March 26, 2009
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
THE SCHEDULE
Games 26-28
LMU Lions at Santa Clara Broncos
Friday, March 27, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at Santa Clara's Stephen Schott Stadium
Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. at Santa Clara's Stephen Schott Stadium
Friday, March 29, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. at Santa Clara's Stephen Schott Stadium
BRIEFLY…
Carrying a season-long five game winning streak into the weekend, LMU (13-12) will hit the road to start West Coast Conference play at Santa Clara this weekend. The Lions and Broncos (10-8) will face-off in game one of the three-game series on Friday at 7:00 p.m. before meeting on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The series finale is slated for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. The five-game winning streak is the longest for LMU since the Lions won five straight from March 24 to March 30, 2008.
FOLLOWWW THE LIONS...
It’s easy to follow the Lions throughout the 2009 season! Just log on to LMULions.com for all the latest Lion baseball coverage. Tyler Geivett and a host of student radio broadcasters will bring fans the play-by-play for all LMU baseball games live online courtesy of the Lions Audio Network. Fans can also follow the action online via Gametracker. Just visit the Lion baseball page at www.LMULions.com, click on schedule, and click on the link located on the right side of the schedule for that particular game.
GAMEDAY AT PAGE STADIUM…
Fans, come cheer on the Lions this year at Page Stadium. When traveling to the venue, please remember that the Loyola Marymount University campus is located in Westchester, Calif. at One LMU Drive, approximately four miles north of the Los Angeles International Airport. Fans traveling to LMU must use the main entrance off of Lincoln Blvd. on LMU Drive. Those seeking handicap parking must also use the main entrance, where they can get directions from the guard at the front gate.
TEAM LMU THIS WEEK…
Wednesday’s men’s tennis match, the First Annual Betty Werner Cup, against Dartmouth is this week’s “Team LMU” event. “Team LMU” was created to generate awareness and excitement for LMU sporting events on game days. Staff and students are encouraged to wear LMU gear on designated “Team LMU” days and to attend the games.
SONGCO NAMED WCC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK…
Junior Angelo Songco was named Co-WCC Player of the Week, it was announced by the conference office on Monday. Songco batted .467 (7-for-15) with seven runs scored, a double, two home runs and seven RBI to lead LMU to a 4-1 record last week, including a series sweep of then-No. 24 Fresno State. The Player of the Week selection is the first of his career for Songco, and the first of the year for the Lions. He shares the accolade with Gonzaga’s Mark Castellitto. Over the five games, Songco slugged .933 and reached base at a .667 clip, collecting 14 total bases and recording at least one hit in every game along the way. In addition, the native of Granada Hills, Calif. walked seven times, stole one base, and hit home runs in consecutive games against Long Beach State and Fresno State to start the week. In the series against Fresno State alone, he batted .500 (6-for-12) with five runs scored, five walks, a double, a home run and five RBI, slugging .833 and reaching base at a .684 clip. The highlight of his series came on Saturday in game two of a doubleheader when he finished 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored and three RBI. Songco, the team leader in virtually every offensive category this season, enters the weekend series against Santa Clara toting a .384 batting average and a .721 slugging percentage.
RA APPRECIATION DAY…
Fans, come on out on Tuesday, March 31 against UC Irvine at 3:00 p.m. as LMU celebrates Resident Advisor Appreciation Day. The LMU Resident Housing Asssociation (RHA) will take the opportunity to thank the Resident Advisors for their work this year, highlighted by a first pitch being thrown out by Rebekah Wood.
SOULS4SOLES PARTY…
For LMU’s efforts during the Soles4Souls campaign, the Lions’ student body will receive a free party at the baseball game against Portland on April 3 at 3:00 p.m. All students in attendance will receive free pizza and soda. LMU donated more than 1,500 pairs of shoes to guide the West Coast Conference to a total of more than 5,200 pairs, exceeding the WCC’s target goal of 5,000. The WCC asked each of the eight member schools to collect shoes from December 2008 through the end of the conference basketball schedule. The Lions easily outdistanced Gonzaga for the top spot in the campaign, which was co-sponsored by the WCC and Zappos.com. The new and used shoes will be donated to Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization based out of Alabama that was created by Wayne Elsey as a response to the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia.
