CLU’s Leonhardt Signs Tiger Contract

Dave Leonhardt, Cal Lutheran’s fifth-year second baseman, has signed a free-agent baseball contract with the Detroit Tigers for an undisclosed bonus, Cal Lutheran Coach Rich Hill said Wednesday.

Hill said he expects Leonhardt to leave for a mini-camp in Lakeland, Fla., May 29 and then play for Fayetteville, N.C., of the Class A South Atlantic League.

Leonhardt, the team’s most valuable player, hit .309 with 13 doubles and 10 home runs.

Mike Clark was named the Cal Lutheran baseball team’s most valuable pitcher and right fielder Bob Farber was tabbed best offensive player and most improved, the school announced.

Catcher Eddie Lample was chosen the best defensive player and Dan Weis was most inspirational. Catcher Joel Gaxiola won an award as the player who best exemplifies Cal Lutheran baseball.

One sport is apparently enough for Scott Smith, who coached basketball and baseball at St. Genevieve High the past two years.

Smith resigned as basketball coach last week but will continue as the school’s baseball coach.

“I like both sports, but it’s hard to coach both at one time at any level,” said Smith, who compiled a 23-41 record in three seasons as basketball coach. “It’s pretty tough to give a commitment to one because there are summer leagues and something is going on year-round.”

The basketball team was 8-16 overall and 1-9 in league play, finishing tied for fifth place in the San Fernando League this season. The baseball team finished in a fourth-place tie in league play with a 3-7 record and was 9-10 overall.

Eliseo Nino, assistant women’s basketball coach at Cal State Northridge the past six seasons, has left the program to become a full-time teacher at Mission College.

Nino, 55, was the women’s head basketball coach at Mission from 1975-82. Mission no longer has a women’s basketball program.

Janet Martin, Northridge’s second-year head coach, already has launched a search to replace Nino, who had been a full-time member of the basketball staff since the 1987-88 season.

Steve Berk, the girls’ volleyball coach at Chatsworth High, is organizing a beginning volleyball camp for boys and girls ages 12 to 15.

Information: 805-986-3903.

Fairfax High tennis player Monica Kocian has signed a letter of intent to attend Cal State Northridge, according to Coach Tony Davila. Kocian recently was ranked 10th by the Southern California Tennis Assn. and 13th by Tennis West magazine.

Kocian was a finalist in the 1990 City Section tennis championships.