July 28, 2011
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - After finishing tied for third in the West Coast Conference in 2011, LMU baseball players have since traveled around the country to hone their skills in various summer baseball leagues.
A trio of Lions, namely Alex Guthrie, John Lally and future Lion Cullen Mahoney, traveled to the Northwoods League to play for the Thunder Bay Border Cats. Mahoney, who was named to the Northwoods League All-Star Team, leads the League in batting average at .351 with 25 runs scored, three doubles, four triples, four home runs, 16 walks, eight stolen bases and 22 RBI over 37 games played. He is slugging .507 and reaching at a .418 clip. Guthrie, who has appeared in 48 games, is hitting .244 with 26 runs scored, eight doubles and four home runs to the tune of 20 RBI. Lally has made seven starts and eight appearances on the hill for the Border Cats, amassing a 2.62 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 44.2 innings of work.
Ryan Hawthorne, who was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 2011 MLB Draft, has taken his talents to beautiful Santa Barbara, Calif. to play for the Santa Barbara Foresters. Hawthorne, who spent last summer with the Foresters as well, garnered a spot in the 2011 California Collegiate League All-Star Game on July 13. The left-hander has amassed a 1.29 ERA over seven innings of relief while striking out 10 batters and allowing just a .080 batting average against.
Two other LMU hurlers are also playing in the Northwoods League, as Matt Florer and Aaron Griffin are pitching for the Brainerd Lakes Lunkers. Griffin has made seven starts and eight appearances, pitching to a 2.83 ERA and a 3-0 record over 47.2 innings of work. The right-hander has punched-out 38 batters. Florer has worked solely out of the bullpen for the Lunkers, tossing eight and a third innings en route to a 3.24 ERA and four strikeouts.
LMU sent three players to the Cape Cod League, often considered the best summer baseball league in the country. Matt Lowenstein, Shon Roe and Jason Wheeler have all taken the field for the Orleans Firebirds this summer. In just six games played, Roe batted .400 (6-for-15) with a run scored and two RBI. Lowenstein has appeared in 20 games for the Firebirds, scoring nine runs and drawing 11 walks. Wheeler, who was also drafted in the 2011 MLB Draft, has made six starts en route to a 3.07 ERA in 29 and a third innings. The left-hander has punched-out 18 batters over the span.
Joey Boney, who like Mahoney will join the Lions in 2011 as a transfer, has made the most of his time playing for the Albany Dutchmen this summer. Boney has batted .300 with 12 runs scored, a double, a triple and 10 RBI in 21 games played and 19 starts. Boney has been a force on the bases as well, swiping nine bags in 12 attempts.
Colton Plaia traveled to Alaska to play for the Goldpanners of Fairbanks, while two-way player Sean McIntyre is spending his summer playing for the Conejo Oaks of the California Collegiate League. Plaia has batted .250 with nine runs scored, three doubles and 10 RBI over 72 at bats and 26 games played. McIntyre has batted .283 over 46 at bats, collecting 10 runs scored, two doubles, a triple and three RBI. On the hill, the left-hander has made 10 appearances, including one start, and has pitched 12 and two-thirds innings with nine strikeouts.
