Football: Ex-Crespi player has son in state bowl final

Terry O'Hara, who played for the Encino Crespi football team in 1979 and 1980, will be returning to the Southland this weekend to watch his son, Tim, the captain and offensive tackle-middle linebacker, for San Jose Bellarmine Prep, which plays Oceanside in the CIF state championship Division I bowl on Friday at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

O'Hara, an attorney, said, "He is a way better athlete than I ever was, but don't tell him that I ever said that."

Sorry, the secret is out.

-- Eric Sondheimer, L.A. Times

 

Monday, December 7, 2009 8:00pm ET over at FDL.

Blood Equity: NFL Pro Football Players – Movie Night Preview

Dakine hosts Rico McClinton, Producer, Joe Ruggiero, Producer, and William J. Macdonald, Associate Producer. Join the discussion, tonight.

Roman Phifer – three time Super Bowl Champion and Assistant Coach for the Denver Broncos – and his business partners Rico McClinton and Joe Ruggiero produced this hard hitting film that focuses on the issues facing former NFL Players following their retirement, including their ironic struggle against the NFL Player’s Union and the Owners they made rich.

The film features intense, passionate interviews with such notables as Mike Ditka (Player Super Bowl V, VI; Coach Super Bowl XX), Harry Carson (Super Bowl XXI), Willie Wood (Super Bowl XXIV), Cyril Smith, Donnie Green, Tony Dorsett (Super Bowl XXXVII), Darryl Johnston (Super Bowl XXX) who share heartfelt and personal testimonies of living their dreams as NFL players – as well as the dark side of that life and some of the unforeseen nightmares.

RICO McCLINTON / PRODUCER

Rico McClinton was born November 27, 1965 in Los Angeles, CA. Rico has personally trained top NFL athletes for approximately 12 years. Such names include Shawn Merriman, Roman Phifer, Broderick Bunkley, and Jamal Anderson, just to name a few. He has also been involved in acting for the past eight years landing roles in television shows such as ALIAS and CSI: MIAMI and also within several independent features. Rico currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife Angel and their three kids.

JOE RUGGIERO / PRODUCER

Joe Ruggiero was born in Akron, Ohio in 1973. He attended Crespi Carmelite High School and lettered in Football, Baseball and Track. He later played Football and Baseball at Whittier College. He signed a minor league contract with the Antelope Valley Ravens in 1995. Joe has worked on The Price is Right, The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder and Real TV. Joe currently lives in Santa Monica, CA.

WILLIAM J. MACDONALD / ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

William J. MacDonald is an American film and television writer and producer.

Bill is a graduate of Georgetown University, and has a law degree from Fordham University in New York. With a background in international trade and business affairs, he eventually rose to run the famed Hollywood Producer Robert Evans’ production company at Paramount Pictures.

Bill is responsible for producing such films as SILVER, JADE, AN OCCASIONAL HELL, ROUGH RIDERS, MOLLY and ONE MAN’S HERO. He has also written for the TNT series, WITCHBLADE which ran from 2001-2002.

Bill is also the co-creator of the HBO original series ROME (in association of the BBC) along with Bruno Heller and John Milius. MacDonald serves as a writer and executive producer on the series.

 

UCLA's Prince, Su'a-Filo faced with higher calling

By Jon Gold, Staff Writer

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel widely is considered one of the game's best recruiters.

Stick him in a living room with a glass of iced tea with that flowing blonde hair and a wide smile, and he could sell the merits of Westwood as if he were mayor.

Maybe he is.

He is competing first and foremost with the Bruins' big brother to the southeast, USC.

He competes for prospects with Pete Carroll, another youthful, brazen, wide-smiling winner.

He competes with Stanford's Jim Harbaugh and Cal's Jeff Tedford and even with Florida's Urban Meyer and Texas' Mack Brown.

He is used to the competition. He thrives on the competition. He lives for the competition.

But the question is - and it is a question UCLA fans want answered soon - can Rick Neuheisel compete with God?

The key to the Bruins' future rests in the faith of Kevin Prince and Xavier Su'a-Filo.

Prince is UCLA's redshirt freshman quarterback, its budding star with promise that just now seems to be shining through. He has 300-yard passing games in two of the last three weeks and was well on his way to a third when he suffered a concussion against Washington in Week 9. His field vision has improved and his arm has been on display in this little hot streak, as well as his legs, as he ran for a 68-yard touchdown against Washington State last Saturday.

And Kevin Prince is Mormon.

