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FOLLOW THE LIONS
LMU vs. San Francisco -- Friday, April 8 | 2:00 PM PT | Page Stadium | Watch on TheW.tv | Live Stats |
LMU vs. San Francisco -- Friday, April 8 | 5:30 PM PT | Page Stadium | Watch on TheW.tv | Live Stats |
LMU vs. San Francisco -- Saturday, April 9 | 6:00 PM PT | Page Stadium | Watch on TheW.tv | Live Stats |

QUICK HITS
◊ LMU has won eight of its last 11 games ... is playing just its seventh, eighth and ninth home games of the year ... six straight losses from 3/11 - 3/18 was the longest winless streak since dropping six straight from 2/18 - 3/1/14 ... averaged 2.17 runs per game and hit .202 over the losing streak ... is averaging just 4.34 runs per game this year ... owns an RPI of 39 (NCAA) and a strength of schedule of 2 (Boyd's World) ... has used 28 different batting lineups in 29 games this year ... has pitched to a 2.72 ERA with two shutouts over the last 11 games ... is picked to finish tied for third in the WCC Preseason Coaches' Poll ... is picked fifth according to D1Baseball.com ... played in front of a crowd of 1,037 in home opener on 2/23 vs. #21 USC - the largest home crowd since at least 1998 ... began the year on the road for the first time since 2010 ... has been shut out five times this year, including in consecutive games twice (2/20 - 2/21; 3/11 - 3/12) ... prior to this year, LMU was last shut out in back-to-back games on February 9-10, 1985 ... has managed two shutouts of its own ... did not play a non-conference home weekend series this year after playing just one non-conference road weekend series last year, and none in 2014 ... 33 wins last year were the most since recording 40 in 2000 (40-19) ... reached 30 wins for the fourth time in seven years under Gill ... has played for the WCC Championship the last two years (both losses to Pepperdine) ... last earned a WCC Championship and NCAA berth in 2000.
◊ Ted Boeke hit .375 (3x8) with three runs scored and two doubles against Portland after going hitless (0x16) over previous five games ... hit LMU's first HR of the year on 2/23 vs. #21 USC (solo HR | B3) ... made it back-to-back games with a HR on 2/26 at SJSU.
◊ Cassidy Brown collected four RBI in LMU's 8-0 shutout victory at USC on 3/29 ... leads the team with 13 multi-hit games ... has posted a double, two homers and five RBI over the last five games played ... is hitting .326 (14x43) with eight runs scored, three doubles, two homers and eight RBI over the last 10 games ... hit safely in 10 straight games from 2/21 - 3/6, including posting multiple hits in seven of the 10 (.500 (19x38) | 6 R | 4 2B | HR | 6 RBI) ... batted .583 (7-for-12) with four runs scored, two doubles, a homer and five RBI in three games at SJSU ... had three career extra-base hits over first two seasons (73 games | 210 AB), but has 14 this year (29 games | 114 AB) ... was named to Johnny Bench Award watch list.
◊ J.D. Busfield ranks 6th in the nation (first in WCC) in strikeout-to-walk ratio (12.00) and is 5th (first in WCC) in walks-per-nine (.57) ... has tossed 5 consecutive quality starts ... is a third team Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American according to Collegiate Baseball.
◊ Phil Caulfield is hitting .412 (7x17) over last five games ... batting .524 (11x21) with five RBI in WCC play ... carries a nine-game hit streak (.438 | 14x32) into the weekend.
◊ Spencer Erdman has batted .375 (6x16) with five runs scored over his last five games played.
◊ Ryan Erickson has batted .455 (10x22) with 4 runs scored, 3 doubles and a triple over his last 9 games played (7 starts).
◊ Niko Decolati is 1 for his last 23 (.043) over last six games after going 7-for-8 in three prior games.
◊ Jason Gill recorded his 200th victory as head coach of the Lions on 2/19 at #11 TCU ... now 213-201-1.
◊ Austin Miller belted game-winning two-run home run in the B8 to hand LMU a 2-1 victory over UC Riverside on 4/5 ... is hitting .381 (8x21) with four runs scored and six RBI over last five games ... hit safely in 11 straight games from 3/4 - 3/19 (.327 | 16x49 | 5 R | 3B | HR | 3 RBI) ... is a preseason All-WCC selection.
◊ Blake Redman ranks 32nd in the nation (2nd in WCC) in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.50) and is 21st (2nd in WCC) in walks-per-nine (.95) ... went 2-0 over two starts last week, pitching to a 2.08 ERA over 13 IP ... allowed just three runs while striking out seven over the two starts.
◊ Michael Silva was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 25th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
◊ Jamey Smart has reached base safely in 26 straight games, and all but one contest this year (0x4 on 2/21 at #11 TCU) ... batted .364 (4x11) with two runs scored, a homer and four RBI over three games at BYU ... drove in all four of LMU's runs on 3/26 at BYU.
◊ Sean Watkins was tabbed a preseason All-WCC selection ... hit first homer of the year at #23 BYU on 3/25 ... a freshman All-American as a utility player last year.
◊ Billy Wilson is 2 for his last 33 (.061) with 16 strikeouts.

