Clayton Again Accorded All-American Honors : College baseball: CS Northridge junior makes Baseball America’s first team. Kendrena named to third unit.

The awards continue to roll in for Cal State Northridge’s Craig Clayton.

The junior right-hander received his second first-team All-American honor Thursday when Baseball America magazine announced its 14-man squad.

This time, Clayton made it as a pitcher. Last week, Collegiate Baseball magazine listed Clayton as a utility player.

Clayton had strong qualifications in both areas. As a pitcher, he had a 14-5 record and 2.25 earned-run average with 166 strikeouts in 160 1/3 innings. He also batted .364 and led the Matadors with 100 hits, 71 runs, 18 doubles and five triples.

Clayton was among seven players considered for Baseball America’s player-of-the-year award, an honor won by junior first baseman David McCarty of Stanford.

“I set goals at the beginning of the year and one of them was to be player of the year,” Clayton said. “You try to set goals high enough to achieve, and it almost came true.”

McCarty hit .420 and hit 24 home runs.

Pitcher Ken Kendrena of Northridge was a third-team selection. The junior right-hander finished with a 2.75 ERA and a 13-2 record, including a victory over Miami in the NCAA West II Regional.