Su'a-Filo is UCLA's true freshman left tackle, its budding star with promise that has shown through all season. He is entrusted with protecting Prince's blind side, inarguably one of the premier positions on the field, and he has done so with vigor.

He almost certainly will be a candidate for freshman all-American honors at the end of the season.

And Xavier Su'a-Filo is Mormon.

Prince said he has decided not to go on his mission, a rite of passage for all men of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints faith. Su'a-Filo is undecided.

Bruin fans simultaneously are exhaling in relief and holding their breath.

"Whenever you get involved in recruiting LDS kids, you understand that's part of their faith," Neuheisel said. "It's a family decision, and you just understand that you're recruiting this young man and his family and you want them to make the decision.

"You let them decide."

Sometimes it is an easy decision.

Stephen Prince recalls with precise detail the day his son told him he was not going to go on his mission like Stephen had all those years before to Switzerland.

The younger Prince recently had signed with UCLA after originally committing to Washington and was expected to either embark on his mission, or greyshirt, after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the first game of his senior year at Crespi High in Encino.

The injury took its toll on Prince though, all that time away from football. He craved the sport and could not imagine being away from it for another two years.

Driving down the 405 freeway to Westwood for a UCLA-Oregon men's basketball game on Feb.23, 2008 - just days after signing his letter of intent with the Bruins - Prince looked at his father and told him of his decision.

"It became very real to me when I tore my ACL that football isn't forever, that it can be taken away like that," Prince said, snapping his fingers. "There was a part of me that said, `You've been working toward this your whole life,' and I kinda felt like I'd be throwing it all away if I went on a mission.

"I was at this standstill; `Where do I want to put my money?' "

Prince was a life-long UCLA fan and said it was his dream to play in blue and gold. He knew he could return to the team after serving his mission, but a part of him questioned what his abilities would become after three years away from the sport.

He had seen Mormon quarterbacks leave for missions and come back a shell of their former selves. Some lacked the physical attributes that once had made them great while others lacked the desire.

Prince thought about the decision, talked about it and prayed about it.

The chance to quarterback UCLA back to greatness, to live up to that dream, ultimately was too much to pass up.

"You're taught in the church that whenever confronted with an issue you pray about it," Prince said. "Ultimately, I felt that I was given a set of gifts to play football, and I've come a long way from getting hurt my senior year to being able to finally play.

"I feel like I'd be cutting myself short a little bit if I didn't try to carry this out."

Sometimes the decision is not so easy.

Su'a-Filo, a soft-spoken behemoth, hails from Pleasant Grove, Utah, a devoutly religious community of roughly 30,000. Last year, in Pleasant Grove City vs. Summum, the United States Supreme Court decided the city had the right to decline a statue donated by the Summum church, similar in size to a statue of the Ten Commandments already present.

On the field, Su'a-Filo uses his 6-foot-4, 310-pound frame to bully opponents into submission. Off the field, he is quiet, almost reserved, in offering a polite hello and timid handshake.

Prince empathizes with his teammate, who he feels undoubtedly is facing extreme pressure from outside sources to make the quick decision.

"Xavier is just a tough guy, so he's not going to let it show," Prince said. "But I'm sure it's tough. For me it was tough, even being from Los Angeles, where Mormons aren't as prevalent. There's still that community, and it's expected in the church that when you turn 19, as a man, you're expected to go. If you don't go, people sit and wonder why? Is he not doing things right?

"That was tough for me. You knew they were thinking things about you. For Xavier, I'm sure that's multiplied by 10."

Su'a-Filo remains undecided, torn between faith and football, church members and teammates, God and the gridiron.

It is a heavy decision, one he knows will change the course of his life.

"I'm still in the deciding phase," Su'a-Filo said. "Actually this weekend and the next I'm going to really talk to my parents about it and the coaches. I have to consider everything, what I could gain, what I could miss out on."

Former UCLA quarterback Ben Olson remembers what it was like to be faced with such a crisis of faith.

Olson was an all-world recruit out of Thousand Oaks High. He headed to BYU fully expecting to receive extensive playing time during his freshman season and was willing to put his faith on hold.

Circumstances changed drastically in that first year. Cougars coach Gary Crowton told Olson he would not burn his redshirt and, less than a week later, Olson decided to go on his mission.

"I just came to the decision that I knew it was the right thing for me to do," said Olson, who transferred to UCLA after returning home from his mission in Calgary, Canada. "It was hard, leaving football behind, something I'd worked so hard for.

"But I believed I'd be doing something for a greater cause. I still feel that way. At the end of the day, I have never, ever regretted serving at all. If anything, I'm more glad I did it, especially because of the way my career did go. Had I not gone on a mission and gotten that foundation of what life is all about, my life would be a complete wreck.

