March 21, 2011
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
BRIEFLY
After dropping a three-game series to No. 14 UC Irvine over the weekend, LMU (13-8) will welcome Long Beach State (10-9) to Page Stadium on Tuesday for a midweek contest. After the game against the Dirtbags, LMU will open a three-game series with Cal State Northridge over the weekend. LMU took the first meeting between the Lions and LBSU by a count of 5-1 on February 22.
QUICK PITCHES
• Right-hander Alex Gillingham earned LMU's fourth consecutive WCC weekly honor on Monday
• The average time of game for the Lions this year is 2:36
• LMU is hitting just .059 (1-for-17) with the bases loaded this year, but is allowing just a .083 mark (2-for-24)
• Leadoff man Matt Lowenstein is hitting .382 (13-for-34) when leading off an inning this year
• Junior Evan Simonitsch is hitting .500 (9-for-18) with runners in scoring position and two out
• Alex Gillingham has thrown eight innings or more in each of his five starts this year
• Seven of Shon Roe's 12 RBI have come with two out
• The Lions are hitting .260 with two out in an inning this year, posting 31 two-out RBI
• LMU has turned 21 double plays this year
• The Lions garnered a WCC-best four players on the Preseason All-Conference team
• LMU is 11-7 against ranked-opponents under Head Coach Jason Gill
• Jonathan Johnson is second in the LMU record book for triples in a career with 16
• The Lions were picked to finish fifth in the WCC according to the coaches' preseason poll
• Twenty-eight of LMU's 31 baseball players on the 2011 roster hail from California
LION TRACKS
LMU posted a pair of shutouts last week, blanking San Diego State at home on Tuesday by a count of 5-0 before earning a 4-0 victory over #14 UC Irvine on Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader. The Lions also dropped a pair of decisions to the Anteaters, 5-2 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday in game two. Most recently in the Saturday loss to UC Irvine, sophomore Matt Lowenstein went 3-for-4 with a run scored out of leadoff spot for LMU to pace the squad. Jonathan Johnson and Matt Koch both had two hits, with Koch collecting his team-best 10th and 11th doubles of the season with a RBI. Junior Martin Viramontes went four and a third innings as LMU's starter, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks en route to being tagged with the loss. Aaron Griffin was the first of four relievers used, allowing two runs on five hits before giving way to lefty Matt Florer. Florer retired the only hitter he faced before Jacob Smigelski tossed the next third of a frame. Left-hander John Lally finished the game on the hill, pitching the final two-thirds of an inning.
THE WORKHORSE IS REWARDED
Junior Alex Gillingham has tossed at least eight innings in each of his first five starts this year, including a pair of complete games - one a complete-game shutout against then-No. 14 UC Irvine on March 19. For his efforts against UCI, the right-hander took home WCC Pitcher of the Week recognition on March 21, becoming the fourth consecutive Lion player lauded by the conference this year. Matt Lowenstein (February 28), Bret Dahlson (March 7) and Alex Guthrie (March 14) each claimed WCC Player of the Week selections over the previous three weeks. The Pitcher of the Week selection was the first for the Lions since Aaron Griffin was named Co-Pitcher of the Week on March 29, 2010. Gillingham tossed a complete-game shutout as LMU defeated No. 14 UC Irvine by a count of 4-0 on March 19 in the first game of a doubleheader at Page Stadium. Gillingham, tossed 130 pitches (86 strikes) en route to the first complete-game shutout for the Lions since Martin Viramontes shut out Saint Mary's on May 2, 2010. The native of Thousand Oaks, Calif. finished the game with a career-best 11 strikeouts and walked just one while allowing three hits. He retired 17 straight from two out in the first through one out in the seventh. For Gillingham, the complete game was the second of the year and of his career, as he tossed eight in a loss on the road to UC Riverside on February 19.
KOCH ON THE BENCH AGAIN
For the second straight year, junior Matt Koch was named to the Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award Watch List, it was announced by The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission on March 10. Forty-two catchers were nominated for the award by their coaches, but because the award is given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher, the list will be updated to include other candidates until May 6, 2011. Koch is the only catcher from the WCC currently on the list. The annual award serves to honor those athletes that serve as a team's starting catcher in at least 75% of the games. Nominees that end up playing primarily another position, such as designated hitter, or those that split their time with another catcher in a 50/50 situation will be disqualified from semifinalist selection.