LION TRACKS…
LMU is coming off a 12-9 victory over Cal State Northridge at home on Tuesday of this week. The victory extended the Lion winning streak to five games, after the team had lost its previous 10 straight. The Lions hit a pair of home runs and took advantage of five Matador errors in the victory. The five errors tied a program record for Cal State Northridge. LMU received multiple hits from four players on Tuesday, including a career-high three hits from Evan Simonitsch in the ninth spot in the order. Simonitsch finished 3-for-4 with a run scored. Freshman Josh Bryan also had a career day, belting his first career home run in the bottom of the first inning. He finished 2-for-4 with the home run, a double, a run scored and two RBI. Senior Kyle Spraker also had an outstanding day at the plate, collecting a home run and batting 2-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. Ryan Wheeler rounded-out the foursome with multiple hits, going 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and a RBI. Freshman Jason Wheeler got the start for LMU, tossing three innings and allowing seven runs on eight hits and two walks before giving way to the game's eventual winning pitcher, Jeremy Burrell. The right-hander pitched three and a third innings, surrendering two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk while striking out four batters. With the victory, Burrell improved to 2-1. Jordan McClintick was next out of the Lion bullpen, throwing an inning and two-thirds scoreless before Xavier Esquivel struck out the side in order in the ninth to earn his third save of the year. For Esquivel, the save was his seventh of his career, placing him tied for 10th in the All-Time record books.
Before the victory over Cal State Northridge, LMU swept then-No. 24 Fresno State in a four-game series last weekend at home. LMU snapped a 10-game losing streak by knocking-off the Bulldogs by a count of 8-7 on Friday in game one of the four-game series. The Lions scored twice in the second inning, four times in the sixth and twice in the bottom of the seventh to take the win. Kyle Spraker and Trevor Gee paced the Lion offense in terms of hits, picking up three apiece in the win. Spraker finished 3-for-4 with a run scored, a double, a walk and a RBI. Gee was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a double. Junior Angelo Songco belted his seventh home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the bottom of the first inning, while Jonathan Johnson collected a triple and two RBI. Senior Lee Roberts got the start and lasted six and a third innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and striking out seven, but did not factor in the decision. Jordan McClintick, who improved to 2-1 with the win, pitched two-thirds of a frame and surrendered three runs before Xavier Esquivel pitched two scoreless innings and punched-out four to earn his second save of the season.
LMU scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning en route to defeating Fresno State in “walk-off” fashion by a count of 7-6 in game one of a doubleheader that was played on Saturday. Junior Ryan Wheeler and freshman Trevor Gee paced the Lion offense, finishing with two hits apiece. Jordan McClintick got the victory after working an inning and a third. The loss went to Taylor Garrison after he surrendered three runs in an inning and a third. Wheeler, T.J. Bernardy and Evan Simonitsch each doubled in the win. Simonitsch changed the game in dramatic fashion, robbing Alan Ahmady of a leadoff homer in the top of the ninth, scaling the wall and bringing a fly ball back from over the fence in dead centerfield, keeping the game at 6-4 headed into the bottom of the ninth. The catch by Simonitsch proved very important as LMU put up three runs in the bottom of the ninth to take a 7-6 “walk-off” victory. Simonitsch doubled with one out before the second out of the inning was recorded. Spraker followed with a walk before Wheeler doubled in a run. A wild pitch plated the second run of the inning before a bases-loaded walk to Bernardy allowed LMU to literally “walk-off” with the win.
LMU went on to take both ends of the doubleheader, and took the series over Fresno State, with a 7-3 victory over the Bulldogs in game two of the double-dip. Junior Angelo Songco finished 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI and a run scored. Ollie Enos also drove in three runs, batting 1-for-3 with a double. Freshman Ramiro Carreon pitched five and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six batters to earn his first collegiate victory. Freshman Jason Wheeler contributed the next two and a third innings scoreless before Chris Eusebio retired the side in the ninth.
LMU completed the four-game sweep with an 11-7 victory over the Bulldogs on Sunday at Page Stadium. The Lions pounded-out 14 hits, including three each from Ryan Hawthorne, Ryan Wheeler and Jonathan Johnson, in the win. With the victory, LMU is now 5-0 in games against ranked opponents this season. The sweep was the second for the Lions this season, having swept Holy Cross earlier this year in a four-game series at home. Wheeler finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two doubles and two RBI to help guide LMU to the win. Hawthorne was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two doubles out of the leadoff spot in the lineup. Johnson went 3-for-5 with three RBI as the eighth hitter in the lineup. The three hits matched a career-high for Johnson, while the three RBI set a new benchmark for the second baseman. Freshman John Lally went the first five innings on the hill for LMU, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and six walks before giving way to Jeremy Burrell. The junior right-hander dealt an inning and allowed three runs, all on solo-home runs in the sixth inning, but was the game’s winning pitcher to improve to 1-1. Chris Eusebio was outstanding as the final reliever for LMU, tossing three scoreless innings and striking out four batters to earn his first save of the season.