"Because of what I learned in the mission field, I was able to cope with things."

Olson, who had an injury-riddled career at UCLA, only offers this to Prince and Su'a-Filo: Make sure the decision is yours and yours alone.

Bruins offensive coordinator Norm Chow, also a Mormon who has had three sons serve as missionaries, agrees.

"They're brought up with an understanding that they'll serve when the time comes," Chow said. "It's an individual deal. It's a family deal. It's very personal and they'll do what they need to do. You try to present the pros and cons, and make sure whatever decision they make is the right one. If they go, it's right. If they don't, it's right."

And meanwhile Chow and Neuheisel wait like the rest of us.

Only their futures depend on it.

 

Team USA will face Venezuela on Tuesday in Firenze

BOLOGNA, Italy -- Trevor Plouffe tallied the last two RBIs of the game, including a walk-off homer to lift Team USA (9-1; 7-0) past Australia (7-3; 5-2), 4-3, at Stadio G. Falchi in Bologna, Italy. The U.S. clinched the No. 1 seed in Group G for the final pool stage with the victory.

Justin Smoak got Team USA on the board when he slammed his ninth home run of the tournament to deep left field to tie the game at one in the sixth. Jon Weber later added an RBI fielder's choice on a grounder to second base to put the U.S. up 2-1.

Trevor Plouffe tied the game once again in the seventh with an RBI groundout to the shortstop, holding the score at three heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. He then lifted a two-out, walk-off home run to deep left field to close out the game, securing an unblemished 7-0 record in Round 2 action for Team USA.

U.S. starter Cory Luebke pitched six innings, giving up three runs, one earned, and striking out five Australia batters in a no-decision. Jason Childers added two innings of scoreless relief, striking out three batters. Ehren Wasserman (1-0) got the win, closing the game for the Red, White and Blue.

Plouffe finished the game 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Lucas May was the only other Team USA hitter with two hits on the day.

The U.S. will begin Final Round action of the 2009 Baseball World Cup on Tuesday, Sept. 22, against Venezuela at 8 p.m. (2 p.m. ET) in Firenze, Italy. Venezuela defeated Team USA in its first game of the 2009 World Cup, a 13-9, extra-inning tie break defeat.

Game Notes:

Trevor Plouffe has registered a hit in the last nine consecutive games, currently the longest hitting streak for Team USA in the 2009 World Cup.

-USABaseball.com

 

By Jon Gold, L.A. Times Staff Writer

UCLA's Kevin Prince, left, is sacked in the end zone for a safety by Tennessee's Dennis Rogan in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game. Prince broke his jaw on the play and will miss three to four weeks, the Bruins announced. (Joe Murphy/Getty Images)

A day after upsetting Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in his first road start, UCLA redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince was lost for approximately 3-4 weeks with a fractured jaw.

Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel confirmed Prince was injured during the team's late fourth-quarter drive.

With third-and-9 from the 1-yard line and 1 minute, 48 seconds left, Neuheisel tried to catch the Volunteers off-guard, telling his young quarterback to look for the first down on a pass.

With tight ends Ryan Moya and Logan Paulsen covered, though, Prince was hit in the end zone by Tennessee junior defensive back Dennis Rogan. The hit appeared to be helmet-to-helmet, and though replays show otherwise, Neuheisel said Prince was also hit on the ground.

The play call was certainly a dicey one, but with no Volunteers timeouts remaining and a six-point cushion, Neuheisel said he would've allowed the safety on fourth down anyway.

"They were out of timeouts so if you make a first down, the game's over," Neuheisel said. "The risk was, 'Kevin, you're not throwing this ball unless a guy is wide open, you're not going to fumble, and if you can't (find anything), I understand and we'll punt and take the 30 yards of field position.

"Had you told me I was going to lose my QB, I think I would've gone with your QB sneak."

Prince's injury leaves the ball in the hands of either redshirt senior Kevin Craft - who threw a school-record 20 interceptions last season - or freshman Richard Brehaut.

Craft was thrown into the fire in 2008 after season-ending injuries to quarterbacks Ben Olson and Pat Cowan, shifted to starter behind a porous offensive line that afforded little time.

As a redshirt sophomore at Mt. San Antonio College in 2007, Craft threw for 4,231 yards, 44 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, after transferring from San Diego State.

Brehaut, meanwhile, graduated high school early to attend UCLA during the spring, getting a jumpstart on his college career after a standout senior season at Los Osos High of Rancho Cucamonga.

