March 5, 2009
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
THE SCHEDULE
Games 11-15
LMU Lions vs. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Friday, March 6, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at UCSB's Caesar Uyesaka Stadium
Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at UCSB's Caesar Uyesaka Stadium
Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at UCSB's Caesar Uyesaka Stadium
Sunday, March 8, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. at UCSB's Caesar Uyesaka Stadium
LMU Lions vs. UC Riverside Highlanders
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. at LMU's Page Stadium
BRIEFLY…
After sweeping Holy Cross over the weekend for its first series sweep of the year, LMU traveled to No. 5 UC Irvine and upset the Anteaters on the road on Tuesday. Now carrying a four-game winning streak, the Lions will remain on the road to take on UC Santa Barbara in a four-game series over the weekend. Friday’s game one is slated for 2:00 p.m., followed by a doubleheader starting at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Lions and Gauchos will conclude the four-game series on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. before LMU returns home to host another Big West Conference opponent, UC Riverside, on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.
STELLAR START…
The Lions’ 8-2 start in 2009 is 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.
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.
LION TRACKS…
LMU is coming off an upset victory of No. 5 UC Irvine on the road on Tuesday night by a count of 11-3. The Lions pounded-out the 11 runs on 16 hits en route to the victory. The win came in LMU's first game against a ranked opponent this season, and extended the Lions' winning streak to four games. Junior Angelo Songco and freshman Shon Roe paced the Lion offense, totaling four and three hits, respectively. Songco finished 4-for-5 with a two-RBI double, three runs scored and three RBI. Roe, who started the game 0-for-2, finished with three hits and two runs scored. Senior T.J. Bernardy collected a two-RBI single in his only at bat on the night, extending his hitting streak to five games. Junior Brad Bauer, who entered the game batting 1.000, went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI out of the designated hitter spot. Freshman Ramiro Carreon dealt the first three innings, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out three batters. Junior Jordan McClintick was stellar as the first reliever out of the Lion bullpen, tossing two and two-thirds scoreless innings and striking out two batters en route to his first victory of the season. Chris Eusebio entered and recorded the final out in the sixth before pitching a scoreless seventh inning, turning the ball over to junior Jeremy Burrell. Burrell pitched the final two scoreless innings for the Lions, closing the door on the Anteaters and striking out three batters along the way.
Prior to meeting UCI in Irvine, Calif., the Lions began last weekend by taking both ends of a doubleheader against Holy Cross on Saturday, with game one’s victory coming in “walk-off” fashion. Roe collected two hits, including the game-winning RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth, to help guide the Lion to the 4-3 victory over the Crusaders. Roe finished the game 2-for-4 with a double, a RBI and a hit-by-pitch. Junior Ryan Wheeler had the other big blow for the Lions, belting his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the third inning. Freshman Trevor Gee and junior Will Dugoni each contributed a double in the victory. Songco, who carried a 16-game hitting streak into the contest, finished 0-for-2 with two walks and a run scored. Sophomore Martin Viramontes got the start for LMU, tossing one inning and allowing a run on one hit and striking out one batter. Senior Lee Roberts followed with a great relief outing, tossing six and two-thirds innings and surrendering two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six batters, including the side in the sixth. Junior Xavier Esquivel picked up his second victory of the season after pitching an inning and a third and punching out two batters.
LMU followed that performance by scoring 16 runs on 14 hits en route to routing Holy Cross by a count of 16-5 on Saturday in game two. LMU posted five players with multiple hits in the win. Roe led all players with three hits on the day, 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. Kyle Spraker, Songco, Bauer and Ryan Hawthorne each collected two hits in the victory, with Spraker and Bauer each posting a double. Spraker finished with two runs scored and a RBI, while Songco amassed three runs scored and a RBI. Ollie Enos also scored three runs in the game, batting 1-for-3 with a RBI. Wheeler belted his second home run of the season, and of the day, in the first inning. Senior Ernie Cho dealt the first six innings for LMU, allowing five runs (one earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out five batters. Cho earned the victory, improving to 1-1. Freshman John Lally pitched three quality scoreless innings, striking out five batters to earn his first save of the season and of his career.
LMU recorded the series sweep of Holy Cross after taking game three of the series on Sunday by a count of 14-3. The 11-run victory marked the second consecutive game in which LMU defeated the Crusaders by 11 runs. The Lions benefited from another all-around outstanding day at the plate, posting six batters with multiple hits in the victory. Sophomore Andrew Irvine paced the Lion offense, finishing 2-for-3 with three runs scored, a home run and three RBI. For Irvine, the home run was his first of his career. Wheeler also homered in the game, marking the third consecutive contest in which the Torrance, Calif. native went deep. Sophomore Jonathan Johnson batted 2-for-4 with three runs scored and a RBI out of the leadoff spot, while Songco contributed a 2-for-3 day with a triple, two runs scored and two RBI. Bernardy, Hawthorne and Bauer also collected two hits in the win, with Hawthorne recording his first double of the season. With a 2-for-2 day, Bauer is now a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs scored, a double and three RBI to start the 2009 campaign. Freshman Alex Gillingham continued to shine in his start on Sunday, tossing six innings and allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three batters. With the victory, Gillingham improved to 2-0 on the young season. Eusebio appeared in his fourth game of the year, tossing a scoreless frame and handing the ball over to Jason Wheeler. The Torrance, Calif. native pitched two innings and allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out two batters to finish the game on the hill for LMU.
