Bednar to Coach Basketball at Moorpark

Tim Bednar has been selected to run the Moorpark High basketball program despite having no varsity coaching experience, Athletic Director Rich Uphoff announced Tuesday.

Bednar posted an 82-23 record after five seasons as a frosh-soph coach at Santa Clara and Thousand Oaks highs. He replaces Rick Kent, who was fired in March.

Bednar, 28, played three seasons at Santa Clara and was named to the All-Southern Section and All-Ventura County teams in 1979. He graduated from Loyola Marymount in 1983 and was hired as an English teacher and assistant coach at his alma mater.

He led the Saints to two Frontier League titles in two years before accepting a position at Thousand Oaks.

Former Cal State Northridge baseball Coach Terry Craven heads a list of seven candidates who are interviewing for the vacant Royal High varsity baseball coaching position. Mike McCurdy resigned the position in May after four years.

Also expected to interview are Saugus assistant Bill Bolde, Channel Islands junior varsity Coach Al Tarazon, Chatsworth assistant Steve Vincent, Culver City assistant Dan May, Simi Valley junior varsity Coach Mitch Ennis and Mike Bolyog, the coach at Villanova Prep.

Royal Athletic Director Terry Dobbins said that he hoped to reach a decision by Friday.

Robert Ramirez and Chris Sorensen of Highland Hall have been named to the All-Southern Section Small Schools Division baseball team in a vote of sportswriters.

Other Valley-area players named to the 20-member team are sophomore infielder Eric Montijo of Queen of Angels and senior pitcher John Boardman of Camarillo Christian.

Ramirez, a senior right-hander, posted a 14-4 record with a 2.82 earned-run average. He also batted .318 with seven triples. Sorensen, a senior, batted .506 with 12 doubles, 36 runs batted in and 21 stolen bases. Montijo batted .589 and Boardman had a 12-4 record with a 2.16 ERA.

Darren Cornell, who played shortstop last season at Cal Lutheran, has signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and will play for the Brewers’ Pioneer League affiliate in Helena, Mont.,

Cornell, a 17th-round selection in the amateur draft, batted .335 and had four home runs and 23 RBIs last season.

Derron Spiller, a left-handed pitcher from Ventura College, has signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. Spiller, who was drafted by the Cardinals out of Rio Mesa High last year, was 3-0 this season.

Cal State Northridge has signed Kathy Teobaldi, one of the state’s top junior college women’s tennis players, to a letter of intent.

Teobaldi is a double transfer from Cal State Long Beach and Pierce College. She advanced to the state championship match in singles this season. Teobaldi attended Agoura High where she was team most valuable player four consecutive seasons.