Pepperdine Renews Rivalry With Loyola Marymount This Weekend
4/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 27, 2005
Malibu, Calif. -
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THIS WEEK: The Pepperdine baseball team concludes inter-division play this weekend when it hosts local rival Loyola Marymount in a three-game West Coast Conference (WCC) series beginning Friday at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
The series opens with a 3 p.m. contest on Friday, continues with a 3 p.m. start on Saturday and concludes at 1 p.m. Sunday. Saturday's game is at 3 p.m. to accommodate those players who are participating in commencement exercises.
For the first time this season, the Waves find themselves out of first place in the WCC's West Division after losing two of three games at Gonzaga last weekend.
Pepperdine is 26-14 on the season and is 12-5 in WCC play. The Waves trail San Francisco (30-12, 14-4) by 1.5 games in the West Division.
Meanwhile, Loyola Marymount comes into play with a 17-23 overall record and is 7-10 in WCC action. The Lions, who are coming off a 5-3 victory over USC on Tuesday, are in the third place in the Coast Division, five games behind first place Gonzaga (25-15, 12-5).
JOHN SCOLINOS TO BE HONORED: Former Pepperdine head coach and alumnus John Scolinos will be honored prior to Sunday's game with the dedication and unveiling of a plaque in his honor and the creation of the John Scolinos Distinguished Player Award.
WAVES ON THE INTERNET: A total of 33 regular-season Pepperdine baseball games will be broadcast live on the Internet with Bill Schindler handling the play-by-play. All post-season games involving the Waves will also be broadcast live on the Internet at www.PepperdineSports.com.
GONZAGA SERIES RECAP: For the second consecutive week, Pepperdine lost a West Coast Conference (WCC) series after losing two of three games to Gonzaga over the weekend. The Waves lost a pair of tough games to the Bulldogs, dropping the opener 5-4 on a two-run homer in the eighth inning and suffering a 6-5 setback on Sunday when Gonzaga pushed across a run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Pepperdine posted a 7-5 victory on Saturday as the Waves rallied for four runs in the seventh inning to register a come-from-behind win. Leading 4-3 heading into the eighth inning on Friday, Jeff Culpepper hit a two-run homer off Steve Kleen to lift the Bulldogs to the win. On Saturday, junior second baseman David Uribes collected three hits and had two RBI and sophomore catcher Chad Tracy highlighted a four-run seventh inning with a two-run single to help Pepperdine even the series. Junior left-hander Paul Coleman scattered seven hits and allowed three runs (two earned) to improve to 6-0 on the season. The frustrating weekend continued on Sunday when the Bulldogs rallied for a run in the bottom of the ninth after the Waves loaded the bases with no outs in the top half of the inning and were unable score against Gonzaga reliever Nate Williams.
FRIDAY'S STARTER: Senior right hander Kea Kometani will make 13th appearance and start of the season Friday against Loyola Marymount. He is currently 7-3 with a 2.99 ERA. In a team-leading 87.1 innings, Kometani has surrendered 99 hits, 29 earned runs, walked 23 and struck out a team-high 64. His last outing came on Friday at Gonzaga when he pitched seven innings, allowed seven hits, three runs (two earned), walked one and struck out five. He received a no-decision in a game the Waves lost, 5-4. Kometani enters Friday's start against Loyola Marymount No. 3 all-time with 83 career appearances and eight strikeouts shy of tying of tying Patrick Ahearne (1991-92) for 10th place on the school's all-time strikeout list. Entering Friday's game against Loyola Marymount, Kometani has a career record of 18-12 and a 4.07 ERA.
SATURDAY'S STARTER: Junior left-hander Paul Coleman will make his 11th appearance and 10th start of the season Saturday against Loyola Marymount. He is currently 6-0 with one save and a 3.02 ERA. In 65.2 innings, Coleman has surrendered 48 hits, 22 earned runs, walked 22 and struck out a career-high 61. His last outing came at Gonzaga on Saturday when he worked six innings, allowed seven hits, three runs (two earned), walked two and struck out two while earning his sixth straight victory. Coleman is the first Pepperdine pitcher to begin a season 6-0 since All-American left-hander Noah Lowry began the 2001 campaign 6-0. Lowry lost his next decision before finishing the year 14-2. Brad Tucker was the last Waves pitcher to start a season 7-0, accomplishing the feat in 1999. Against New Orleans on March 5, Coleman struck out a school-record 16 batters in a complete-game effort. The junior left-hander has missed his two starts due to a sore arm.
