LOOKING TO MAKE GOOD ON A LITTLE LEAGUE PROMISE: QUARTZ HILL'S CULVER TRYING TO KEEP CHILDHOOD DREAMS ALIVE SENIOR OUTFIELDER HAS CHANCE TO DELIVER ON CHAMPIONSHIP PACT.

Byline: HEATHER GRIPP Staff Writer

QUARTZ HILL - Calvin Culver hasn't forgot that childhood pact he made with his buddies. After falling just shy of advancing to the 2000 Little League Regionals -- the round before the Little League World Series -- Culver and his friends vowed to get their championship when they were older.

In the last season that the former Parkview Little League all-stars will be together, Culver is doing his best to keep his word. Culver is the leading hitter for Quartz Hill High's baseball team, which is a win away from playing for the Southern Section Div. III title Saturday at Angel Stadium. The third-seeded Rebels make their first semifinal appearance today at Gahr of Cerritos.

Culver, an outfielder, is batting .532 with a team-high 10 home runs and 36 RBIs. He has 20 walks and did not strike out during the regular season. It was his towering opposite-field home run in the fifth inning of Friday's quarterfinal that shifted momentum in the Rebels' favor against last year's finalist Temecula Valley.

``I want to be that spark plug that's gets everyone going,'' Culver said. ``If we lose, it's on me.

``I've grown up with these guys since I was 9 years old. I don't want to let them down. We're all real close, and we've all been waiting for this for a long time. After that season when we came so close to getting to the Little League World Series, we made a pact to each other that we'd win a title someday.''

Quartz Hill (22-5) claimed a share of its fifth consecutive Golden League title this season, the third since Culver has been on varsity. With more than a dozen seniors on this year's team, there was a sense of urgency to end the Rebels' history of early postseason exits. Quartz Hill has won 13 of its past 14games and has not been shut out all season.

``No team's ever made it this far, so there's not really any pressure on them,'' Rebels coach Aaron Kavanagh said. ``They just want to keep it going as far as they can... If we play our game, we'll be OK.''

The end of the season will mark an end of an era for the players who will head their separate ways. Ace Matt Hutchison and fellow pitcher Jon Birds signed with UNLV. Chase Tigert, a leading hitter and probable starting pitcher for today's game, committed to San Francisco. Culver signed with San Diego State, but is expected to be selected in next week's first-year player draft.

Although he also excels as a quarterback in football, Culver said has dreamed of being a professional baseball player for as long as he can remember.

Frequent conversations about hitting with San Diego State coach Tony Gwynn, the Hall of Fame hitter formerly of the San Diego Padres, has helped Culver at the plate this season. In an effort to make up for time missed while he was playing football, Culver diligently worked on his hitting during the winter and hasn't let up on the extra batting practice.

``Hitting's one of my flaws,'' Culver said. ``I focus on it a lot, it doesn't come as easy as some of the other parts of the game. I had some holes in my swing. Once I fixed that, the balls started flying out of the park.''

Culver has a 14-game hitting streak, and the Rebels are always eager to see what he'll do next.

``Every time he comes up to bat, it's a matter of how hard he's going to hit it, how far he's going to hit it,'' Kavanagh said. ``You expect something big.''

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Quartz Hill High outfielder Calvin Culver is batting .532 and leads the team with 10 home runs and 36 RBIs.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer