BASEBALL BEAT : JUST CALL HIM THE NATURAL.John Ennis knows he'll never experience another day like Saturday, when he hit four home runs in four at-bats and drove in 13 runs in an 18-2 American Legion baseball American Legion Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played by teenage boys in 45 states in the USA. Purpose According to the American Legion, the purpose of American Legion Baseball is to give young men "an opportunity to develop their skills, personal fitness, win over Sun Valley at Alemany High. Ennis, an All-City pitcher from Monroe, hit all four home runs over the fence in Verb 1. fence in - enclose with a fence; "we fenced in our yard" fence inclose, shut in, close in, enclose - surround completely; "Darkness enclosed him"; "They closed in the porch with a fence" 2. left field. ``The fourth one, I seriously went for a home run because there was nothing I could do wrong,'' he said. ``Everybody was jumping around.'' Ennis retrieved all four balls. ``They're sitting in my room,'' he said. Scott Smith Scott Smith is the name of:
Ennis is the area's top college prospect for 1998. He's being used as a closer this summer in Legion ball (he has four saves). Kennedy is now No. 1 Kennedy High has produced more City Section 4-A Players of the Year in baseball than any other school since the award began in 1938. With Jon Garland's selection this season, Kennedy players have won the award six times. The others are Jeff Jens (1974), Jeff Wetherby and Phil Lombardi (1981), Kevin Farlow (1985), Gino Tagliaferri (1989) and Derek Morse (1996). Advice from Rod Beck Rod Beck, the 1986 Grant High graduate, gave some advice to players at the Bernie Milligan All-Star Baseball awards brunch on Saturday (pictured). The San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era reliever said there are hundreds of people trying to make the major leagues. He said it takes lots of hard work. But most important, he said it takes desire and heart. ``My goal was to make it to the big league and I didn't take no for an answer,'' he said. Trejo Legion standout The first rising star of the summer season is Crespi senior infielder Anthony Trejo. He hit .405 as a junior shortstop. Defense was his strength. This summer, as a member of the Encino American Legion American Legion, national association of male and female war veterans, founded (1919) in Paris. Membership is open to veterans of World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. team, he's playing second base and hitting even better (13 for 24, .542). Long forgotten is a March slump that caused his early-season average to dip below .200. ``I just had to get the mental part down,'' Trejo said. ``When I step in the (batter's) box now, it's, `Hey, I know I can get a hit.' '' Just ask Trejo's neighbors in Sylmar whether he can hit. They always see him in the front yard practicing his swing with a bat. ``I just swing and visualize pitches,'' he said. Trejo was Crespi's No. 1 running back in football last season, but he has decided to focus his entire senior year on baseball. LaCour clicks Valley North has a 9-1 record, the best mark in District 20 Legion action. Its coach is former Chatsworth High player Matt LaCour, who served as an assistant this past season at UC Santa Barbara. LaCour is one of the candidates to become head coach at Bishop Diego in Ventura. ``I'm trying to toughen them up a little bit and show them how college baseball is played,'' he said. The team is made up of past and present Chatsworth players. Two young players making an impact are center fielder Bryan Gant, a senior batting .610, and junior left-hander Mike Kunes, who's 3-0 with a 2.18 ERA. Etc. Headed to Northern California: Former Crescenta Valley High and College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. infielder Kasey Canale has signed a national letter of intent with San Jose State. CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge update: Cal State Northridge third baseman John Wilson is being recruited by Nevada. UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX and USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. are trying to convince teammate Adrian Mendoza to walk-on this fall. All-star: Former Taft High outfielder Gabe Kapler has been selected to the Florida State Class A League all-star team. Kapler, who plays for the Detroit Tigers' team in Lakeland, Fla., is hitting .282 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in . Junior duo: Crespi coach Scott Muckey is getting ready his one-two pitching punch for 1998 and 1999. Juniors Mike Jackson (left-hander) and Tim Leveque (right-hander) are throwing well this summer. Jackson threw a shutout last week. He has 25 strikeouts in 19 innings. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: no caption (Rod Beck) Terri Thuente/ Daily News |
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