SUNDAY'S STARTER: Freshman right hander Barry Enright will make his 12th appearance and start of the season on Sunday against Loyola Marymount. He is currently 5-1 with an 4.55 ERA. In 59.1 innings of work, Enright has allowed 71 hits, 30 earned runs, 18 walks and struck out 36. He last pitched against Gonzaga on Sunday and received a no-decision after pitching five innings, allowing seven hits, four runs (two earned), walking two and striking out two.
ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT: Loyola Marymount begins play this weekend with a 17-23 overall record and a 7-10 mark in West Coast Conference play. The Lions are coming off a 5-3 victory over No. 21 USC Tuesday night to snap a three-game losing streak after being swept by San Francisco over the weekend. The Lions are currently batting .279 as a team and have a collective ERA of 5.93. LMU has three players batting .300 or better and are led by Joe Frazee, who is batting .361. Junior outfielder Chris Pettit is batting .318 with a team-leading seven home runs and 30 RBI. Head coach Frank Cruz is in the midst of his ninth season and has compiled an overall record 246-255-2 (.491).
SERIES VERSUS LOYOLA MARYMOUNT: Friday's series opener between Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount will mark the 153rd meeting between the two programs, with the Waves leading the all-time series, 103-49. The two teams met five times during the 2004 season and Pepperdine won three of the five contests, including both games of the WCC Championship Series to win the conference title.
ON DECK: Following this weekend's series against Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine travels to nationally-ranked Cal State Fullerton for a 6 p.m. contest on Tuesday, May 3. The Waves will then travel to Portland for their final road series of the season when they begin a three-game set against the Pilots on Friday, May 6.
WAVES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Pepperdine entered the 2005 campaign pre-season ranked No. 29 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 32 by Baseball America. The Waves re-entered the rankings two weeks ago, appearing at No. 29 in Collegiate Baseball's poll. Pepperdine is currently unranked.
PEPPERDINE VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS: Pepperdine is currently 6-4 against ranked opponents in 2005. The Waves have played three games against No. 1 Tulane (1-2), No. 25 Long Beach State (L/4-3), No. 5 South Carolina (W/7-5), No. 30 Winthrop (W/4-1), No. 22 Oregon State (W/9-4), No. 29 USC (L/4-3), No. 14 Long Beach State (W/4-3) and No. 2 Cal State Fullerton (W/6-2).
KOMETANI, URIBES SHARE WCC HONORS: Senior right hander Kea Kometani and junior second baseman David Uribes shared the West Coast Conference's (WCC) "Pitcher of the Month" and "Player of the Month" honors for March, respectively. Kometani pitched two complete games in four starts, going 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA. In 34.2 innings pitched, he allowed 35 hits, four earned runs, struck out 26 and held opponents to a .259 batting average. Kometani worked at least eight innings in all four starts and posted wins over No. 5 South Carolina and No. 30 Winthrop. Against the fifth-ranked Gamecocks, Kometani worked 8.2 innings, scattered 11 hits, allowed two earned runs, did not walk a batter, and struck out a career-high 10 batters. Uribes posted a conference-leading .426 batting average, seven stolen bases, and 17 runs scored. The junior second baseman also tied for fourth in the conference with 23 hits in the month and recorded the seventh-best on-base percentage at .458. Uribes added 10 RBI, five doubles, one triple, and one home run in the month. The West Covina, Calif. native committed just one error in 50 chances for an impressive .980 fielding percentage from his middle infield position. Uribes had eight multi-hit games, scored two or more runs in six games, hit safely in 10 of 13 contests, and had an eight-game hitting streak. Uribes led Pepperdine to an 11-2 record during the month and a 5-0 mark to open WCC play.
URIBES NO. 9 ON ALL-TIME RUNS SCORED LIST: Junior shortstop David Uribes is No. 9 on Pepperdine's career Top 10 runs scored chart with 157. After equaling the single-season runs scored list with 74 last year, Uribes is tied with Matt Howard (1986-89) for ninth place. He is four runs scored shy of tying Skip Willis (1972-75) for eighth place. Current Waves assistant coach Rick Hirtensteiner (1986-89) is the all-time leader in runs scored with 228.
