17) and stolen bases (5), third in doubles (13), total bases (85), hit-by-pitches (7), batting average (.332) and on base percentage (.402), and fourth in slugging percentage (.440) and RBI (26). In conference games alone, LaMonda ranks first in runs scored (14), second in hit-by-pitches (3), third in slugging percentage (.420), hits (21), doubles (5), home runs (1) and walks (6), and fourth in batting average (.304), total bases (29) and on base percentage (.385).

SWEET-SWINGING SONGCO
After a stellar freshman campaign, sophomore Angelo Songco has continued to be one of the better Lion hitters in 2008. Songco currently ranks first on the team in home runs (10), slugging percentage (.591), total bases (97), walks (19) and on base percentage (.419), second in batting average (.335) and RBI (34), third in hits (55), fourth in runs scored (27) and hit-by-pitches (6), and fifth in doubles (12). In conference games alone, Songco ranks first in batting average (.400), on base percentage (.494), hits (26), home runs (3), slugging percentage (.646), total bases (42) and walks (10), is second in doubles (7), RBI (16) and hit-by-pitches (3), and is fifth in runs scored (11).

TOUGH WITH TWO OUT
LMU scored 10 of its 11 runs with two out in the game against UC Irvine on April 29. The Lions as a team are batting .295 (165-for-560) with two out in an inning, led by Will Dugoni's mark of .500 (8-for-16) in that situation. Sophomore Ryan Wheeler bats .397 (23-for-58) in that situation, while Ollie Enos is 13-for-34 (.382). LMU as a team has collected 85 two-out RBI, guided by Angelo Songco (16), Wheeler (15) and A.J. LaMonda (11). With runners on base and two out in an inning, LMU is batting .272 (97-for-357) with 77 RBI, 15 doubles, a triple and two home runs. Dugoni leads the team in the category at .455 (5-for-11), followed by Enos (.417, 10-for-24) and Wheeler (.415, 17-for-41). Wheeler leads the team in RBI in that situation, collecting 14. Finally, with runners in scoring position and two out, the Lions are 67-for-251 (.267) with 10 doubles, a triple, and a home run. Dugoni leads the team with a .500 average (3-for-6), followed by Enos (.474, 9-for-19) and Wheeler (.464, 13-for-28). Wheeler has collected a team-leading 13 RBI in that situation, followed by Songco at 12 and LaMonda at 11.

STELLAR SITUATIONAL STATISTICS
In addition to the success with two outs in an inning, LMU is posting some impressive numbers in a variety of other situations this year. The Lions are batting .309 (256-for-829) with runners on base, .301 (157-for-522) with runners in scoring position, .426 (26-for-61) with the bases loaded (including two grand slams), and are putting the leadoff hitter in an inning on base at a .336 clip (142-for-423). The Lions post a mark of .588 (80-for-136) in at bats with a runner on third and less than two outs in a frame.

LEAVE `EM FOR THE RELIEF CORPS
A total of 93 inherited runners have been left for LMU relievers this season, with 35 (.376) coming around to score. Ernie Cho leads the team in sheer number of inherited runners, taking over 18 on the year. Of those 18, Cho has allowed only five to come around to score. Sophomore Xavier Esquivel has inherited eight runners, allowing only two of the eight to come home. Senior Nate Keadle has taken-on 13 runners, allowing five to reach home safely. Freshman Chris Eusebio has allowed four of his 11 inherited runners to score, while left-hander Russell Lowell has stranded eight of his 12 inherited runners in 2008.

PRESS ON, PRESTON
Senior first baseman and designated hitter Andy Preston currently finds himself amongst the team leaders in 2008, ranking second in home runs (4) and walks (17), third in RBI (28), and fifth in slugging percentage (.435) and runs scored (26). 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. Angelo Songco has since also connected on a grand slam this season, doing so on April 8 vs. No. 16 Long Beach.

SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST
LMU has outscored opponents 31-17 in ninth innings or later this season. Included in that total is a 25-17 advantage in the ninth and 6-0 mark in extra innings. The Lions also hold an advantage over their opponents in the second half of games this year. LMU holds the lead in the fifth (38-30), seventh (45-30) and eighth (22-15) innings. The first (38-25), second (52-26), third (36-23) and sixth (48-31) favor the opponents. The fourth inning is tied at 39 runs apiece.

THE RIGHT TIME TO TURN IT ON
Senior Sean Dovel finds himself in the top-five of seven major offensive categories in West Coast Conference games alone this season. Dovel ranks first in triples (1), third in doubles (5), fourth in slugging percentage (.414), and fifth in batting average (.293), hits (17), RBI (8) and total bases (24).

SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS
The third-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils, coached by Pat Murphy (14th year at ASU), are 38-9 (12-6 in Pac-10), last winning, 6-1, on May 7 versus No.10 Wichita State. Top hitters for Arizona State include Brett Wallace (.412, 66 runs scored, nine doubles, two triples, 15 home runs, 61 RBI), Ike Davis (.401, 50 runs scored, 21 doubles, 15 home runs, 62 RBI) and Jason Kipnis (.329, 57 runs scored, 10 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs, 55 RBI). Stephen Sauer leads the pitching staff, toting a 3.38 ERA and a 4-1 record in six starts and 42.2 innings pitched. Tommy Rafferty leads the team in relief appearances and wins, contributing 52.2 innings and a record of 10-0 over 26 appearances to the tune of a 3.59 ERA. Ike Davis claims the team-lead in saves with four, while two other pitchers have two on the year for the Broncos. In 2007, Arizona State finished 49-15 overall, 19-5 (1st) in the Pac-10 Conference.

AND THE "IGGY" GOES TO...
The Third Annual Iggy Awards were handed out on Monday, April 21. LMU baseball took home one of the awards handed out on the night, with junior Ollie Enos nabbing the "Strength and Conditioning" award. Volleyball's Heather Hughes took home Female Athlete of the Year, while freshman Tibor Forai claimed Male Athlete of the Year recognition for men's water polo.

STELLAR WEEK AGAINST SAINT MARY'S
Sophomore Ryan Wheeler batted .563 (9-for-16) over the week of April 7, helping the Lions to a win over No. 16 Long Beach State on Tuesday of that week and West Coast Conference-foe Saint Mary's on that Saturday. In addition to the .563 clip, Wheeler amassed four runs scored, seven doubles, two walks, seven RBI and 16 total bases to the tune of a 1.000 slugging percentage and a.611 on base percentage. Wheeler finished the three-game series against Saint Mary's batting .583 (7-for-12) with four runs scored, six doubles, two walks, 13 total bases and seven RBI. He reached base at a .643 clip and recorded a slugging percentage of 1.083. Fellow sophomore Angelo Songco batted .444 (8-for-18) over the same four-game span. In addition to the .444 clip, Songco amassed six runs scored, two home runs, two doubles, two walks, eight RBI and 16 total bases to the tune of a .889 slugging percentage and a .500 on base percentage. Songco finished the three-game series against Saint Mary's batting .538 (7-for-13) with five runs scored, two doubles, a home run, 12 total bases and two walks. He reached base at a .600 clip and slugged .923. He finished 1-for-5 with a grand slam (his first of his career) and four RBI on Tuesday against LBSU.

WHEELER NAMED WCC POW
Sophomore Ryan Wheeler was named WCC Player of the Week for the week ending March 31. The selection was the first of the season for LMU, and the first of Wheeler's career. Wheeler batted .545 (12-for-22) over the five games played, serving a crucial role in the Lions' 5-0 week. In addition to the .545 clip, Wheeler amassed seven runs scored, three doubles, a triple, a walk, a hit-by-pitch, six RBI, a stolen base and 17 total bases to the tune of a .773 slugging percentage and a .560 on base percentage. Wheeler hit safely in all five games over the span, collecting multiple hits in all but one.

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 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.