STELLAR SITUATIONAL STATISTICS…
LMU is batting .344 (146-for-424) with runners on base this season. With runners on and two out, LMU is equally as impressive, batting .338 (67-for-198) with eight doubles, four triples, six home runs and 68 RBI. Junior Angelo Songco and freshman Ryan Hawthorne pace the team in that situation, with Songco batting .520 (13-for-25) with 12 RBI. Hawthorne is 8-for-17 (.471) with eight RBI. Songco gets better with runners in scoring position and two out, increasing his totals to .588 (10-for-17) with 10 RBI, while Hawthorne also betters in the situation at .500 (6-for-12) with eight RBI. LMU as a team is 48-for-146 (.329) with runners in scoring position and two out, while it hits .305 (93-for-305) with two out in an inning so far this year.
HOMETOWN BOYS…
LMU is 11-3 in the friendly confines of Page Stadium this year. In contrast, the Lions tote a 2-9 record in games played away from home. Over the 14 games at home, LMU is batting .311 (152-for-489) with 30 doubles, six triples, 14 home runs, 125 runs scored and 106 RBI. The Lions have reached base at a .370 clip in home games and are slugging .483. In home games on the hill, LMU pitchers have accumulated a 4.88 ERA (70 er in 129.0 innings) and held opponents to a .285 batting average against. In road games, LMU is 103-for-376 (.274) with 16 doubles, four home runs, 62 runs scored and 58 RBI. The Lions have reached base at a .356 clip and are slugging .348. On the hill, LMU pitchers have accumulated a 6.77 ERA (69 er in 91.2 innings) and have allowed a .313 opponent’s batting average on the road.
LIONS ACCORDING TO BOYD’S WORLD...
According to Boyd’s World, the Lions currently rank 26th in Strength of Schedule (SOS), which takes into account the results and success of LMU’s opponents this season, 66th 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 99th in Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), the official measure of team quality used by the tournament selection committee.
THE RELIEF CORPS…
LMU relievers have now tossed 97.1 innings, allowing 60 runs (50 earned) and striking out 99 batters to the tune of a 4.62 ERA. In addition, eight of the Lions' 13 wins belong to relief pitchers this season. Chris Eusebio has been the most called-upon, and one of the most effective, options out of the bullpen so far this year, tossing 16 innings over 12 appearances and striking out 21 batters. Opponents are hitting .246 against the right-hander, while he has accumulated a 2.25 ERA.
SWEET-SWINGING SONGCO…
Junior Angelo Songco, the reigning WCC Co-Player of the Week, is off to another outstanding year in 2009. The native of Granada Hills, Calif. is the team-leader in 11 offensive categories. His .384 batting average, .721 slugging percentage, .543 on base percentage, 34 runs scored, 33 hits, 29 RBI, seven home runs, eight hit-by-pitches, 22 walks, four stolen bases and 62 total bases all place him tops on the team, while his six doubles and one triple rank second overall. His runs and walks totals, along with his on base percentage, place him first in the West Coast Conference. For the rest of Songco’s and LMU’s rankings in the WCC, please see the chart on page five of this weekly release. The left-handed hitter homered twice in the loss to UC Riverside on March 10, including a solo-shot to left centerfield to knot the game at eight in the bottom of the ninth. With the two home runs, Songco became the first player to hit two in a game since he himself hit two against Gonzaga in the final game of the 2008 campaign. Songco began the season with a 16-game hitting streak, which started on May 2, 2008 and continued into the beginning of the 2009 campaign. Over the 16 games, he batted 28-for-62 (.452) with 21 runs scored, 27 RBI, eight doubles and nine home runs. The team-leader in multiple hit games with 10, he amassed a team-best four hits against UC Irvine on March 3, finishing 4-for-5 with a two-RBI double, three runs scored and three RBI. With seven home runs this season, he has now amassed 26 in his career, just one behind the number 10 spot in the All-Time LMU Record Book. He also needs just five more doubles to enter the Top-10 in that category.