Kea Kometani NO. 3 ON ALL-TIME APPEARANCE LIST: Senior right hander Kea Kometani is third on Pepperdine's all-time appearance list with 83. He is two appearances shy of tying teammate Steve Kleen (85) for second place. Steve Schenewerk (1997-2000) is the all-time leader with 87.
KOMETANI NEARING TOP 10 IN CAREER STRIKEOUTS: In three-plus seasons, Kea Kometani has totaled 201 career strikeouts and is eight away from moving into Pepperdine's career Top 10 list. Patrick Ahearne (1991-92) currently ranks No. 10 with 209 strikeouts.
Steve Kleen NO. 2 ON ALL-TIME APPEARANCE LIST: Senior right hander Steve Kleen began the 2005 season No. 11 on Pepperdine's all-time appearance list with 68. With his 17 relief appearances this season, Kleen has appeared in 85 games and is two shy of tying Steve Schenewerk (1997-2000) for first place all-time.
KLEEN NO. 8 ON PEPPERDINE SINGLE-SEASON SAVES LIST: Steve Kleen, who has made 17 relief appearances this year, has totaled eight saves, which ties himself for ninth place on Pepperdine's single-season Top 10 list.
KLEEN TIES HIT MARK: Steve Kleen tied the Pepperdine single-game record for hits at Houston on February 20 when he went 5-for-6. His five hits were the 26th time that a Pepperdine player has had a five-hit game.
CLOSE GAMES: Pepperdine has been in a number of close games thus far this season as 25 of its 39 games have been decided by three runs or less. In those games, the Waves have a 15-10 record. Pepperdine has played 11 1-run games (4-7), six two-run games (5-1) and eight three-run games (6-2).
OFFENSIVE NOTES: Through 40 games this season, Pepperdine is batting .294 as a team...The Waves began the week tied with San Francisco for second place in the West Coast Conference (WCC)...San Diego is batting a conference-best 296...The Waves' .304 mark in WCC also ranks second behind the Toreros' .307 average...Pepperdine's bats have been somewhat quiet over its last 13 games as the Waves are batting just .263 and are 7-6...Additionally, Pepperdine is batting .277 with runners in scoring position and .270 with two outs...Overall, the Waves are averaging 10.43 hits and 6.08 runs a contest...Pepperdine scored a season-high 18 runs and totaled 21 hits in the series finale at Houston (2/20)...The Waves equaled their season-high total of 21 hits at Minnesota (3/6)...On the season, sophomore catcher Chad Tracy tops the club with a .365 average, 15 doubles, eight home runs, 46 RBI, .623 slugging percentage, .414 on-base percentage, 20 multiple-hit and 14-multiple RBI games...Tracy has hit safely in 27 of his last 29 games during which time he is batting .378 (45-of-119) with 24 runs scored, 10 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 35 RBI...Tracy's 61 hits top the WCC and his eight home runs are second behind San Diego's Jordan Abruzzo's nine...Junior second baseman David Uribes is second on the club with a .331 average and 56 hits while topping the Waves with 38 runs scored and a WCC-leading 16 stolen bases... Uribes is also working a team-high seven-game hitting streak during which time he is batting .379 (11-for-29)...Uribes and Tracy have also been Pepperdine's best hitters in WCC play, posting .366 averages...Freshman center fielder Adrian Ortiz leads the WCC with four triples and is one shy of tying 11 other players for eighth place on Pepperdine's single-season triples list.