TEAM LMU THIS WEEK…
Wednesday’s women’s softball game against UCLA 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.
WHEW! WHAT A RELIEF…
With the six scoreless innings of relief against No. 5 UC Irvine on Tuesday, LMU relievers have now tossed 48 and two-thirds innings, allowing just 17 runs (16 earned) and striking out 48 batters to the tune of a 2.96 ERA. In addition, four of the Lions' eight wins belong to relief pitchers this season. Chris Eusebio has been the most call-upon, and most effective, option out of the bullpen so far this year, tossing six scoreless innings over five appearances and striking out nine batters. Opponents are hitting just .143 against the right-hander.
SWEET-SWINGING SONGCO…
Junior Angelo Songco is off to another outstanding year in 2009. The native of Granada Hills, Calif. is the team-leader in nine offensive categories. His .459 batting average, .757 slugging percentage, .583 on base percentage, 17 runs scored, 17 hits, 16 RBI, three doubles, a triple, 28 total bases and five hit by pitches all place him tops on the team, while his two home runs and two stolen bases rank second overall. Songco is currently riding a three-game hitting streak, batting .727 (8-for-11) with eight runs scored, a double, a triple, a walk, two stolen bases and six RBI over the span. The three-game hitting streak follows 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 six, 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.
THE ‘WHEELS’ CONTINUE TO TURN…
Junior Ryan Wheeler, a 2009 Wallace Watch List player, is proving himself worthy of the preseason accolades early in 2009. The native of Torrance, Calif. is the team-leader in home runs with three, triples with one and walks with eight. His .686 slugging percentage, 15 runs scored, 11 hits, 11 RBI, two doubles, 24 total bases and four hit by pitches all place him second on the team, while his .479 on base percentage ranks third overall. Wheeler is currently riding a four-game hitting streak, including having homered in all three games against Holy Cross from February 28-March 1. The left-handed hitter is batting .250 (4-for-16) with the three home runs, six runs scored, two walks and six RBI. 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.
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.
WEARING IT FOR THE TEAM…
The Lions have been hit by 27 pitches over the first 10 games this season, 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. Before this season, LMU was last hit six times in a game versus New Mexico State on February 21, 2004. Freshman Trevor Gee and junior Angelo Songco lead all players in the category, being hit by a pitch on five occasions. Ryan Wheeler is third overall in hit-by-pitches with four in 2009. Ollie Enos, Kyle Spraker and Jonathan Johnson have each been hit three times, while T.J. Bernardy, Shon Roe, Brad Bauer and Andrew Irvine have each been hit once.
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).
GAUCHO GOSSIP…
UC Santa Barbara enters the weekend series with the Lions toting a 5-2 record, the Gauchos’ best start since opening the 2005 season with a 7-2 mark. UCSB is coming off a 2-1 record last weekend at the Dairy Queen Classic in Minnesota. The Gauchos dropped a 13-3 decision to Minnesota on Friday before rebounding to defeat Hawai’i by a count of 10-4 on Saturday. The team then took down Washington on Sunday, 8-2. After winning the two of three, four Gaucho players were honored on the All-Tournament Team. Ryan Cavan was given the Silver Stick award for most hits after going 7-for-12 (.583) in the three games. Mike Ford was named one of two pitchers to the All-Tournament Team after 7.2 solid innings on Sunday. Matt Valaika (6-for-13, 4 RBI, 5 R) and Robby Cummings (4-for-12, 6 RBI) were also part of the All-Tournament squad. Cavan leads the team in batting average at .529 (9-for-17) with a double, two triples, four runs scored and three RBI. He is slugging .824 and reaching base at a .526 clip. Valaika paces the squad in overall hits, collecting 10, including two doubles and a home run to go with six RBI. Robby Cummings is the RBI-leader for the Gauchos, amassing 10 while hitting .391 with a team-best three doubles and a home run. Seniors Shane Carlson and Brian Gump provide much of the pop in the lineup, each belting three home runs over the first seven games of the season. UCSB offers strong pitching potential in 2009, led by All-Americans Mario Hollands and Mike Ford, and newcomer Joe Gardner. Ford was named a 2007 All-American by Collegiate Baseball before being named to the 2009 Wallace Watch List and PING! Baseball Preseason All-American squad. Hollands, who became the first Gaucho in history to record Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors last season, was named Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. So far this season, Gardner has posted a 1-0 record and a 1.84 ERA (3 er in 14.2 ip) with 21 strikeouts to lead the team in both categories. Hollands has amassed a 3.86 ERA and a 1-1 record in 14 innings with 14 strikeouts. Ford leads the team in victories, totaling a 2-0 record with a 4.26 ERA over 12.2 innings of work. The right-hander has punched-out nine batters so far this season. David Meals is the most popular option out of the bullpen, appearing in three games and pitching 6.1 innings, totaling one save along the way. The Gauchos were picked to finish third in the Big West Conference, and are currently ranked 28th in the nation according to PING! Baseball, and 18th according to Perfect Game. The team is also receiving votes in the USA Today poll and the NCBWA poll. UCSB is coached by Bob Brontsema, who is in his 16th season at the helm of the program.
