Baseball
2013 SEASON PREVIEW The LMU baseball program recorded its second consecutive third-place finish in the West Coast Conference last year, but is still searching for a ticket to its first postseason since 2000 as the 2013 season opens on February 15. The Lions, led by fifth-year head coach Jason Gill, are expected to rely heavily on returners at core positions, welcoming back preseason All-Conference selections in seniors Colton Plaia and Matt Lowenstein to catcher and centerfield, respectively. Fellow preseason selections, sophomore right-handers Colin Welmon and Trevor Megill, also return for the Lions after stellar freshman campaigns and are expected to once again anchor what should be a strong weekend rotation. Including the four preseason All-Conference selections, LMU returns 20 lettermen from a team that went 27-27 last year. Of those 20, seven are position players who served as starters a year ago, and three are starting pitchers. Gill and his staff also brought in 11 newcomers, including six junior college transfers and five freshmen, to add depth and compete for starts in 2013. “This is the first year since I’ve been coaching here that we have our best players coming back,” Gill said. “In previous years our best players have either been seniors or have elected to start professional careers. We are very fortunate to have Colton and Matt back in our lineup and playing every day in the middle of the field for us.” In addition to the preseason All-WCC selection, Plaia has been named to the 2013 College Baseball Daily's Top-100 Players list and the 2013 College Sports Madness preseason second team All-Conference after finishing last year as a first team All-WCC selection. Plaia was then drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 33rd round of the 2012 draft, but elected to return to LMU for his senior season after playing for the USA Collegiate National Team last summer. Last year, he batted .326 with a team-best six homers and 38 RBI, collecting 28 runs scored and eight doubles while slugging .461. The native of Mission Viejo, Calif. hit .385 with 17 runs scored, four doubles, four homers and 26 RBI in conference play. Lowenstein is a 2013 College Sports Madness preseason second team AllConference selection after taking home a first team All-WCC selection last year. A three-time All-WCC selection, including the 2010 WCC Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American, Lowenstein hit .293 with a WCCbest 45 walks, team-high 36 runs scored, 10 doubles, 28 RBI and three triples last year. The 45 walks were tied for ninth-most in a single season in LMU history, helping him to reach base at a .430 clip. In conference play alone, Lowenstein batted .381 with 22 runs scored, six doubles, three triples and 26 RBI en route to a .527 on-base percentage against WCC opponents. When asked about his star right-handers, Gill responded, “both [Colin and Trevor] had successful freshman campaigns and hopefully we help them develop to be even better this year,” Gill said. “Both are extremely hard workers and there is a lot of competition between the two of them, but there is also a friendship between both of them that allows them to push each other to get better.” Welmon was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team last year after posting a 7-4 record and a 3.87 ERA in 15 starts serving as LMU's Friday starter. He tossed 95.1 innings, including one complete game, and combined on a pair of shutouts. The native of Tustin, Calif. struck out 66 hitters to only 14 walks for a stellar 4.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The right-hander pitched to a 4-3 record in WCC play while notching an impressive WHIP of 1.29 and averaging 1.32 walks per nine innings for the entire 2012 season.
Megill garnered honorable mention AllWCC and All-Freshman team honors in 2012 after posting a 5-8 record and a 3.57 ERA over 15 starts and 90.2 innings of work serving as LMU's Saturday starter. The right-hander led the team in strikeouts with 82 and finished 4-3 with a 3.48 ERA over eight starts and 51.2 innings in conference play. Overall on the year, the native of Huntington Beach, Calif. pitched to a 1.29 WHIP and 8.14 strikeouts per nine innings. Headed into fall practice, both Welmon and Megill were being considered for two-way duties hitting and pitching, but Gill is quick to point out that their importance and priority will center around their abilities on the mound. According to Gill, “Colin is a pretty good left-handed bat, but both Welmon and Megill’s priorites will be on the mound. Colin will have some chances at the DH position and maybe filling in at first base, but we have had some guys step up offensively lately to ensure that they get time in the starting lineup.” Joining Welmon and Megill in the rotation is veteran senior Aaron Griffin. Griffin has served a number of roles for the Lions in his career, including bullpen ace last year. The right-hander sported a 2.99 ERA over nine starts as a sophomore before being moved into the bullpen last year. In 2012, Griffin pitched to a 3-5 record and a 3.29 ERA, appearing in 32 of LMU's 54 games. The 32 appearances matched the sixth-most for a season in LMU history, and the most since Chris Gray made 33 appearances in 2001. The native of El Cajon, Calif. combined on three shutouts and recorded a save while logging 65.2 innings with 61 strikeouts. A workhorse in conference play, Griffin appeared in 16 of LMU’s 24 WCC contests. “Aaron has been great for us throughout his career,” Gill said. “He was National Pitcher of the Week as a sophomore and was the best pitcher on our staff toward the end of his sophomore season. Last year he got pushed into a role based on necessity because he could throw strikes and had an arm that rebounded quickly. Our staff, and coaches within our conference, know that Aaron could be a Friday guy for a lot of pitching staffs across the country, so I don’t think people will be shocked at how good Griffin will be in his Sunday starts.” While the midweek starter role is still up for grabs, and may be determined on a week-to-week basis, according to Gill, “junior Patrick McGrath is settling into the Tuesday starter role, but he is battling with sophomore Sean Buckle.” McGrath is a junior college transfer from Southwestern Community College. While playing at Southwestern, McGrath earned first team All-Pacific Coast Conference honors in 2012 and honorable mention honors in 2011. Last year he made 14 appearances and 13 starts, going 5-8 with nine complete games and a 2.79 ERA. The right-hander tossed a team-high 100 innings while striking out 66 hitters (5.94 per game) and strung together seven consecutive complete games from March 13 to April 27. As a freshman, he posted a 2.06 ERA and a 5-2 record over a team-high 24 appearances. In limited time last year, Buckle went 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA over seven appearances and one start. Overall, the left-hander tossed 11 innings and struck out eight. The native of Long Beach, Calif. was especially stingy with two out, limiting opponents to a 1-for-12 (.083) mark. LMU’s bullpen looks to be one of the strongest since Gill took over the Lion program in 2009. “Junior college transfer Carlos Fuentes, along with lefty Brandon Horth and freshman Michael Silva, will be big parts of our
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