PITCHING NOTES: After 40 games this season, Pepperdine has a team ERA of 3.79 to tie Gonzaga for second in the WCC behind San Francisco (2.87)...Opponents are batting .283 against Waves pitching...Over its last 29 games, during which time the team has gone 20-9, Pepperdine has an ERA of 3.23 and is limiting opposing batters to a .281 mark...In 262.0 innings, the Waves have struck out 196 and walked just 81...In those 29 games, the Waves' top three starters -- Kea Kometani, Paul Coleman and Barry Enright -- have combined to go 15-2 with a 2.88 ERA...Over 153.2 innings, the trio has combined to strike out 119 batters and hold opposing hitters to a .267 average...Fifteen different pitchers have toed the rubber for the Waves thus far this season...Eight different pitchers have at least one win. Kometani lead the Waves with seven victories while Coleman has six, Enright five, Steve Kleen three and James Johnson two. Adam Olbrychowski and Robert Della Grotta each have one win...Kometani has two complete games while Coleman has one...Kometani has logged a team-high 87.1 innings while Enright has pitched 59.1 innings and Coleman has worked 65.2 innings...Kometani leads the team with 64 strikeouts while Coleman has 61 and Enright has 36...In his first career start, freshman right hander Jason Dominguez earned his first collegiate win after allowing just three hits and one run in seven innings against No. 2 Cal State Fullerton on April 19.
PEPPERDINE PICKED SECOND IN WCC: For the first time since the 1999 season, Pepperdine was not tabbed to win the West Coast Conference (WCC) in the preseason coaches' poll. Loyola Marymount received a total of 44 points, including three first-place votes, in the balloting. The Waves, who also received three first-place votes, totaled 43 points to finish second. San Diego (40) was third and was followed by Santa Clara (32), Gonzaga (22), San Francisco (21), Saint Mary's (14) and Portland (8).
THREE WAVES NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM: Senior right hander Kea Kometani, junior shortstop David Uribes and freshman outfielder Adrian Ortiz received preseason All-West Coast Conference (WCC) honors in a poll of league coaches conducted by Baseball America. Additionally, Ortiz was tabbed "Freshman of the Year", ranked as the WCC's top newcomer and fastest baserunner.
BEST TOOLS: In a poll of league coaches conducted by Baseball America, senior right hander Kea Kometani was selected the West Coast Conference's (WCC) pitcher with the best control while junior David Uribes was tabbed the conference's best baserunner and senior Patrick Rooney was give the nod as the top defensive third baseman. Freshman utility player Jason Dominguez was chosen as the league's third-best newcomer.
WAVES POST 27 STRAIGHT 30-WIN SEASONS: The 2004 campaign marked the 27th consecutive season that Pepperdine has won at least 30 games. The Waves were 30-32 in 2004. Dating back to the 1978 season, the Waves have totaled at least 30 wins every year, 40 games 11 times and posted two-50-win campaigns during that time.
PEPPERDINE DOMINANT FORCE IN WCC: Since the West Coast Conference (WCC) implemented divisional play in 1999, Pepperdine has been the conference's dominant team, compiling a six-year WCC record of 129-52 (.713), an average of 21.3 wins per season, captured six divisional crowns and appeared in the WCC Championship Series each year of its existence. Over that same time period, San Diego has the second-best league mark, registering a 102-77-1 (.557) record, claiming two divisional titles and winning two WCC Championship Series.
WAVES WIN 14TH WCC CHAMPIONSHIP: Last year's sweep of Loyola Marymount in the West Coast Conference (WCC) Championship Series marked the 14th conference title for Pepperdine, the most by any of the eight teams in the league. Since the WCC was re-instituted for baseball prior to the 1985 season, the Waves have either won or shared 11 of the last 20 league championships. Additionally, since the WCC went to a two-division format in 1999, Pepperdine is the only member to appear in all six conference championship series. Last year's WCC title was the Waves first since 2001 when they went 42-18 and finished the year with a national Top 20 ranking.
Jacob Barrack SELECTED IN 2004 FIRST YEAR PLAYER DRAFT: For the 13th consecutive year, Pepperdine had at least one player taken in Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft in 2004. Senior right hander Jacob Barrack was picked in the 19th round by the Philadelphia Phillies bringing the all-time number of times a player has been drafted to 115. Pepperdine has had at least one player taken in the annual draft every year since 1992 and 29 of the last 30 years.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Since Eddy D. Field Stadium opened in 1973, Pepperdine has been a tough team to beat at home, compiling an overall record to date of 701-264-13 (.723) and registering just one losing season in 31 years. The Waves were 9-12 in the inaugural season of 1973 and since then has produced 29 winning seasons in the last 31 years, including a 15-12 record in 2004. The Waves have had 27 straight winning seasons at home. Pepperdine finished .500 (11-11-2) in 1977. The Waves are 14-5 in 2005.