Brehaut, rated the No. 9 quarterback nationally by Scout.com, completed his senior year with 2,406 yards and 22 touchdowns, against just four interceptions. Brehaut played sparsely in UCLA's season-opening 33-14 win over San Diego State, completing both of his passes for 39 yards.

"(Offensive coordinator Norm Chow) and I will talk and watch practice and go from there," Neuheisel said. "You've got an experienced player in Kevin Craft who has played a lot of football. You've got a kid who played pretty well in a brief stint against SDSU. We have a lot of confidence in Richard Brehaut - he was a big-time recruit and he's proven he belongs at this level. He didn't look nervous (against SDSU), he went out and he played well. And I've seen enough good things from Kevin Craft to know we can go out and play fine."

But after a huge road win at Tennessee, the question is simple: Is "fine" enough?

"This is a different edition of UCLA football," Neuheisel said. "We're going to weather it. We weathered the Aaron Hester injury a week ago. I think these guys are resilient."

jon.gold@dailynews.com

 

Jill Painter, Daily News Staff Writer

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince passed his first test in the Rose Bowl, but directing an offense with 100,000-plus Tennessee fans in Knoxville should prove to be much more difficult.

The Bruins are preparing to deal with crowd noise in case Prince can't hear the plays being called.

"We try to take every precaution," Bruins offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "We'll use hand signals. We'll use different cadences and counts. You do the best you can. The noise isn't going to go away. It's a huge challenge and we need to embrace it. We'll welcome it."

Prince, the redshirt freshman, will play in front of the biggest crowd in his career.

"The toughest environment I played in was in front of 6,000 people," Prince said.

That was during his junior year at Crespi of Encino, and the game was at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks.

Add 100,000 people or so, and you have Neyland Stadium, or about double the size of the crowd at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

"I like being on the road. I like noise and hearing quiet. That's awesome," Prince said. "That's our goal to try to keep them quiet."

Prince engineered UCLA to a come-from-behind 33-14 win over San Diego State. He had a better first half than second. Chow believes Prince will be just fine.

"He has that `it' factor, whatever that `it' is," Chow said.

Added coach Rick Neuheisel, "I think he's a mature young man. I think he's proved he can handle nerves because certainly there were nerves a week ago. I'm looking forward to watching him in this kind of environment. You know what? Sometimes you think about how big it's going to be and you get there and it feels just like football. That's what I'm hoping is going to happen."

New No. 2

Kevin Craft entered the season as the official backup quarterback, but he didn't throw a pass Saturday. Los Osos High School graduate Richard Brehaut, who completed both of his passes, now is the backup.

"I'm the No. 2 guy, so I'm a snap away (from playing)," Brehaut said. "I'm a snap away so I have to prepare like I'm the No. 1 guy.

"I have to do everything like I'm the No. 1 guy because you never know what can happen."

Confidence builder

Prince hopes Saturday's victory sent an important message about the season.

"Knowing we can move the ball on people and run the ball," Prince said.

"All those weaknesses we had last year, that doesn't mean that's this year's team."

jill.painter@dailynews.com

Part 8: Proven or Unproven? A Prince to Lead the Bruins

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Kevin Prince was destined to be a UCLA Bruin from day one. Both Prince’s father and uncle played at UCLA and the young Prince was a ball boy for for the Bruins during the Karl Dorrell era in Westwood.

Now it is Rick Neuheisel’s show, and he doesn’t want Kevin Prince on the sideline holding a clipboard or being a ball boy this season. Neuheisel wants to see Kevin Prince lead the Bruins this season at quarterback.  

The redshirt Freshman from Crespi high school in Encino, CA emerged as the Bruins No. 1 guy under center following spring workouts. However, Prince has not seen any game action since the first quarter of his senior season at Crespi in 2007 due to a knee injury.

Prince, a two-time team captain for head coach Jeremiah Ross at the small all-boys Catholic school, was superb in his game time, though.  As a junior, Prince completed 112 of 197 passes for 1,422 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.

If you compare those numbers to 2008 UCLA starting quarterback Kevin Craft (completed 232 of 417 passes for 2,341 yards, seven touchdowns and 20 interceptions), it seems that Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow have upgraded at the position significantly.  

Granted, Craft was throwing against Pac-10 defenses for nine games, and although Prince played in one of the toughest high school leagues (Serra) in Southern California, that game experience will not nearly translate as well to actual intense Pac-10 game situations. 

However, the 6’2”, 226-pound Prince showed glimpses that his high school game would translate after elevating his game in front of coaches at Spaulding Field and the spring game at the Rose Bowl, enough so that he was given the nod to enter fall camp as the No. 1 guy in Westwood.

