Edgar Melik-Stepanyan
Fernando Valenzuela Jr. (St. Francis 2001), junior first baseman,
University of Nevada at Las Vegas baseball -- While at Glendale
Community College, Valenzuela dominated the junior college ranks.
Valenzuela began his tear at the Division I level and didn't let
up in 2003. The junior was honored as the Mountain West Conference
Player of the Year, becoming the first Rebel to win the award since
Matt Williams won it in 1986.
Valenzuela won his team's triple crown in the regular season with
a .356 batting average, 13 home runs and 68 runs batted in. He batted
.383 and had a conference-best 45 RBI. Another remarkable feat was
that he didn't commit an error at first base in 437 chances.
The 18th-ranked Rebels won the conference championship with a 14-9
victory against San Diego State on Saturday. UNLV drew a No. 2 seed
and will open NCAA Tournament play at the Arizona State Regional
against third-seeded New Mexico State today.
Tito Cruz (Hoover, 2002), freshman catcher, Long Beach State
University baseball -- The Dirtbags (38-18) will host their first
NCAA Regional at Blair Field today. Minnesota (39-20), Washington
(40-16) and Pepperdine (36-23) will join the Big West Conference
champions, who are making their 13th postseason appearance in the
past 15 years.
Cruz has appeared in 11 games, and started five. He has a .217
batting average (five for 23) and an .889 fielding percentage.
Kelly Kalish (La Canada, 2002), freshman pitcher, Point Loma
Nazarene University softball -- For the majority of her freshman
season, Kalish played behind pitchers Leslie Ludow and Miranda van
der Voort.
The seniors led Point Loma (48-10) to the Golden State Athletic
Conference and the NAIA Region II championships, and also earned
All-America honors.
But when Kalish was called upon to take the circle, she didn't
disappoint. She compiled a 4-1 record, with her only loss coming
against Simon Fraser University in the national championship.
The Crusaders won their first two games of the national
championship playoffs, but suffered back-to-back losses to Simon
Fraser and the University of Mobile on May 21, putting an end to a
stellar season.
Jason Hirsh (St. Francis, 2000), junior pitcher, Cal Lutheran
University baseball -- Hirsh was one of five Cal Lutheran baseball
players named to the American Baseball Coaches Assn. All-West Region
team. The junior garnered a first-team nod and he'll be on the ballot
for the ABCA All-America team.