THE ‘WHEELS’ CONTINUE TO TURN…
Junior Ryan Wheeler, a 2009 Wallace Watch List player, is proving himself worthy of the preseason accolades in 2009. The native of Torrance, Calif. is the team-leader in hits with 33 and doubles with 10. His .582 slugging percentage, 23 RBI, 30 runs scored, two sacrifice flies, seven hit-by-pitches, four home runs and 57 total bases all rank second on the team, while his .337 batting average and .432 on base percentage place him third overall. Wheeler is currently riding a career-long 12-game hitting streak, batting .415 (22-for-53) with 13 runs scored, eight doubles, a home run, a walk, two stolen bases and 11 RBI over the span. He has amassed eight multiple hit games over the span, including having recorded multiple hits in five of his last six games and each of his last four. In all, he has totaled nine multiple-hit games, including six two-hit games and three three-hit performances. Wheeler had an outstanding stretch of play in three games against Holy Cross, homering in all three games against the Crusaders from February 28-March 1. Wheeler’s best game this season came on February 21 against Utah when he batted 3-for-3 with three runs scored, two RBI, a double and a triple to fall a home run shy of the cycle. After batting 3-for-5 with three doubles and two RBI against Hawai’i on March 12 for his second three-hit game, he finished 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and two RBI against then-No. 24 Fresno State on March 22.
WEARING IT FOR THE TEAM…
The Lions have been hit by 43 pitches over the first 25 games this season (an average of 1.72 per game), including six times in game two of a doubleheader against Holy Cross on February 28. The Lions were hit a total of 11 times in the series against the Crusaders. The six hit batsmen marked the second time this season that LMU had been hit six times (2/21 vs. Utah). The overall mark also includes the opening series against the Utes in which LMU was hit by 12 pitches. LMU was hit just six times over the course of the four-game series against UC Santa Barbara, but that number includes five hit batsmen in game three of the series alone (3/7). With those five included, the Lions have been hit five or more times in a game on four occasions this year. Before this season, LMU was last hit six times in a game versus New Mexico State on February 21, 2004. Junior Angelo Songco leads all players in the category, being hit by a pitch on eight occasions. Junior Ryan Wheeler has been hit seven times, while freshman Trevor Gee has reached with a hit-by-pitch six times. Jonathan Johnson follows Gee with five, while T.J. Bernardy has been hit four times.
BRONCO BANTER…
Santa Clara enters the weekend series with the Lions toting a 10-8 record, having won seven of their last eight games. The Broncos won seven straight games before falling to California on Wednesday of this week. Santa Clara began the season 3-7 before posting the seven-game winning streak. SCU fell to California by a count of 9-6 despite a mid-game rally that saw the Broncos score six unanswered runs from the fifth inning on. Tommy Medica leads the offensive charge for Santa Clara, batting .429 with nine runs scored, seven doubles, a home run and four RBI in just nine games played. Geoff Klein is batting .370 to place second on the team, amassing a team-best 22 RBI along the way. Matt Long paces the squad in runs scored with 15 and home runs with two, while Brady Fuerst has amassed a team-high 10 doubles. Long, Jon Karcich and J.R. Graham have each swiped three bags on the base paths. Along with the stolen base numbers, Long has shown his speed at the plate as well, totaling three of Santa Clara’s four triples on the year. The Broncos were picked to finish third overall in the WCC Preseason Poll. Santa Clara is coached by Mark O’Brien, who is in his eighth year at the helm of the program.
WE’RE GOING STREAKING…
Three Lion players carry hitting streaks of six games or better into the weekend series against Santa Clara. Junior Ryan Wheeler leads the pack with a 12-game hitting streak, the longest of his career. Wheeler is batting .415 (22-for-53) with 13 runs scored, eight doubles, a home run, a walk, two stolen bases and 11 RBI over the span. In addition, he has collected multiple hits in eight of the 12 games. Senior Ollie Enos and junior Angelo Songco have each hit in six straight games, marking a career-high for Enos. Enos is 9-for-25 (.360) with a run scored, two doubles, a home run, two multiple-hit games and 10 RBI over the six games played. Songco, the reigning WCC Co-Player of the Week, is batting .421 (8-for-19) with eight runs scored, a double, two home runs, eight walks, a stolen base and eight RBI over the streak.
SAVOR THE SEVENTH…
Entering the weekend series against Santa Clara, LMU has outscored its opponents 32-16 in seventh innings this year. In all, LMU has outscored opponents 68-46 in seventh innings or later this season, including an 11-2 mark in the ninth. The Lions also hold the lead in the first (35-19), fourth (20-5) and sixth (24-19). The second (21-10), third (28-21), fifth (25-9) and eighth (25-23) show a favor toward the opponents. Extra-innings also favor opponents slightly at 3-2.