Later during the spring scrimmages, though, his numbers were not ideal. In the three scrimmage sessions combined, Prince completed 24 of 57 passes for 280 yards with one touchdown, while gifting the defense with three interceptions.

A large number of incompletions were the result of batted balls and hurried passes due to a heavy pass rush on the youthful and inexperienced Bruin offensive line, an issue that plagued the Bruins' 2008 campaign.

"While there were some growing pains, I still believe he showed the necessary poise and the understanding of what Norm is trying to get taught, not only at the position but also managing the game, that we think there is just a huge upside for Kevin," Neuheisel said in an interview with ESPN’s Pac-10 blogger, Ted Miller.

The Bruins are coming off of a 4-8 season and are truly searching for consistency and leadership at the quarterback position. Neither of the two attributes have been evident in former UCLA quarterbacks since Drew Olson took snaps under center.

Olson sported No. 14 for the Bruins while throwing 34 touchdowns and leading them to a Sun Bowl victory in 2005.

Kevin Prince is listed as wearing No. 14 for UCLA as well, probably a coincidence, but a re-creation of Drew Olson wouldn’t be bad for UCLA either.

 

CHATTER: Area swimmers competing at U.S. national meet

By Erik Boal, Special to the Daily News

Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta graduate Yumi So took 14th in the women's 200-meter butterfly Friday at the ConocoPhillips National Swim Championships in Indianapolis.

The USC-bound So, competing in the consolation final, clocked a lifetime-best 2 minutes, 12.81 seconds.

Canyon senior Kearsten Livingstone - representing Canyons Aquatics in the bonus final - took 18th in a personal-best 2:12.64, more than a two-second improvement from her prelim time.

So, competing for Swim Pasadena, finished 21st in the 100 butterfly Tuesday in a personal-best 1:00.66. So holds the state record (53.03) in the 100-yard short-course butterfly.

Chaminade of West Hills senior Meghan Hawthorne, competing for Rattlers Swim Club, finished 20th in the 400 individual medley in a personal-record 4:49.92, a drop of more than two seconds from her previous best set in March.

Former Crespi of Encino standout Patrick Simpkins, a senior at Stanford, took 19th in the 100 butterfly Thursday in 53.87, just ahead of Cal sophomore Kevin Nielsen (53.96), an Oaks Christian of Westlake Village graduate.

Cal sophomore Nolan Koon, also an Oaks Christian grad, finished 12th in the 100 breaststroke Wednesday in 1:03.04. Koon recorded a personal-best mark of 1:01.88 in the prelims.

Hart of Newhall graduate Jordan Danny, a USC signee, was 29th (1:11.95) in the 100 breaststroke Thursday.

 

Baseball: Freshman All-America honors for Bauer, Ramirez, Gilmartin

2008 was a great year for high school pitchers in Southern Californa, and three pitchers from that season have gone on to earn freshman All-America honors in college from Baseball America.

They are Trevor Bauer from Newhall Hart and UCLA, Noe Ramirez from Alhambra and Cal State Fullerton and Sean Gilmartin from Encino Crespi and Florida State.

-- Eric Sondheimer, L.A. Times

 

Baseball: The 'other' Gilmartin is drafted by the Athletics

Sean Gilmartin, a former Encino Crespi pitcher, was a freshman All-American at Florida State this season. His older brother, Michael, a former Crespi infielder, was drafted in the 27th round by the Oakland Athletics after an all-conference season at Wofford College.

Here's a story about the elder Gilmartin.

-- Eric Sondheimer, L.A. Times

 

Courtesy of Wofford Athletics

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College shortstop Michael Gilmartin was selected by the Oakland A’s in the 27th round of the MLB Draft on Wednesday afternoon. Gilmartin, a three-time All-Southern Conference selection, was the 813th overall pick in the draft.

Gilmartin, a junior from Moorpark, California, was second on the team with a .335 batting average and 70 hits during the 2009 season. He led the team with 44 runs scored, 13 home runs, and 121 total bases, while his 49 RBI were second. As a closer, he made seventeen appearances with seven saves and 19 strikeouts along with a 3.38 ERA.

For his career, Gilmartin has a .339 batting average with 239 hits, 153 runs and 36 home runs. On the mound he has 50 career appearances in relief with a 3.66 ERA and 53 strikeouts. He is the all-time leader in saves with 19 in his career and in the top five in career hits, runs, total bases and RBI.

