LOS ANGELES – The Loyola Marymount University Lions (7-7, 0-0 WCC) open West Coast Conference play this weekend when BYU pays a visit to Page Stadium for a three-game set. The Lions and Cougars renew their rivalry after last year's series was canceled due to the pandemic.
 
The three-game series is the first of four straight home games and eight of the next nine to be played at the friendly confines of Page Stadium where the Lions have yet to drop a decision.
 
Thursday night's game against BYU will be streamed live with links to the broadcast available on the baseball schedule page at lmulions.com. The remainder of the series will not be streamed due to conflicts with volleyball but the action can be followed via live stats also on the baseball schedule page at lmulions.com.
 
The Lions enter the weekend having won two-of-four series they played against the Pac-12, sweeping Utah and taking two over Washington.
 
LMU has been getting steady play up and down the lineup with the trio of Kenny Oyama, Julian Bury, and Diego Baqueiro all sitting above .300 fourteen games into the season.
 
Oyama's .385 batting average leads the Lions in addition to his twenty hits which ranks him sixth in the WCC. With Oyama constantly on base he continues to put pressure on opposing defenses and makes good on that threat by leading the conference in stolen bases with five.
 
Bury is second on the team in batting average at .321 and is tied for second in hits with 18 and doubles at two. Baqueiro leads the Lions in doubles with five which ranks him fifth in the conference. He's also fourth in the WCC in triples with one.
 
The Lions pitching staff has consistent throughout the first fourteen games of the year with a team ERA of 4.30 ranking them fourth in the conference.
 
LMU's bullpen has been solid in 2021 with Holden Christian being nearly unhittable when he takes the mound. Christian, coming out of the pen, leads the team in ERA at 0.00 appearing in six games giving LMU 11 2/3 innings with 15 strikeouts. On the year, Christian has only allowed multiple hits in one of the six games he's stood on the hill.
 
Josh Agnew has been giving head coach Nathan Choate solid contributions out of the pen. He leads the team with two saves and has seven strikeouts in just 4 1/3 innings pitched. Additionally, Diego Barrera has thrown solid innings for the Lions. He's appeared in five games and has an ERA of 1.42 to go along with 11 strikeouts.
 
Following the three-game set against the Cougars, LMU will take a day off and then return to Page for the first of two midweek games. The Lions welcome Arizona on Monday, March 22 at 1:00 p.m. followed by a road contest at UCLA on Tuesday, March 23 at 6:00 p.m.

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