THIS WEEK
Having played only five of its first 28 games at home this year, LMU is finally home for an extended period, entering game two of a stretch of seven of eight at home ... the string began on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over UC Riverside ... LMU will now welcome San Francisco to town on Friday to begin a three-game West Coast Conference series ... the Lions and Dons will play a doubleheader starting at 2 pm on Friday, with hopes of concluding the series on Saturday at 6 pm ... if weather proves to be problematic, the teams will conclude the series on Sunday at 1 pm ... all three games can be followed live online at LMULions.com.

LION TRACKS
Junior Austin Miller belted his second home run of the year in the bottom of the eighth inning, launching a two-run shot out to right field to catapult LMU past UC Riverside by a score of 2-1 on Tuesday night ... the native of Greeley, Colo. did not miss a 1-0 pitch from reliever Cameron Haskell, saddling the right-hander with the loss and dropping him to 0-1 on the season ... in a pitcher's duel, LMU received a stellar start from junior Tyler Cohen ... the right-hander tossed 6.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts ... the lone blemish on his line came in the second inning when Aaron Cisneros launched his third home run of the year over the wall in left field to make it 1-0 UCR ... Harrison Simon threw one pitch to retire the side in the eighth, putting him in line for the victory and moving him to 2-0 on the season ... Sean Watkins entered in the ninth inning, dealing a perfect frame that featured one strikeout, to convert his third save of the year.

WEEKDAY WORK PERK PROMOTION
With 15 home baseball games still left to be played this year, there is still time to take advantage of the Weekday Work Perk ... the promo invites fans to bring a business card and a co-worker to a midweek home game (Monday through Thursday) to receive a complimentary ticket to any future 2016 regular-season baseball home game ... as an added bonus, the first 50 fans to present a business card at the ticket table during a midweek game will receive a coupon for a free hot dog.

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco enters the weekend series with LMU carrying a 9-22 overall record and a 4-5 mark in the West Coast Conference ... the Dons have lost six of their last seven games overall after dropping two-of-three at Pepperdine last weekend and a midweek game at UC Davis this week ... Allen Smoot owns the team's highest batting average at .323, while Blake Valley has hit .314 with nine runs scored, six doubles, a triple and 15 RBI ... Matt Sinatro has swiped 15 bases in 16 attempts, helping him to 16 runs scored ... Ross Puskarich has belted a team-high three homers as USF has batted .256 as a team ... a trio of right-handers are scheduled to take the mound for USF this weekend, beginning with Anthony Shew (1-4, 4.26 ERA) on Friday ... he will be followed by Thomas Ponticelli (1-3, 5.61 ERA) and James Kannenberg (3-2, 3.43 ERA) ... San Francisco is led by 18th-year head coach Nino Giarratano.