Gilmartin was the first Wofford baseball player to earn all-conference honors three times in his career. In addition, he becomes just the sixth Terrier ever to be drafted since 1982. Gilmartin is the second player to be drafted in the last three seasons, joining Brandon Waring (7th round) in 2007.

 

 

Matt Stork Named to U.S. Men's Junior National Team

Stork the Second Northridge Player in Last Three Years to Be Named to Junior National Team

Cal State Northridge setter Matt Stork has been named to the 12-player United States Men's Junior National Team which will compete at the 2009 FIVB World Championship on July 31-Aug. 9 in Pune, India.

Stork, who recently completed his freshman season as the Matadors' starting setter, led the nation is assists per game in leading Northridge to a school-record 24 wins in 2009. He joins former Matador Sean Pedersen who competed for the U.S. Men's Junior National Team following his freshman season in 2007.

Complete Release courtesy of USA Volleyball

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 9, 2009) - USA Volleyball is proud to announce its 12-player roster for the U.S. Men's Junior National Team, which will compete at the 2009 FIVB World Championship on July 31-Aug. 9 in Pune, India.

The team will begin training on July 14th in Chula Vista in preparation for the tournament.

"The number one goal is that everyone stays healthy," U.S. Head Coach Shawn Patchel said. "Then we want to gel as a team. Hopefully we can create some good chemistry and have a chance to medal."

Patchel, the head coach of the BYU men's volleyball team, led the U.S. Men's Junior National Team to a bronze medal at NORCECA Men's Junior Continental Championship in San Salvador, El Salvador last July, which qualified them for the World Championship.

Seven players from that bronze-medal winning team will return for the U.S. at the World Championship. These players are Tri Bourne (Honolulu, Hawai'i), Tyler Jaynes (Granite Bay, Calif.), Joe Kauliakamoa (Las Vegas, Nev.), Brad Lawson (Honolulu, Hawai'i), Erik Shoji (Honolulu, Hawai'i), who was named Best Defender, Best Receiver, and Best Libero at the NORCECA Championship, Murphy Troy (St. Louis, Mo.), and Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.).

Joining them will be Tony Ciarelli (Huntingdon Beach, Calif.), Rusty Lavaja (St. Charles, Ill.), Matt Stork (Topanga, Calif.), Nick Vogel (El Cajon, Calif.) and Thomas Amberg (El Cajon, Calif.).

Many members of the team have been playing together for three years, which helped Patchel when it came time to choose the team. The U.S. Men's Junior National Team finished third at the 2008 NORCECA Continental Championships in El Salvador.

"We basically kept the same group together and we looked at who could fill the best situational role. I think it's an excellent group of athletes."

FIVB will draw lots to decide pools on June 17th.

2009 USA Men's Junior National Team

Name (Position, City, State, School, Region)

Thomas Amberg (Middle Blocker/Opposite, El Cajon, Calif., UCLA, Southern California) Tri Bourne (OH, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USC, Aloha) Tony Ciarelli (OH, Huntington Beach, Calif., USC, So Cal) Tyler Jaynes (MB, Granite Bay, Calif., Pepperdine, No Cal) Joseph Kauliakamoa (Setter, Las Vegas, Nev., BYU, No Cal) Rusty Lavaja (MB, St. Charles, Ill., BYU, Great Lakes) Brad Lawson (OH, Honolulu, Hawai'i, Stanford, Aloha) Erik Shoji (Libero, Honolulu, Hawai'i, Stanford, Aloha) Matthew Stork (Setter, Topanga, Calif., Cal State Northridge, So Cal) Joseph Sunder (Opp., Greensburg, Pa., Penn State, Keystone) Murphy Troy (OH, St. Louis, Mo., USC, Gateway) Nick Vogel (MB, El Cajon, Calif., UCLA, So Cal)

Head Coach - Shawn Patchell, BYU

- GO MATADORS -

 

The freshman southpaw leads the ACC with 12 victories on the year.
Courtesy of www.seminoles.com

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Add another accolade to what is already an impressive resume in his first collegiate season as Sean Gilmartin was named a first team Freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

A total of 37 standout freshmen college baseball players from every part of the country are featured on this year's team. The 2009 Pro-Line Athletic NCBWA Freshman All-American Team is comprised from 17 conferences and 10 conference championship teams. The two All-American squads are also made up of 12 conference "Rookie of the Year" winners.

Gilmartin finished his freshman campaign with a 12-3 record and a 3.49 ERA posting 83 strikeouts in 98 innings of work. He made 15 starts and three relief appearances in 2009 while picking up a save. Earlier this year, Gilmartin was honored as a third team All-American and a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. He is just the second Seminole this decade to be named an All-American as a freshman, joining Stephen Drew in 2002.