HIGHS AND LOWS...
The Lions’ 8-2 start in 2009 was the best since LMU began the 1988 season with a 15-2 record. That team, led by Head Coach Dave Snow, went on to start the year 17-3, before finishing the season at 48-18. The 8-2 mark through the first 10 games was also the best start for a first-year Head Coach at LMU, as Jason Gill is in his first season at the helm of the program in 2009. After that mark, LMU dropped each of its next 10 games. Prior to the losing streak, LMU had won four straight, capped by a victory over then-No. 5 UC Irvine on March 3. Over the 10-game losing streak, LMU dropped five games by one run. The losing streak was the longest since LMU lost 10 straight from April 19 to May 4, 2003.
JOHNSON WALKS INTO RECORD BOOKS…
Sophomore Jonathan Johnson walked a total of four times in game two of a doubleheader against Holy Cross on February 28. The four walks matched the LMU individual game record for that category, marking the seventh time a Lion has reached the plateau. Johnson joins DeAndre Miller (2/2/07), Sean Smith (3/15/03), Josh Whitesell (3/24/02, 3/15/02), Robert Hirsh (3/10/01) and Greg Bergeron (5/7/94) on the list.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES…
Freshman Shon Roe began the year 0-for-18 before recording his first hit against Long Beach State on February 25. The Lions returned to action on February 28 against Holy Cross, where things changed drastically for Roe. The freshman led all players with three hits in game two, batting 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and five RBI. The five RBI were the most since Andy Preston collected six versus San Diego on March 9, 2008. Roe batted 2-for-4 with a RBI and a double in the first game of the double-dip, finishing a combined 5-for-9 with two doubles, a run scored and six RBI on the day. In addition, he also collected the game-winning hit in the Lions’ “walk-off” victory in game one against Holy Cross. Roe entered the Saturday doubleheader batting .053 (1-for-19) and left batting .214 (6-for-28).
GET OFF ON THE RIGHT ‘PAW’…
Since 2001, LMU has been victorious in six of its nine games on Opening Day, earning an 8-7 “walk-off” victory in 11 innings over Utah this season, and falling last season to Sac State, 11-7, on February 22. 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 in 2007 with a 9-5 victory over Sac State.
A DYNAMIC DUO…
Juniors Angelo Songco and Ryan Wheeler were named to the Rivals.com Preseason All-Conference team, it was announced on February 13. Rivals.com named one player from each infield position, three outfielders, a designated hitter, three starting pitchers and one reliever to the team. Wheeler was selected at first base, while Songco earned one of the three outfield spots. Last year, Songco garnered All-WCC First Team honors after starting 51 of LMU’s 55 games. The native of Granada Hills, Calif. finished the season batting .356 with 36 runs scored, 17 doubles, 15 home runs, 48 RBI, 130 total bases and a .681 slugging percentage. Wheeler garnered All-WCC First Team honors last year after batting .345 and starting every game for the Lions as a sophomore. The native of Torrance, Calif. finished the season with 36 runs scored, a conference-best 20 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 45 RBI and 110 total bases. In addition, he slugged .542 and reached base at a .405 pace.
AND THE SURVEY SAYS…
Loyola Marymount was picked to finish sixth in the West Coast Conference in 2009 according to the preseason coaches poll. University of San Diego and Pepperdine were picked as favorites to win this year’s WCC regular season title, while Gonzaga received the last remaining first place vote. The Toreros and Waves both received 45 points, with the Toreros receiving four first place votes to three for the Waves. Santa Clara was picked to finish third with 35 points. Gonzaga received 30 points to come in at fourth place, edging out San Francisco, which received 26 points, for fifth place. Rounding out this year’s poll are LMU, with 20 points, Saint Mary’s, with 14 points, and Portland, with nine points.
WALLACE WATCHES WHEELER…
Junior Ryan Wheeler was named to the 2009 Brooks Wallace Award Preseason Watch List, it was announced on December 5. Wheeler, a 2008 First Team All-West Coast Conference selection, earned a spot the prestigious list that will eventually determine the Player of the Year. Joining Wheeler from the WCC are USD’s AJ Griffin, Kyle Blair and Sammy Solis, while Santa Clara’s Thain Simon was also placed among those on the watch list. Saint Mary’s junior Kyle Jensen was also named, while Portland’s Riley Henricks and San Francisco’s Matt Lujan round out the players tabbed from the WCC. 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 2009 award banquet will be held Thursday, July 2, in the United Spirit Arena on the campus of Texas Tech University.