WORKING IN THE ZONE
LMU pitching has done well to force the opposition to swing the bats so far this year, walking just 69 hitters and hitting 14 over 252 innings of work ... the walks-per-nine mark (2.46) is fourth in the nation, and is good for first in the WCC ... J.D. Busfield ranks first in the WCC and fifth in the nation (.57) in the category, while Blake Redman ranks 21st in the nation and second in the WCC (.95) ... LMU's strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.36 is 62nd in the nation and second in the WCC ... Busfield (12.00) ranks first in the WCC and sixth in the nation in that category, while Redman (6.50) is second in the WCC and 32nd in the nation, with the leaders being Andrew Lantrip (Houston) and Reggie McLain (Missouri) at 16.00.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
In its 34th season as the home of Lion baseball in 2016, George C. Page Stadium also enters its third year under the lights ... the 2016 LMU baseball schedule features 21 home games, including 16 under the lights ... LMU, which is currently 3-3 at home this year, went 17-14 at home last year ... the Lions did not play a non-conference home weekend series this year after playing just one non-conference road weekend series last year, and none in 2014 ... the home schedule features contests against USC, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, Hawaii, CSU Bakersfield and Long Beach State in non-conference play, while WCC weekend series include Portland, San Francisco, Saint Mary's, Gonzaga, and PCH-Cup rival Pepperdine ... the Lions, who have posted a 537-401-4 (.572) overall record in the park's 33 seasons, 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).

BROWN BACK ON THE BENCH
Junior Cassidy Brown was recently honored by being put back on the Bench -- earning a spot on the 2016 Johnny Bench Award watch list ... the native of Hudson, Ohio was listed on the watch list for the award, which is presented by BaseballSavings.com, last season as a sophomore ... Brown is one of 74 catchers who were nominated for the award by their schools ... the watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists on May 18 before three finalists are chosen on June 6 ... all finalists will be brought to Wichita and the winner will be announced at the 19th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 30 ... Bench's career honors include: National League Rookie of the Year (1968); National League Most Valuable Player (1970, 1972); World Series Most Valuable Player (1976); 14-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner ... Bench was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in January 1989 with the fourth highest percentage of total votes cast ... in 2015, Bench was named as part of the Franchise Four Greatest Living Players, along with Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays.

STANDING ROOM ONLY!
Playing its home opener on 2/23 vs. #21 USC, LMU welcomed 1,037 fans into Page Stadium - the largest crowd since at least 1998 ... the game was just the second attendance figure above 1,000 over that span, with LMU vs. Pepperdine on May 29, 2005 drawing 1,013 ... six of the top-10 highest-attended home games have been played against the Waves, while two of the other four have been played against ranked-opponents ... Page Stadium seats approximately 600 fans in the seatbacks and bleacher sections, with standing room only in the picnic area down the right field line.

PROSPECT WATCH
D1Baseball.com released its 2016 preseason predictions, tabbing the Lions fifth in the WCC race ... in conjunction with the poll, it also released a listing of top prospects on the national scene as well as in the WCC ... junior right-hander J.D. Busfield is tabbed the 143rd-best prospect in the 2016 Draft, while Austin Miller (214) and Cassidy Brown (297) also made the list ... within the WCC, Busfield is tabbed the fourth-best prospect in the conference, while Miller (ninth) and Brown (18th) also cracked the top-20.

IT'S JUST A NUMBER
LMU is 32-41-1 against ranked-opponents under head coach Jason Gill over his eight years as head coach ... the Lions are also 7-10 in weekend series over that span ... LMU is currently 2-6 against ranked-foes this season ... the Lions went 1-4-1 last year against such teams, with the lone victory coming in the series finale at #20 Arkansas on 3/8 ... LMU's best record under Gill against ranked-teams came in his first year (2009) when the Lions went 9-2.

@LMLIONSBASEBALL ON TWITTER
For fans, scouts, parents and players who are interested in following LMU baseball even closer this year, LMU baseball is tweeting under the handle @LMLionsBaseball ... to get the inside look at LMU baseball from the coaching perspective, make sure to follow @LMLionsBaseball on Twitter.

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!
USA Baseball announced the 2016 Collegiate National Team coaching staff in February, including tabbing current LMU head coach, Jason Gill, and former Lion skipper, Dave Snow, as coaches with the team ... the 2016 Collegiate National Team will be led by current University of Oregon Head Coach, George Horton, as Manager ... joining Horton, Gill and Snow will Mitch Karraker, David Pierce and Dave Serrano ... Gill will join the 2016 Collegiate National Team staff after previously working with Horton and Serrano on the 2012 U.S. squad ... during his stint with Team USA in 2012, Gill helped the squad to a 12-5 record and a bronze medal after finishing 5-2 at Honkbal Week hosted at Pim Mulier Stadium in the Netherlands ... a three-time USA Baseball coaching alum, Snow will serve as the Bench Coach for the 2016 squad ... Snow, who guided LMU to its lone College World Series appearance in 1986 and earned Baseball America's Coach of the Year that season, was an assistant coach for the Collegiate National Team in the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, 1995, and at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.

TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE
The 2016 LMU baseball schedule features 21 home games to be played at Page Stadium ... season ticket plans start at $40 for a General Admission season ticket, while Reserved Chair Back season tickets can be purchased for $70 ... each season ticket purchased comes with a commemorative LMU Scarf, and Reserved Chair Back season tickets also include a nameplate on your chair identifying your seat(s) at Page Stadium ... children 12 years and under attending any regular season LMU baseball game get in for free if they are wearing their softball or baseball youth league uniform ... students, faculty and staff with a valid One Card also receive free General Admission access to every home game ... to purchase Reserved Chair Back season tickets, please contact the LMU Box Office at 310-338-5466 ... to purchase General Admission season tickets or single-game tickets, please visit LMULions.com/tickets.

SURVEY SAYS
The LMU baseball team, led by eighth-year head coach Jason Gill, was picked to finish tied with Saint Mary's for third in the competitive West Coast Conference after a polling all 10 of the head coaches during the preseason ... San Diego, which received six of the 10 first-place votes, topped the conference poll, earning 76 points, while Pepperdine (three) and the Lions (one) both earned at least one first-place vote.

FROM THE `PEN TO THE ROTATION
LMU's Opening Weekend rotation featured three players who made a combined two starts in 2015, and had combined for just 10 starts in their collegiate careers entering 2016 ... while the starts may have been limited, the appearances were plenty, as the trio served a vital role in the bullpen last year ... Friday night starter, JD Busfield, set a new LMU single season record for saves with 14 last year while pitching to a 4-2 record and a 1.89 ERA with 35 strikeouts over 27 appearances and 38 innings of work ... the right-hander was the only weekend starter with more than one start to his name coming into this year, making eight as a freshman in 2014 ... Cory Abbott, who opened the year as the Saturday starter, made 27 appearances and one start, pitching to a 1-1 record and a 2.37 ERA over 49.1 innings in his first season with the Lions ... Tyler Cohen, who toed the rubber on Sunday, made 13 appearances and one start last year, after appearing in 20 games out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2014.

FOLLOW IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will video stream all home baseball games this year through the LMU Sports Network and theW.tv ... the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast ... all road games will once again feature an audio play-by-play broadcast ... to watch any and all home games this year, and to listen to the audio on the road, please visit: lmulions.com/multimedia/LMUSportsNetwork-BASE.html

PICKED BEFORE THE PITCH
Junior outfielder Austin Miller and sophomore right-hander Sean Watkins were tabbed preseason All-West Coast Conference prior to the start of the 2016 campaign ... Miller is one of 10 position players on the preseason All-WCC squad, while Watkins, who is a two-way player for LMU, is one of five pitchers selected ... Miller was a second team All-WCC selection as a sophomore in 2015 , while Watkins was an honorable mention selection and earned a spot on the All-Freshman team before taking home Freshman All-American honors ... all told, eight of the 10 WCC schools are represented on the preseason All-WCC team, led by Pepperdine which placed two position players and a pitcher on the squad ... Gonzaga, LMU, Saint Mary's, San Diego and Santa Clara each placed two on the preseason list.

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
LMU has picked up right where it left off last year in terms of hit-by-pitches, drawing 38 so far through 29 games (1.31 per game) in 2016 to place first in the WCC and 35th in the nation ... Seaver Whalen paces the squad with seven hit-by-pitches each, while 14 different Lions have registered at least one ... the Lions have registered four hit batters twice this year to set the season high ... never afraid to wear a pitch to reach first base, LMU recorded 89 hit-by-pitches over 55 games last year (1.62 per game) to place third in LMU history and sixth in the nation ... LMU's existing program record is 112 in 2000, followed by 93 in 1998 ... Austin Miller was hit 16 times last year to lead the way - tied for fifth-most in LMU history ... 15 different Lions registered at least one hit-by-pitch in 2015 ... the high-water mark for the year was five hit batsmen against Saint Joseph's on 2/21 in the second game of a doubleheader, while LMU failed to record a hit-by-pitch in only 13 games last year.

ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
LMU returns three players who received All-WCC recognition at the end of the 2015 season, including juniors Austin Miller and JD Busfield, and sophomore Sean Watkins ... Miller was a second team All-WCC selection in 2015 after hitting .314 with 43 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples, three homers and 27 RBI while starting all 55 games for the Lions in centerfield ... the speedy outfielder, who reached at a .402 clip, swiped 15 bags in 21 attempts to lead the team, while also pacing the squad in runs, hits and on-base percentage ... Watkins turned in the third-best ERA in LMU history (1.89) as a freshman in 2015, while also registering the second-lowest opponent batting average in program history (.201) en route to garnering Freshman All-American honors and an honorable mention All-WCC nod ... Watkins, who did not allow an earned run over his first 19 collegiate innings of work, went 4-1 over 17 appearances and nine starts last year while combining on a pair of shutouts ... Busfield garnered All-West Coast Conference honorable mention accolades in 2015 after setting a new LMU record for saves in a season (14) ... the right-hander pitched to a 4-2 record and a 1.89 ERA with 35 strikeouts over 27 appearances and 38 innings of work ... Busfield did not allow an earned run over first 20.2 innings.

GET OFF ON THE RIGHT PAW
The Lions have had a knack for coming out of the gates strong under head coach Jason Gill, going 6-2 on Opening Day during his tenure ... the Lions are 6-2 in Opening Weekend series over that span, with the only losses against then-No. 7 UC Irvine in 2010, and #11 TCU this year ... since 2000, LMU is 11-6 on Opening Day.

JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY
For the fourth consecutive year, the West Coast Conference will hold a WCC Championship Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif. from May 28-30 to decide who will claim the WCC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament ... the top-four teams will compete in the tournament, with the #1 seed facing #4 and #2 facing #3 in first-round play ... unlike in previous seasons, the tournament is double elimination throughout, with the winner of the tournament earning the WCC's automatic bid ... LMU has played for the WCC Championship in each of the last two years (both losses to Pepperdine).

WELLS FARGO PCH CUP
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Wells Fargo Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup ... the series, which is in its seventh 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 ... any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season 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 post-season championships ... LMU currently leads the 2015-16 standings, 7.5-7 ... LMU won the challenge for the first time last year ... to learn more about the PCH Cup and view the current scorecard, please visit: lmulions.com/pchcup

ALL-AMERICAN LIONS
Last season ended with a freshman All-American honor for LMU, and the 2016 season has started with an All-American selection - albeit different players ... current sophomore, Sean Watkins, took home Freshman All-American honors according to Baseball America, National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (Louisville Slugger), D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game as a two-way player, while junior right-hander JD Busfield has been tabbed a Louisville Slugger third team Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball ... Watkins posted a team-best 1.89 ERA with a 4-1 record over 17 appearances and nine starts in 2015, while Busfield pitched to a 4-2 record and a 1.89 ERA over 27 appearances and 38 innings of work last year ... the 2016 Friday starter managed six of his LMU record-setting 14 saves, and all four of his wins, in WCC play.

LIONS IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
LMU had one former baseball player in the Major Leagues in 2015, as C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles Angels) spent his 11th year on the game's biggest stage ... Ryan Wheeler (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Eric Farris (Minnesota Twins), who also have MLB experience, competed in Minor League Baseball during the 2015 season ... including Wheeler and Farris, 11 former Lions played in the Minor Leagues in 2015, including Tanner Donnels, David Fletcher, Trevor Megill and Colin Welmon, who finished LMU careers in 2015 ... the Lions have had more than 125 players drafted by Major League Baseball teams in program history, including 29 players in the last 10 years ... Billy Traber and Chris Donnels are the lone Lions to be selected in the first round, both selected by the Mets ... Traber went 16th overall in 2000, while Donnels was taken with the 24th pick in 1987 ... including Traber and Donnels, LMU has had 22 players selected in the first five rounds of a MLB draft ... LMU's best draft came in 2000, as a Lion was taken in each of the first three rounds - Traber went in the first, followed by Michael Schultz in the second, and Scott Walter in the third ... for a list of current Lions playing in professional baseball, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/7taglqf

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