The Moorpark, Calif., native became the Seminoles' Friday night starter just three weeks into the season. He currently leads the ACC in wins and ranks in the top 10 in complete games (t-1st), opponents batting average (3rd), innings pitched (t-2nd) and ERA (6th). Gilmartin became just the second freshman in school history to earn first team All-ACC accolades.

In the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, Gilmartin threw all nine innings against the Georgia Bulldogs for his second complete game of the season and first covering all nine innings. The freshman southpaw limited the Georgia offense to just two runs on five hits, a day after the Bulldogs scored 24 runs on 23 hits against Ohio State in the first game of the Tallahassee Regional. He showed great command of his pitches against the Bulldogs getting ahead in the count throughout the afternoon. Gilmartin went to a three ball count just twice, once in the second inning and one more time in the eighth. He finished the game with six strikeouts and did not walk a batter for the first time in 14 starts this year.

 

Baseball: Ex-Crespi pitcher is a freshman All-American

Sean Gilmartin, a 2008 graduate of Encino Crespi, has become a standout freshman pitcher for Florida State, compiling a 12-3 record and earning first-team ACC recognition and All-American honors.

Gilmartin was the closer last season for the Celts but he has been turned into a starting pitcher for Florida State, which is trying to reach the College World Series.

-- Eric Sondheimer, L.A. Times

 

To participate in these events, contact Rick Bejune, Alumni Relations Director at rbejune@crespi.org. Thanks.

• Midwest Alumni Reunion - 3/14
• Tresierras Supermarkets Scholarship Fund Golf Classic - 3/30 at Calabasas Country Club
• C.A.P.E.R. - 4/25 at the Bel Air Beach Club
  

 

UC Irvine tops No. 1 CSUN in men's volleyball
Daily News

Jordan DuFault led a balanced attack with 17 kills as second-ranked UC Irvine defeated No. 1 Cal State Northridge 27-30, 30-28, 30-23, 26-30, 15-10 in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's volleyball match at the Matadome.

Carson Clark added 14 kills, Kevin Wynne had 12 and Cody Yoder had 10 for the Anteaters (17-3, 12-2 MPSF).

Senior outside hitter Eric Vance (Camarillo) had 20 kills and freshman setter Matt Stork (Crespi of Encino) added 63 assists for the Matadors (16-3, 12-3), who had a 10-match winning streak snapped and dropped out of first place in the conference.

After rallying for a victory in the fourth game of the match, the Matadors never led in the fifth and final game, falling behind 5-1 early.

It was CSUN's first home loss in 10 matches this season.

 

Eric Sondheimer, L.A. Times
March 11, 2009

Jeff Suppan, a starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, had a day off from spring training on Tuesday, so he decided to fly back to the San Fernando Valley, where he showed up to watch his alma mater, Encino Crespi, play last year's Southern Section Division I champion, Simi Valley, in an Easton tournament quarterfinal game at Valley College.

Somehow, the Celts (3-0) pulled out a 5-4 victory, using six pitchers and defeating one of the best closers in the Southland, Jonathan Meyer, when Ryon Healy delivered a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the seventh with one out to score Aaron Ammann.

 

Twins' 2004 first-rounder feeling more comfortable at spring camp - By Lisa Winston / MLB.com
Batting Around is a series that provides an inside look at Minor League prospects' personalities, quirks and hidden talents as well as their baseball lives via question-and-answer format.

Spring Training numbers don't necessarily mean much in the grand scheme of things, but Minnesota Twins shortstop prospect Trevor Plouffe still had to be stoked when he walked into the clubhouse on his first day of his first camp on the 40-man roster and saw what was hanging in his locker:

A uniform top with the No. 1.

Last spring, when he was in camp as an invitee, he was No. 93. So, yeah, this is a nice improvement.

"I've always been a fan of single-digit numbers," said the 22-year-old Plouffe, who was the Twins' top pick in 2004 out of high school in southern California. "So it was pretty cool to see that I've moved up 92 numbers."

It was also pretty cool for the laid-back Plouffe to reunite with so many of the friends he's made in his five seasons with the Twins organization.

"For a lot of the guys I've come up with, it was the first big league Spring Training for all of us, so we were all like 'Hey, we're finally over here for good,'" he said.

In the past, of course, he'd had the occasional at-bats with the big boys when they'd call over to the Minor League complex to bring over individuals for a given game. But this was different.

"When you come over for the day, you don't really feel like you belong," said Plouffe. "You're more like a guest."