IT'S JUST A NUMBER
LMU perennially squares-off against quality teams not only on the weekends, but also in midweek contests, competing in the baseball-rich landscape of Southern California. With a loss to No. 7 Cal State Fullerton on March 1, and a 1-2 record in a three-game series with then-No. 14 UC Irvine on March 18 and 19, LMU is 1-3 this year against ranked-foes. Last season LMU was 1-3 against ranked-opponents, dropping each of the first three games of the season to then-No. 7 UC Irvine before defeating No. 9 Cal State Fullerton on May 18. In 2009, LMU finished 9-2 against ranked opponents. The only two losses came at the hands of UC Irvine (March 31 and April 13). LMU took down then-No. 5 UC Irvine on March 3, swept then-No. 24 Fresno State in a four-game series from March 20-24, beat then-No. 6 Cal State Fullerton on April 7, and finally swept San Diego in conference play from May 1-3. As of this week, two Lion opponents (Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine) are ranked in one of the four major polls.
WHAT'S THE RUSH?
Through 21 games this year, LMU's average time of game is 2:36. LMU's fastest game this year came on February 19 at UC Riverside, as the teams played for an even 2:00 flat - which is the second-fastest game played for LMU since 1999. The Lions then played a pair of games that rank in the top-10 since 1999 against Hawai'i, losing 3-2 on March 4 in 2:14 before defeating the Rainbows, 4-1, on March 6 in 2:01. The longest game this year for the Lions came on February 19 as the Lions and UC Riverside played for 3:26...including a 30-minute rain delay.
TWIN KILLINGS
LMU turned seven double plays against UC Riverside to open the year, including four alone in the first game of the doubleheader on February 19. Through 21 games, LMU has turned 21 double plays total, averaging 1.00 per game. That average puts LMU on pace to turn 55 double plays this year. The LMU record for double plays turned in a season is 72 set in 1990. The four double plays turned in the game at UC Riverside fell one short of the LMU game record of five on May 14, 2008 versus UC Irvine. Overall on the weekend, LMU turned five inning-ending double plays en route to taking three of four games from the Highlanders.
WHAT A RELIEF!
LMU relievers have combined for a 3-2 record and a 1.73 ERA through the first 21 games this season. The bullpen didn't allow an earned run over the first 17 innings this year. LMU's relief crew has amassed 52.0 innings of work, collecting eight saves and striking out 41 hitters while allowing 15 runs (10 earned). Opponents are hitting .201 against the Lion bullpen.
AN ALL-AROUND CLOSER
Serving as LMU's closer, junior Ryan Hawthorne recorded a pair of saves in the weekend series against UC Riverside to open the year, but perhaps his best game-finishing performance came in the series finale when he contributed the game-winning hit to hand LMU a 2-1 walk-off win and the series victory over the Highlanders. The native of Granada Hills, Calif. now sports a team-best six saves this year, placing tied for fifth in the LMU single-season record books in that category and two shy of entering the all-time books.
Tuesday's baseball game against Long Beach State is this week's TEAM LMU Game of the Week. The purpose of TEAM LMU is to bring Lion fans together as one, creating an atmosphere that helps build the Lions into champions, while allowing all to enjoy the benefits of our corporate partners. For more information about TEAM LMU, log on to:
www.LMULions.com/teamlmu
HOME SWEET HOME
Now in its 29th season as the home of Lion baseball in 2011, George C. Page Stadium has established itself as a tough place for opponents. Boasting features such as the Mikos Blue Monster, Pride Park and the Lion's Cage down the line in right field, Page Stadium continues to stake its claim as one of college baseball's most unique ballparks. The Mikos Blue Monster is a replica to Boston's Fenway Park's Green Monster. The Mikos Blue Monster stands 130-feet wide and 37-feet tall. Within the wall is one of only a handful of manual scoreboards in all of college baseball. The board itself isn't small, standing 18-feet tall and 46-feet wide. The Lions, who have posted a 462-345-4 (.572) overall record in the park's 28 seasons, including a 9-3 mark this year, have claimed five conference titles while calling Page Stadium home. The first Page Stadium conference title came in 1986, when the Lions posted a 24-8 record at home. The best record came in 1988, when LMU was 30-5 at home (.857).
LONG BEACH SHORT HOPS
Long Beach State enters the midweek game with the Lions sporting a 10-9 overall record having dropped two of three games to No. 23 Oregon State over the weekend. Long Beach State is hitting .239, led by Matt Hibbert at .297 with five runs scored and two doubles. Brennan Metzger has compiled 12 runs scored and a team-best six doubles while hitting .265. Matt Duffy provides the bulk of the RBI, posting 11 in 19 games played. Left-hander Ryan Strufing is slated to get the ball against the Lions on Tuesday. Strufing carries no record with a 5.40 ERA over six appearances and two starts. He has tossed 15 innings and punched out 12 while walking seven. Long Beach State leads the all-time series between the two teams, 56-38. LMU is 3-2 over the last five games against the Dirtbags, and 5-5 over the last 10 overall. LMU defeated Long Beach State in the first meeting this year, earning a 5-1 victory at Blair Field on February 22.
