LOS ANGELES, CA – The Loyola Marymount University Lions (6-13-1, 3-0 WCC) return to West Coast Conference play this weekend when they travel north to face the Santa Clara Broncos for a three-game set.
The Lions opened conference last weekend against Saint Mary's, sweeping the Gaels and now sit tied atop the WCC standings at 3-0 with Gonzaga.
First pitches are set for 6:00 p.m. on Friday, 1:00 p.m. Saturday and 12:00 p.m. Sunday. All three games will be broadcast on the WCC Network and links are available on the baseball schedule page at
www.lmulions.com.
LMU heads into the weekend winners of four of the last five series against the Broncos including last year, taking two of three games at Page Stadium. The road series against the Broncos will be the second of the year as the Lions opened 2022 by playing 16 of their first 20 games at home.
The Lions have been getting production throughout the lineup and sit fourth in the conference in hits with 187.
Jared Thomas, the team leader in hits with 28, is coming off a midweek game against UCLA where he went 3-for-5 with a home run. He enters the weekend on a 5-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 12 of the last 14 contests for the Lions.
In addition to Thomas,
Grant Weiss has made the most of his time at the plate. The sophomore, entering the weekend on a 4-game hitting streak, has posted five multi-hit games for the Lions. He's also the team leader in batting average at .346 and is amongst LMU leaders in runs and slugging percentage.
On the mound
Diego Barrera has been lethal to opposing batters. He put together a dominant performance against the Gaels last weekend and leads the Lions in ERA at 2.13. He's appeared in three games on the year with 12.2 innings pitched, striking out eight against one walk.
Out of the bullpen
Owen Hackman has given the Lions 16.2 innings of work and is second on the team in ERA at 3.78. He leads the team in saves and is among the leaders in strikeouts and opposing team batting average.
The Lions road swing continues next week with a stop in Riverside on Tuesday, March 29th before returning home to host Portland for three games April 1st – 3rd.
