Sharts Elects to Play Baseball at CS Northridge

Scott Sharts took an indirect route, but he will continue a family tradition when he enrolls at Cal State Northridge on a baseball scholarship in the fall.

Sharts, who hit a Southern Section-record 32 home runs during his three-year varsity career at Simi Valley High from 1986-88, transferred to Northridge from Miami on a “hardship release” and will be eligible to play for the Matadors next season.

“I wanted an opportunity to play,” said Sharts, who hit .222 in only 36 at-bats for the Hurricanes this season. “I wanted to find a place where I could play immediately so I could get back to where I want to be. And Northridge will give me that chance.”

Sharts’ brother Steve was an All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. pitcher for Northridge in 1984 and currently pitches for Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, a Philadelphia Phillies’ triple-A affiliate.

Scott Sharts said that the Matadors’ move to the Division I ranks in the fall of 1990 also influenced his decision.

“It’s a good chance for me to help establish an up-and-coming program and I’m real excited about that,” Sharts said. “They’re young and I’m looking forward to helping them.”

Sharts--who is playing in the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan.--will attend Northridge on a scholarship established in memory of his uncle, Paul Edmondson.

Edmondson, an All-CCAA selection at what was then San Fernando Valley State College in 1963 and ‘65, and a member of the Chicago White Sox in 1967 and 68, was killed in a car accident in 1970.

“Scott is a significant addition to our program,” CSUN Coach Bill Kernen said. “He’s a high-quality player, and he’s from the Valley area. And that’s the type of player we’ve been trying to get here.”

Kernen expects Sharts to play first base and pitch for the Matadors, although he isn’t sure where the 6-foot-6, 222-pound sophomore will figure in the rotation.

“I know I want him in the lineup every game,” Kernen said. “But his pitching role is still not known. But I do want him to have a significant role as a pitcher. He seems willing to help us there, too.”

Jon Gold has been named as the women’s cross-country and track and field coach at Glendale College.

An assistant at Glendale for two years, Gold coached the women’s cross-country and men’s track teams last season while Coach Tom McMurray was on a one-year sabbatical.

Ed Lopez, who guided the men’s cross-country and women’s track teams during McMurray’s absence, will resume his assistant coaching duties this season.

Marcus Littlejohn, a swingman on the Sherman Oaks CES basketball team, committed to Cal Lutheran on Monday. Littlejohn averaged 24.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists a game last season and was a second-team Times All-Valley and first-team All-Northern Conference selection.

“I enjoyed visiting the school and was impressed with Coach Mike Dunlap,” Littlejohn said. “He said I had a chance to step in and play right away. I hope I get a chance to start. Anything is possible, he told me.”

The Conejo Valley Senior Division Little League All-Stars defeated Everett, Wash., 16-13, Tuesday in a second-round Western regional tournament game in Las Vegas.

A 10-run fifth inning and the relief pitching of Jeff Naster helped Conejo Valley stay alive in the double-elimination tournament. Conejo Valley lost, 14-4, to Union City, Calif., on Monday.