WAVES AMONG TOP TEAMS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Since 1979, Pepperdine is the second-winningest program in Southern California, trailing only Cal State Fullerton heading into the 2005 season. The Waves have registered a 1,006-523 (.658) record and made 15 NCAA Tournament appearances during that time. Cal State Fullerton has compiled an overall record of 1,158-493 (.701) and made 21 NCAA appearances. Pepperdine's 15 NCAA Tournament appearances are second behind the Titans and tie USC.
THE PROGRAM: In its 66th season of intercollegiate competition, the Pepperdine baseball program has compiled an all-time mark to date of 1,694-1,192-22 (.586). The Waves have advanced to the NCAA Championships on 21 occasions, and Pepperdine has participated at the College World Series twice--finishing third in 1979 and winning the national title in 1992. Pepperdine has won 30 or more games in each of the last 27 seasons dating back to 1978, and surpassed the 40-win mark on 11 occasions during that time span. Since the West Coast Conference was re-instituted for baseball prior to the 1985 season, Pepperdine has either won or shared 11 of the last 20 league championships. Dating back to the start of the 1985 campaign, Pepperdine has compiled a cumulative record of 798-424-11 (.652), including a 442-149-2 (.747) mark against league opponents.
Steve Rodriguez: Steve Rodriguez, a former collegiate All-American and a member of Pepperdine's 1992 College World Series Championship team, is in the midst of second season as the Waves' head coach. Rodriguez was hired on June 18, 2004 after serving as an assistant for four years under Frank Sanchez, who took a permanent medical leave of-absence on June 5th after seven seasons as Pepperdine's head coach. Rodriguez guided Pepperdine to a 30-32 overall record and the West Coast Conference (WCC) championship, becoming the fifth head coach in program history to lead his club to post-season play in his rookie season, joining Gary Marks (1963), Dave Gorrie (1979), Andy Lopez (1989) and Pat Harrison (1995). During Rodriguez' four seasons as an assistant, the Waves compiled an overall record of 145-98 (.597), including an 88-32 mark in WCC play, captured the conference title in 2001 and made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2001 and 2003. Rodriguez, who earned All-American honors in 1991 and 1992, became only the third former Pepperdine player to assume the head coaching duties for the Waves in the program's 64-year history. Gary Marks became the first Pepperdine player to pilot the program when he skippered the program from 1963-67. Gail Hopkins, who played at Pepperdine from 1962-64, coached the Waves during the 1968 season. Rodriguez was a fifth-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 1992 after helping the Waves' to the national championship and being named the WCC's "Player of the Year." He played professionally for seven years with the Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Montreal Expos organizations. Rodriguez made it to the major league level with the Red Sox and Tigers in 1995. As a sophomore in 1991, Rodriguez batted .419, the second-highest single-season average in school history. His 104 base hits in 1991 are a Pepperdine record, and his .367 career average ranks second all-time in Waves' history.
WAVES AT HOME: Since 1997, the Waves are 174-82 (.680) in games played at Eddy D. Field Stadium. The Waves' all-time home record at Eddy D. Field Stadium, dating back to the start of the 1973 season, currently stands at 701-264-13 (.723). Pepperdine finished 23-12 in 2003 and concluded last year with a 15-12 mark. The Waves are currently 14-5 in 2005.
WAVES ON THE ROAD: Since 1997, Waves are 132-124 (.516) in games played on the road. Pepperdine completed the 2004 campaign with a 15-20 road record. It marked the Waves first losing season on the road since 2002. Pepperdine is 12-9 on the road, including 2-0 in neutral field games in 2005.
SPORTS INFORMATION HOTLINE: For updated information concerning Pepperdine athletics, including results and a schedule of upcoming events, please contact the Pepperdine Sports Information Hotline at 310-506-7373. The hotline will be updated on a regular basis throughout the course of the 2004-2005 school year.
ON THE WEB: For updated information concerning Pepperdine athletics on the World Wide Web, please bookmark the following address: http://www.PepperdineSports.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the baseball program, or to arrange interviews with players and the coaching staff, please contact Al Barba at the Pepperdine Sports Information Office by calling (310) 506-4455.
