June 3, 2011
SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Junior Matt Koch garnered WCC Player of the Month accolades for the month of May, it was announced by the conference office on June 3. Koch joins Martin Viramontes and Matt Lowenstein as Player of the Month selections this year, as the latter were both named for the month of February.
Koch hit .357 with eight runs scored, four doubles, a triple, a home run and a team-best 13 RBI over the course of the month. He slugged .518 and reached base at a .387 clip. Koch hit safely in all but three games in the month, helping LMU to a 9-6 record and a 6-4 mark in the WCC to claim a share of third place. The right-handed hitter connected for five multi-hit games and four multi-RBI performances.
The native of Manhattan Beach, Calif. started the month by batting 2-for-6 with two RBI and a double against San Francisco on May 1. He then batted 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a stolen base and two RBI against Cal State Bakersfield on May 8 and had a pinch-hit RBI-double to help LMU to an extra-inning victory over Saint Mary's on May 14. Koch then fell a home run short of the cycle on May 22 against Portland, batting 4-for-5 with a run scored. He finished the month strong, batting 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI to push LMU to a 5-4 walk-off victory in the final game of the 2011 season against San Diego - helping LMU to a sweep of the Toreros and a share of third place in the WCC.
The Lions finished the year with a 30-25 overall record and an 11-10 mark in the WCC. The 30-win season is the second in three years under Head Coach Jason Gill.