Plouffe had been anticipating the trip to Fort Myers, Fla., since he got the autumn phone call telling him he'd been added to the 40-man roster. And while as a first-round pick it wasn't totally unexpected, it didn't make it any less exciting, nor did it calm those "first day" butterflies.

"I guess you could kind of compare it to the first day of school," said Plouffe. "But obviously I've been over here a few times during previous Spring Trainings. But we have such a foundation of guys who have come up together through the system that whenever I went over there in the past, I already knew a lot of guys in the clubhouse which made it easier."

Ironically, his best friend in the clubhouse is not a longtime Twins prospect, but rather a young star who came over via trade, former Tampa Bay Rays top pick Delmon Young. The two have been buddies for more than a decade since they were teammates on elite travel clubs in California. They are rooming together this spring.

The Rays nabbed Young with the first overall pick in 2003, a year before Plouffe went to the Twins with the 20th selection. The right-handed Plouffe combined to bat .260 between Double-A New Britain and Triple-A Rochester last summer, collecting six homers and 39 RBIs in 124 games while seeing time at his usual shortstop spot as well as second and third to add to his versatility.

He hit .274 with nine homers, 50 RBIs and 37 doubles at New Britain in 2007 after spending full seasons at Class A Advanced Fort Myers in 2006 and Class A Beloit in '05.

The Spring Training stint has been a positive learning experience thus far for Plouffe, and he's soaking it all in before his likely return to those backfields to prepare for a 2009 start with the Rochester Red Wings.

"It's realizing that, though to the casual eye Spring Training seems relaxed and like everyone's taking it easy, the truth is everyone is working really hard," he said. "Especially at our camp."

And for future reference, though his last name has become a little more a part of the public lexicon thanks to President Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe (no relation as far as he knows), it is pronounced "ploof."

"People get it wrong about 90 percent of the time, so when they get it right, I'm so surprised that I actually congratulate them," he said. "But I have noticed they've gotten it right more often since Obama's campaign."

MLB: Of what accomplishment, on or off the field, in your life are you the proudest?

Trevor Plouffe: I'll go with something off the field, because family is important to me. I was best man at my brother's wedding and oversaw all the things a best man oversees. Beforehand we went camping up and down the California coast in my uncle's RV. And I nailed the speech.

MLB: What do you think you'd be doing now if you weren't playing baseball?

TP: Obviously, I'd be in school somewhere, but as far as work I think I'd fit somewhere in the music industry. My friend's dad owns a recording studio and I've always been intrigued with everything he does there, the whole music aspect of that. I love that whole business.

MLB: Everyone has a "hidden talent." What's yours?

TP: I'm probably the best hacky sacker in pro ball. That stems from going to an all-boys school. At lunchtime, that's what you do because there are no girls to look at.

MLB: Do you have other hobbies or creative outlets aside from baseball?

TP: I think you have to. I love the outdoors, fishing, camping. And I love playing music -- I play guitar. Last year in our house in [New Britain], my roommate Dustin Martin played guitar and Toby Gardenhire was our singer. We called ourselves The Beach Bums. I have all the pictures saved up. Maybe I'll use them on the blog (Plouffe will be blogging for MLB.com this summer at MLBlogs.com).

MLB: What is the worst job you've ever had?

TP: I used to work with my dad, who is a pool contractor. One day we had to cut through this old iron sand filter and shovel the sand out of it. It was about eight feet tall and six feet wide. And he decided to put the truck in drive without knowing I was back there shoveling and I fell out of the back of the truck, so that was the worst day of work I've ever had.

MLB: If you could trade places with one person for a day, who would it be and why?

TP: I would have loved to have been [Led Zeppelin's] Jimmy Page in his heyday. I was trying to get tickets to go see them in London when they play the tribute concert. I put my name in the raffle but didn't get picked.

MLB: Which aspect of life in the Minors do you find to be the biggest challenge and why?

TP: I think the first challenge you encounter is being on your own and away from everything you're familiar with. Once you get used to that, it's just about sticking to a routine. When I first started, a lot of times I found myself sleeping and waking up because I didn't have a set schedule, and when you do that you get tired more frequently so you have to learn to stick to a good routine.

 

Auburn couldn't muster much offense while No. 5 Florida State scored 14 runs on 19 hits to take game two of the four-game series 14-5 on Friday afternoon at Dick Howser Stadium.

FSU starter Sean Gilmartin (2-0) limited the Auburn hitters to three runs on three hits in seven innings, striking out nine, to send the series back to Auburn with the Seminoles having already taken the first two games.

 

Previous Page