Spring Sports Notebook : Crescenta Valley’s Bateman Earns Return Trip to State Track Finals

With a third-place showing in the 800 meters at the Southern Section Masters meet Friday, Crescenta Valley’s Morgan Bateman qualified for the state championships beginning Friday at Cerritos College.

Bateman, who qualified for the second year in a row, finished in a personal-best 1:52.66, behind Eric Smith (1:52.22) of Redlands and 3-A Division champion Edgar Montes (1:52.56).

Bateman’s teammate, pole vaulter Brent Lewis, could not match his 4-A finals mark of 14 feet, 6 inches and was eliminated when he failed to clear 13-8.

Award winner: Jon Billingsley, a pitcher-outfielder from Occidental College was selected Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Billingsley, a senior, batted .420 and and posted a 6-3 record and a 3.53 earned-run average.

“Hitting was my strong suit this season,” he said. “I could pitch and then hit so I didn’t lose anything by sitting down.”

Billingsley was also a starting wide receiver on the football team for three years. After being sidelined because of a broken foot for the first four games this season, he caught three touchdown passes. In 1986, he was first-team All-SCIAC and team MVP.

Add Occidental: Chris Beard finished second in the hammer with a throw of 188-6 and was honored as an All-American at the NCAA Division III track championships at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.

Other Occidental All-Americans are heptathlete Molly Moore (4,311), Lionel Shaw in the men’s 1,500 (3:55.64), Amy Cathcart in the womens’ 1,500 (4:35.31), long jumper Ben White (23-10 1/2) and the men’s 400 relay (41.78).

Other finishers include triple jumper Heather Beach (10.62 meters) and Louise Coulter in discus (39.64).

Tennis racket: The City of Glendale girls’ 18-and-under tennis team will compete in the Southern California Tennis Program Junior Championships this weekend at the UCLA Tennis Center. The Glendale team (4-0) advanced to the championships by winning the West L. A./San Fernando Valley title.

Add tennis: Bob Mackay, City of Glendale sports supervisor, will coach seven 18-and-under players on a competitive tour of Europe this summer.

Jay Schall, Jeremy Munson, Joe Huynh, Brett Dedeaux, Alton Shader, Matt Leising and Kristy Kneiding, all of Glendale, will leave June 30 to play clubs in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and West Germany.

Horsing around: Flintridge resident Susan Hutchison placed second on “Fleetwood” and tied for fourth on “A Little Night Music” in the open jumping class of the $25,000 Memorial Day Classic Grand Prix at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Griffith Park.

Pitch out: La Canada (13-10-1) was eliminated from the quarterfinals of the Southern Section 2-A baseball playoffs with a 14-1 loss to fourth-seeded Norte Vista (20-6).

“When we don’t pitch well we don’t win. And we didn’t,” Coach Gary Lievre said.

Starter Dan Whisenant was shelled and pulled in the first inning before an out was recorded.