RIVERSIDE RANTS…
UC Riverside enters the weekend with a 7-2 record, having won four straight games. The Highlanders defeated San Francisco in the final three games of a four-game series before downing Texas Tech on Sunday, 9-8. Riverside also defeated a ranked team in UCLA on February 25, 11-1. UCR and Texas Tech will once again square-off on Thursday, competing at the Palm Springs Baseball Invitational this weekend. There, the Highlanders will also play Gonzaga, Oregon State and Oklahoma State. Tony Nix leads the team in batting average at .464 (13-for-28) with four doubles, a triple, six runs scored and seven RBI. Carl Uhl and Ryan Goetz pace the squad in runs scored, totaling eight apiece. Goetz is also the team-leader in RBI with nine. Nix and Goetz are the most successful base stealers, totaling two stolen bases so far this year. UCR is 9-11 in stolen bases as a team in 2009. On the mound, the Highlanders are led by starters Ryan Platt and Paul Applebee. Platt totes a team-best 2.45 ERA and a 1-0 record in two starts and 11 innings of work. He has struck out 16 batters and is holding opponents to a .200 batting average against. Applebee totes a 2.81 ERA and a 2-0 record after pitching 16 innings and punching out 16 batters. Joseph Kelly and Dustin Emmons lead the team in appearances, both entering from the bullpen on four occasions. Kelly has maintained a 1.29 ERA (1 er in 7.0 ip), while Emmons owns a 3.38 mark after surrendering two earned runs in 5.1 innings on the hill. Riverside, which was picked to finish sixth in the Big West Conference, is coached by Doug Smith, who is in his fifth season at the helm of the program.
WE’RE GOING STREAKING…
Seniors Kyle Spraker and T.J. Bernardy each carry five-game hitting streaks into the weekend series against UC Santa Barbara. Spraker is batting .375 (6-for-16) with six runs scored, two doubles, three walks, two stolen bases and four RBI over the streak. The native of Portola Valley, Calif. has also hit safely in eight of his nine games played this season. Bernardy is 6-for-17 (.353) over his five-game hitting streak, amassing three runs scored, a double, a walk and five RBI along the way. He has hit safely in all but one of his games played with an at bat this year. Jonathan Johnson is currently riding a four-game hitting streak coming into the weekend. Johnson is batting .357 (5-for-14) with seven run scored, a double, six walks and two RBI. Junior Ryan Wheeler has a four-game hitting streak as well, including having homered in all three games against Holy Cross from February 28-March 1. The native of Torrance, Calif. is batting .250 (4-for-16) with the three home runs, six runs scored, two walks and six RBI. Juniors Angelo Songco and Brad Bauer each tote three-game hitting streaks, with Songco batting .727 (8-for-11) with eight runs scored, a double, a triple, a walk, two stolen bases and six RBI. Bauer is hitting .714 (5-for-7) over his first three games with an at bat for the Lions. He started the season and the streak a perfect 4-for-4 en route to collecting three runs scored, a double, two walks, a stolen base and five RBI. Freshman Ryan Hawthorne is the final Lion hitter to carry a three-game hitting streak or better into the games at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. Hawthorne is 5-for-11 (.455) with two doubles, a walk, three runs scored and three RBI over his three-game hitting streak.
BETTER WITH TIME…
The Lions scored seven runs in the seventh inning or later in the victory over fifth-ranked UC Irvine on Tuesday, shutting out UCI over the same span. With those seven runs, LMU has now outscored its opponent 35-5 in seventh innings or later this season. Included in that mark is a 16-1 advantage in the seventh, 14-2 advantage in the eighth, and 1-0 mark in extra innings. The Lions also hold the lead in the first (15-7), fourth (10-3), sixth (11-7) and ninth innings (4-2). The second (8-6), third (13-9) and fifth (10-7) show a slight favor toward the opponents.
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.