INSIDE THE DUGOUT
Sophomore left-hander Matt Florer will be blogging throughout the season to give an insider's perspective on LMU baseball. Check back in regularly to see what Matt has to share, and to see the weekly winner of the "Zoo Crew Member of the Week" award. To read "Inside the Dugout with Matt Florer," please head to:
Inside the Dugout with Matt Florer
NEW INTERACTIVE YEARBOOK AVAILABLE ONLINE
LMU Athletics, in conjunction with zmags.com, is proud to offer fans a new interactive publication viewing experience. All LMU yearbooks in 2010-11 will incorporate zmags' Flash-enabled technology to bring fans clickable content featuring videos and live updated web links. Despite the transition from printed guides to online content, LMU interactive guides will continue to feature player and coach biographies, team histories, and information about Loyola Marymount University and its athletics programs. The publications will work in tandem with LMU's official athletics website, www.LMULions.com, to offer up-to-date statistics and news. Additionally, the publications are easily downloadable and printable, allowing fans to take the documents with them. All historical information is available in a second PDF publication, also on www.LMULions.com. To view the 2011 publications, please visit:
2011 LMU Interactive Yearbook and Record Book
GUTHRIE EARNS LMU'S THIRD STRAIGHT P.O.W.
Alex Guthrie ran the total of West Coast Conference Player of the Week selections to three straight for LMU, claiming the honor on March 14. Matt Lowenstein was named WCC Player of the Week on February 28, followed by Bret Dahlson on March 7. For his efforts, Guthrie was also named CollegeBaseballInsider.com's West Player of the Week. Guthrie hit .529 over the week, finishing 9-for-17 with four doubles, four runs scored and eight RBI. The native of Sunnyvale, Calif. slugged .765 and reached at a .529 clip. Guthrie hit safely in each of the four games, extending his hitting streak to eight straight games to that point. LMU's third baseman collected multiple hits in each of the final three games against the Mustangs, including a career-high tying three hits on Saturday in game one, and three more in the series finale. Guthrie posted a pair of doubles in both of the final games, including notching a career-high five RBI on Sunday.
LIONS SWEEP FEBRUARY PLAYER OF THE MONTH HONORS
The LMU baseball team swept the WCC Player of the Month awards for the month of February, as sophomore Matt Lowenstein was named WCC Player of the Month and junior Martin Viramontes took home WCC Pitcher of the Month accolades. The Pitcher of the Month selection is the first for LMU since Lee Roberts was named Pitcher of the Month for his work in April of 2009. The Player of the Month selection is the first for the Lions since 2003 when Jonathan Oller took home the honor for the month of March. The Lions went 7-1 over the course of the month of February. The start marked just the third time that LMU had began a season with a record of 7-1 or better. Lowenstein batted .519 for the month of February. The left-handed hitter collected a team-best nine runs scored, a triple and five RBI while drawing seven walks out of the leadoff spot in all but one game. He reached base at a .611 clip and slugged .593 while stealing a pair of bases. Viramontes went 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA over two starts in the month of February. The right-hander tossed 12.1 innings and allowed just three runs (two earned) while striking out 12. Opponents hit a measly .182 off the native of Fresno, Calif.
WEEK OF FIRSTS FOR DAHLSON
Freshman Bret Dahlson was named WCC Player of the Week, it was announced by the conference office on March 8. For Dahlson, the selection is the first of his career, while it marked the second in as many weeks for the Lions. Sophomore Matt Lowenstein took home the honor on February 28. Dahlson batted .400 for the week, finishing 6-for-15 with two runs scored, a pair of doubles, a home run and five RBI. The home run, which came on the first pitch of the eighth inning on March 3, was the first of Dahlson's career, and the first of the year for LMU. Dahlson, a native of Yorba Linda, Calif., slugged .733, reached at a .438 clip and stole one base over the course of the week. Dahlson hit safely in four of the five games played, including a pair of hits in each of the first two (at No. 7 Cal State Fullerton on March 1 and versus Hawai'i on March 3). The right-handed hitter also collected three RBI on March 5 against Hawai'i, finishing 1-for-3 with a double. The two hits against Cal State Fullerton marked the first career multiple-hit game for Dahlson, while the three RBI against Hawai'i spelled the first multiple-RBI effort for the freshman.
TO THE POLLS
The Lions were receiving votes in two publications for the week of February 28, getting a nod from the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches. Prior to this year, LMU last received votes on two occasions in 2009, on May 4 (USA Today/ESPN) and April 13 (NCBWA).
