9 Area Seniors to Play for City All-Star Team

Nine players from six Valley-area high schools will participate in the inaugural City Section/Orange County All-Star baseball game tonight at USC’s Dedeaux Field. Game time is 7 p.m.

Among those representing local schools will be Kennedy High shortstop Gino Tagliaferri, the City Section 4-A Division Player of the Year.

Tagliaferri batted .365 this season, slammed a City-record 13 home runs and had 36 runs batted in for the 4-A champion Golden Cougars.

Pitcher Derek Wallace of Chatsworth is also on the team. Wallace compiled a 9-3 record with a 1.92 earned-run average for the Chancellors, who lost to Palisades in the playoff semifinals. The senior also batted .344 with four home runs and 22 RBIs.

Eric Johnson, also of Chatsworth, will be calling the shots from behind the plate along with fellow catchers Rudy Sanchez of San Fernando and Taft’s Adam Zutler.

Monroe’s Tim Costic and Rich Aude of Chatsworth will be at first and third base, respectively, for the City team. Costic compiled a .403 batting average and was 4-4 with a 2.97 ERA as a pitcher. Aude batted .454 and led Valley players with 45 hits. He also knocked in 39 runs.

Eddie Chavez (.397, six home runs) of Poly will be in left field. Chavez also recorded four saves as a relief pitcher for the Parrots. Taft’s Jason Shapiro will share center field duties with Westchester’s Victor Darenzbourg who, with two no-hitters this season, may also make an appearance as a pitcher.

The City team will be coached by Kermit Taylor of Washington, Westchester’s Ron Casparian and Bob Maroney of Bell. Coaches Bob Lofrano of Chatsworth and Steve Marden of San Fernando were to coach the team originally but withdrew because of the teachers’ strike against Los Angeles Unified School District.

Chris Andersen and Keyaan Cook of Montclair Prep led a group of four Valley-area selections for the 20-member All-Southern Section 1-A Division baseball team. The team is selected by a panel of sportswriters and is sponsored by the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles.

Andersen, a senior, was the Alpha League MVP after posting a 9-1 record with a 1.62 ERA. Cook, a junior shortstop, batted .500 with nine home runs and 35 RBI.

Also included on the team are senior infielder Kevin Ebenhoch, who batted .452 for Village Christian, and Moorpark junior infielder Frank Fernandez, who batted .507 with three home runs and 22 stolen bases.

Jason Evans of Chatsworth High has been selected to the state all-star baseball team that will play teams representing Oklahoma and Florida in a round-robin tournament this weekend at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla.

Evans was chosen to represent California after participating in a three-game North-South series last weekend in Fresno. The North won two of three games.

Evans, a shortstop and pitcher, was three for seven with two runs batted in and three stolen bases. Hart catcher Casey Burrill also played for the South team. He was one for seven.

Matt Anderson, a left-handed pitcher from Buena High who was to attend Cal State Northridge in the fall, signed a minor league contract last week with the Baltimore Orioles.

Anderson, who signed a letter of intent in April, was drafted with the first pick in the fifth round of the recent draft. He posted a 7-1 record with a 1.50 ERA to lead Buena to the Channel League title.

Anderson would not disclose his signing bonus but did say that he received a $20,000 college-fund scholarship that will be placed in a trust until he quits baseball or is released.