The Lions accomplished a rare feat in the 2023 season: West Coast Conference titles for baseball and softball, and along the way Loyola Marymount student-athletes took home honors.
LMU’s softball team earned their second consecutive WCC regular season championship, while the baseball team garnered their first outright conference title in 25 years.
The LMU Lions baseball team, under the leadership of Head Coach Nathan Choate, secured the regular season title by four games and finished at the top of the WCC standings. The team’s exceptional performance on the field was recognized by the conference, with an astounding nine LMU baseball players earning West Coast Conference honors, including the highly prestigious Pitcher of the Year award.
Similarly, the LMU Lions softball team, led by the outstanding guidance of Head Coach Tairia Flowers, repeated as WCC Championships to follow-up the program’s first regular season title in 2022. Their achievements did not go unnoticed by the rest of the league, as nine LMU softball players were also honored with West Coast Conference accolades, including the esteemed Pitcher of the Year award for the second-consecutive season.
Following their first-place finishes, both head coaches, Flowers and Choate, each were named WCC Coach of the Year. This is the second consecutive year Coach Flowers was recognized by her peers as the top coach in the WCC, and this is the first recognition for Coach Choate.
Baseball honors went to Diego Barrera, who was named Pitcher of the Year. He posted an 8-2 record with a 2.33 ERA. The southpaw finished second in the conference in strikeouts but finished first in WHIP and walks per nine innings. Khadim Diaw earned Freshman of the Year, and Cole Roberts was the WCC Defensive Player of the Year. Diego Baqueiro joined Barera on the All-Conference First Team. Diaw and Zach Kirby were named to the All-Conference Second Team, while Merrick Baldo earned Honorable Mention recognition. Diaw was also an All-Freshman Team performer.
In WCC softball, Jenna Perez secured back-to-back conference Pitcher of the Year. Perez finished the regular season with an ERA of 2.09 and led the WCC in both strikeouts (221) and saves (four). Izzy Jamgotchian, Morgan DeBord, Sydney Pooleand Perez were all named to the All-Conference First Team. Jessica Hubbard, Savannah Hooks, Amanda Ta’amuandJasmine Sofowora were also named to the WCC Honorable Mention Team.
This season marked the eighth WCC regular season championship for baseball and the second-consecutive WCC title for softball, and their eighth overall conference championship.