LOWENSTEIN NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Matt Lowenstein was named WCC Player of the Week, the conference office announced on February 28. The selection was Lowenstein's first of his career, and the first for the Lions in 2011. Lowenstein hit safely in all four games last week, batting .667 over the course of the week with eight runs scored, a triple, four walks and five RBI. He collected multiple hits in three of the four games, and multiple RBI in two of the four. In addition to reaching base at a .700 clip and slugging .800, Lowenstein stole one base and collected a sacrifice fly. The native of Chino Hills, Calif. went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two walks on Tuesday at Long Beach State before finishing 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk, a stolen base and two RBI against Nevada on Friday. After a 1-for-4 day with a run scored on Saturday, Lowenstein went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a triple and three RBI on Sunday to finish the week.
PICKED BEFORE THE PITCH
Four LMU baseball players earned Preseason All-West Coast Conference selections, the conference office announced on February 10. The four selections are more than any other WCC team. A Freshman All-American, and last year's WCC Freshman of the Year, Matt Lowenstein is joined by senior Jonathan Johnson and juniors Martin Viramontes and Ryan Hawthorne on the Preseason All-Conference team. Hawthorne capped the 2010 season by being selected first team All-WCC. The four players highlight a team that is picked to finish fifth in the competitive West Coast Conference.
A BIT OF BACKDRAFT
Two of the three Lion players selected in 2010 MLB Draft are back with the team in 2011. The Tampa Bay Rays selected then-redshirt-sophomore catcher Matt Koch with the 671st overall pick in the 22nd round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft on June 8, while fellow redshirt-sophomore Martin Viramontes was taken just five rounds later, selected as the 835th overall pick in the 27th round by the New York Yankees. Former Lion Xavier Esquivel also went in the draft, taken by the San Diego Padres with the 1,024th overall pick in the 34th round.
ANOTHER TOUGH SCHEDULE
According to boydsworld.com, the 2011 schedule ranked 19th in the nation in terms of projected Strength of Schedule (SOS) in the preseason, which takes into account the projected results and success of LMU's opponents this season. LMU currently ranks 91st in Strength of Schedule, 62nd in Iterative Strength Rating (ISR), which is essentially a measure of the quality of a team's season by combining its winning percentage with the difficulty of its schedule, and 60th in Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), the official measure of team quality used by the tournament selection committee. This year's slate consists of 55 games, including 28 at home in Page Stadium. The schedule also features 13 games against 2010 NCAA Regional qualifiers, including three games against Super Regional participant Cal State Fullerton. Four of LMU's opponents (Cal State Fullerton, San Diego, UC Irvine and Hawai'i) were listed in one of the major four polls to begin the season, with Fullerton ranked as high as eighth according to Baseball America.
AND THE SURVEY SAYS
For the second straight year, the LMU baseball team was picked to finish fifth overall in the West Coast Conference in 2011. LMU earned 23 total points in the annual preseason coaches' poll conducted by the league's eight head coaches. San Diego garnered six first-place votes and amassed 49 overall points. The coaches selected Pepperdine to finish second in the WCC with 39 points, followed by San Francisco in third with 33 points. Portland, which captured the remaining first place vote, came in fourth with 32 points. LMU and Gonzaga (20 points) were selected fifth and sixth, while Santa Clara (16 points) and Saint Mary's (12 points) rounded out the poll.
GET OFF ON THE RIGHT `PAW'
Since 2001, LMU has been victorious in seven of its 11 games on Opening Day, earning a 4-1 decision over UC Riverside this season after falling to No. 7 UC Irvine on the road last season by a count of 5-1. LMU earned an 8-7 "walk-off" victory in 11 innings over Utah in 2009. 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. Sac State got the best of the Lions in 2008, defeating LMU by a count of 11-7 to open that season in Sacramento.
PCH CHALLENGE
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine have come together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Challenge. The series, which is in its second year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference. LMU and Pepperdine will be represented by over 12 of their intercollegiate athletic teams through both regular and post-season competitions over the course of the academic calendar. Any head-to-head competition, including matches in the postseason and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur. For the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective postseason championships. Pepperdine currently leads LMU in the 2010-11 standings, 8.5-6.0. To learn more about the PCH Challenge and view the current scorecard, please visit:
PCH Cup Homepage
LOCALLY GROWN
Twenty-eight of LMU's 31 baseball players on the 2011 roster hail from California. Of those 28 players from California, 24 are from cities within 100 miles of the LMU campus. The three out-of-state players are sophomore Zac Fujimoto from Aiea, Hawai'i; freshman Kevin Kennedy from Phoenix, Ariz.; and sophomore Steve Dueñas from Kirkland, Wash.
