CITY SECTION: SHE PITCHES WITH A HEAVY HEART FATHER'S DEATH MOTIVATES SAN FERNANDO SENIOR.Byline: Ramona Shelburne Ramona Shelburne is an American sports journalist currently writing for the Los Angeles Daily News. Shelburne was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, California where she was a class valedictorian. Staff Writer Selena Salazar's father died last summer after a two-year bout with cancer, but the San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. pitcher is grateful he was able to see her accept a scholarship to Cal State Northridge. Despite the discomfort Louis Salazar experienced at the end of his life, Selena said it is difficult to describe his joy in knowing his only daughter had succeeded at the sport she loved. ``That was a big deal,'' Salazar said. ``My dad really wanted me to go there because it's close to home and my family. It was a big relief for him to know that I was going to go there and they'd take care of me.'' Salazar, considered the top pitcher in the area, carries that thought with her when the emotion of her father's death becomes overwhelming. There are times she has thought about quitting, giving in a falling inwards; a collapse. See also: Giving to the pain. But her father's voice brings her back. ``I know he still wanted me to be out there,'' she said. ``He'd be so mad if I stopped playing. He'd probably come back down here and get me.'' Despite a 7-4 record last season as a junior, she did not allow an earned run earned run n. Baseball A run scored without the aid of an error, used in computing earned run averages. Noun 1. earned run - a run that was not scored as the result of an error by the other team . She struck out 129 batters in 75 innings. She started this year with a no-hitter against Cleveland High of Reseda. But still, she can't help but wish her father was around to see her final high school season. Louis ``Junior'' Salazar always was at his daughter's softball games. He sat behind the dugout and called her by her middle name, Renee, when he wanted to get her attention. He was the only one allowed to call her by her middle name. At times, he was hard on her, challenging her to develop her talent. He caught for her when she worked on her pitching. He did a little dance when she got frustrated on the mound. It's that dance Salazar remembers when she thinks of her father now. ``It was so silly, he would always make me laugh,'' she said. San Fernando probably won't win the City Section this year. The Tigers might not even win the Valley Mission League. Sylmar is the preseason favorite. But Salazar is not lacking motivation. ``He gave me his talent, he got me into softball. I have to play for him now,'' she said. --Valley Mission: Defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre Sylmar is favored to repeat, despite the transfer of standout shortstop Bianca Mejia and graduation of catcher Brenda Lira. --West Valley: El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
The Conquistadores, though, suffered a major disappointment Wednesday, when Mejia was declared ineligible by the City Section. An appeal is coming, but it will be awhile before the case is reconsidered. --Sunset Six: Poly of Sun Valley, Canoga Park and defending champion Verdugo Hills of Tujunga all should vie for the title. Poly is led by shortstop Melissa Tachias, who belted 12 home runs last year and is one of the best defensive shortstops in the area. ``At shortstop, I think she's as good as anyone,'' Poly coach Manny Manny may refer to: In nobility:
ONES TO WATCH PITCHERS Selena Salazar Sr. San Fernando Had 121 strikeouts in 75 innings as a junior. Signed with Cal State Northridge. Megan Miller Jr. El Camino Real The 6-foot-1 right-hander has talent to become one of the most intimidating pitchers in area. Courtney Baughman Sr. Valencia Hawaii signee sign·ee n. One who has signed a document, such as a contract or petition. must fill Christina Ross' shoes. Lindsey Dean So. Camarillo Led Scorpions to Div. I semifinals last year. 12-2, 0.76 ERA as a freshman. Suzanne Cominski Sr. Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. Added 3-4 mph over the summer. Signed with Harvard. Others: Lindsey Cunningham, Jr., Newbury Park; Ashlee Veilleux, Sr., Oaks Christian; Vicky Brown, Jr., La Reina La Reina (Spanish: "The queen") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It consistently ranks in the top five communes with the best quality of life in the Metropolitan Region. ; Kristin Gallant, Sr., Harvard- Westlake, Stephanie Boshae, So., Sylmar; Lauren Strangis, So., Crescenta Valley The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. Its name derives from its crescent-like shape, with the convex portion facing roughly northeast and the concave portion southwest. . UTILITY Taylor Schlopy So. Oaks Christian Broke state record with 15 triples last season. Hit .445 and led Oaks Christian to the Div. IV championship as pitcher. Kirsten Slouber Sr. Montclair Prep LMU LMU Ludwig Maximilians Universität (München) LMU Loyola Marymount University LMU Leeds Metropolitan University (UK) LMU Lincoln Memorial University LMU Location Measurement Unit signee was Olympic League MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. on last place team as a junior. Audrey Andrade Sr. Glendale Hawaii signee could have highest batting average batting average n. Baseball A measure of a batter's performance obtained by dividing the total of base hits by the number of times at bat, not including walks. Noun 1. in the area. Stacey Milne Sr. Canoga Park Should easily lead area in stolen bases. Genna Allen Sr. Thousand Oaks Versatile infielder can do it all. Michelle Macias Jr. Viewpoint Small-school standout hit .593 last year. CATCHERS Francesca Enea Jr. El Camino Real Arguably the top college prospect in the area. Hit .455 with 40 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 as a sophomore. Megan Shie Sr. Westlake Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school sports league primarily made up of schools from Ventura County. The Marmonte Leauge is part of the CIF Southern Section. Click here to view the league schedule. Offensive Player of the Year as a junior. Signed with Ohio State. Amber Peterson Sr. Oaks Christian Only one strikeout in 100 plate appearances last year. Hit .470 with 39 RBI. Samantha Marder Jr. Calabasas Had a breakout summer. Hit .417 as a sophomore. Tiffany Huff Jr. Saugus If she stays healthy, watch out. Kim Weinstein Sr. Chaminade Great defensively. Team leader signed with Syracuse. Caitlin Stiglich So. Hart Tough, strong and disciplined. FIRST BASE De Ann Young Sr. Camarillo Oregon State signee batted .430 with 24 RBI last season. Devon Hofland Sr. Royal Lefty slugger has one of sweetest swings in the area. Breanne Javier Sr. Valencia Central Florida
Central Florida is the central region of the United States state of Florida, on the East Coast. signee is Vikings top offensive threat. Courtney Lee So. Oaks Christian Six home runs, 28 RBI as a freshman. SECOND BASE Victoria Kemp So. Saugus One of the best outfielders in area last year moves to 2B, her natural position. Hit .379 with six home runs and 27 RBI as a freshman. Kelly Cordeiro Jr. Thousand Oaks Hit .454 with .588 slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (abbreviated SLG) is the most popular measure of the power of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats: last season. May play several positions this year. Whitney Lowe Sr. Valencia Slick-fielding infielder has signed with Lehigh. SHORTSTOP Andi Ramirez Sr. Royal BYU BYU Brigham Young University BYU Bayou BYU Bob's Your Uncle BYU Bayreuth, Germany - Bindlacher Berg (Airport Code) BYU Beyond Your Understanding signee hit .417 with 21 RBI and four home runs. Marmonte League Defensive MVP. Melissa Tachias Sr. Poly Raw talent who could lead area in home runs. Slugged 12 last year. Emily Sudik Jr. Hart Turns heads with spectacular defensive plays. Dani Thompson Sr. Canyon Signed with Northern Illinois. Alyssa Ishibashi So. Valencia Impressive as a freshman. THIRD BASE Nicole Miller Sr. Simi Valley Signed with Syracuse. Lyndsey Alexander Sr. Granada Hills Very solid defensively, clutch hitter. Kaslin Tucker Sr. Oaks Christian Had 27 RBI as a junior. OUTFIELD Monica Gonzales Sr. Westlake Hit .545 and scored 21 runs in 24 games as a junior. Shayne Lotito Sr. Vasquez Boston University signee hit .534 last year. Katelyn Miller Jr. Camarillo Tons of opposite field power. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 6 boxes Photo: (1) San Fernando right-hander Selena Salazar opened the season by no-hitting Cleveland. David Sprague/Staff Photographer (2) KEMP Box: (1) ONES TO WATCH (see text) (2) DAILY NEWS TOP 10 (3) COLLEGE SIGNINGS (4) GAMES YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS (5) WATCH OUT FOR (6) DID YOU KNOW? |
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