1991 PREP BASEBALL ALL-STARS : Banning’s Busby, Narbonne’s Van Lue Lead Class of 1991 : Prep baseball: South Bay player of year helped Pilots reach L.A. City 4-A Division final. Coach of year guided Gauchos to City 3-A championship, their first section title in the sport.

Mike Busby’s voice was soft, but his disappointment came across loud and clear.

“I haven’t heard anything,” he said Monday afternoon as he waited at home for a phone call during the first day of the amateur baseball draft.

When the call did come--informing him that he had been selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 14th round, much lower than expected--the Banning High pitcher was at a loss for words.

It was the second setback in little more than a week for Busby, who gave up the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning May 24 in Banning’s 3-2 loss to San Fernando in the L.A. City 4-A Division title game at Dodger Stadium.

However painful those recent events were for Busby, they didn’t detract from a sensational senior season. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-hander leaves Banning as the most dominant pitcher in school history and arguably its best player ever.

For his efforts, Busby has been named The Times South Bay Player of the Year.

Nick Van Lue, who in three seasons transformed Narbonne from a struggling team to the City 3-A champion, is the South Bay Coach of the Year.

Joining Busby on the all-star team are pitcher Kirt Kishita of Rolling Hills, catchers Jason Kendall of Torrance and Jeff Poor of El Segundo, shortstops Brett Newell of El Segundo, David Rosato of South Torrance and Mike Ryan of Miraleste; third baseman Antone Williamson of Torrance; outfielders Tarrik Brock of Hawthorne, Eric Gonzalez of Torrance and Dwon Knighten of Serra and pitcher-designated hitter Armando Cervantes of Narbonne.

Busby, one of four repeat all-star selections (Kishita, Williamson and Gonzalez are the others), posted impressive numbers in 1991. As a pitcher, he was 11-1 and allowed only eight earned runs in 84 innings for a minuscule 0.66 earned-run average. He had 109 strikeouts and 35 walks and threw no-hitters against Washington and Van Nuys.

Busby also carried some clout at the plate. As Banning’s cleanup hitter, he batted .355 and led the team with four home runs and 22 runs batted in.

Although his strikeout totals were down from his junior season, when he fanned 127 batters in 92 innings, Busby was a more complete pitcher in 1991, according to Banning Coach Syl Saavedra.

“He played with the Dodger rookie league team during the winter, and I think that helped him become more of a team player,” Saavedra said. “He was on a mission this year.”

With Busby leading the way, the Pilots (20-7) won the Pacific League title and were seeded No. 1 for the 4-A Division playoffs. He opened the playoffs by pitching a no-hitter in a 4-0 victory over Van Nuys and came back in the semifinals with a two-hitter in a 5-1 victory over Poly, which had been the state’s top-ranked team earlier in the season.

“He’s probably the premier pitcher around,” Poly Coach Jerry Cord said.

Mark Chavez, Banning’s other right-handed pitcher, started the 4-A championship game against San Fernando and performed admirably. He gave up five hits before being relieved by Busby with one out and runners on first and second in the sixth inning and San Fernando leading, 2-1.

Busby, making his first relief appearance of the season, started shakily by walking the first batter to load the bases. But he got out of the jam with two strikeouts.

He wasn’t as fortunate in the seventh, after Banning had tied the score, 2-2, on Chavez’s run-scoring triple. A hit batter, a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt set the stage for David Rojas’ game-winning bloop single off Busby that dropped into shallow right field.

Afterward, a sullen Busby had trouble accepting defeat on a blooper to the opposite field. It was only the third hit he had allowed in 15 1/3 innings in the playoffs.

“I don’t consider it a hit,” he said, “but it won the game.”

Said Saavedra: “I was glad I got Mike in to throw tonight. I think Mike earned it and I’m glad, to a degree, that he had a chance to pitch. I’m sorry that he was the one who ended up losing the game, but there’s no doubt that Mike is the (City 4-A) player of the year. If they take it away from him, something is wrong.”

Saavedra can rest easy. Last week, Busby was a unanimous choice as 4-A Division Player of the Year.

When Van Lue took over Narbonne’s baseball program in 1989 after serving as an assistant coach at several schools, it was considered a difficult rebuilding situation.

“The thing I noticed the most was that there wasn’t a lot of kids playing baseball,” he said. “I started with an all-10th-grade team on the varsity level and just let them progress.”

Two years later, the move paid off. First, Narbonne won the Southern League title, its first league championship since 1978. Then the Gauchos won four playoff games, culminating the season with a 5-1 victory over Franklin in the City 3-A championship game at Dodger Stadium for its first section title in the sport.

With a senior-dominated team, Van Lue was confident Narbonne could contend for the City title. But it took a little luck. In the semifinals, the Gauchos rallied for five runs in the bottom of the 10th inning to tie Hamilton before winning it in the 11th, 9-8.

“It doesn’t get much better than that game,” Van Lue said. “It prepared us for almost anything.”

Narbonne (22-7) proved that when it turned in a near-flawless performance in the City final.

All-star profiles:

Kirt Kishita, Rolling Hills--The Ocean League Player of the Year, Kishita carried the Titans to the league title with his pitching. At one point, the right-hander had a string of 61 2/3 innings without giving up an earned run. He finished with an 8-3 record and 0.88 earned-run average, with 97 strikeouts and 41 walks in 79 innings. He pitched a no-hitter against Morningside. Kishita was one of 18 Southern California seniors selected to play in the North-South state all-star series this weekend in Fresno.

Jason Kendall, Torrance--West Torrance Coach Harry Jenkins called Kendall, “The best baseball player in the area.” The junior catcher certainly put up the numbers to support that opinion. Kendall batted .477 (42 for 88) with a school-record 49 runs batted in and tied a state record by extending his hitting streak to 33 games. A strong defensive player, he threw out 13 baserunners.

Jeff Poor, El Segundo--Many believe this junior catcher will be the next great player to come out of the respected El Segundo program. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Poor batted .475 (47 for 99) with 14 doubles and led the South Bay with 11 home runs and a school-record 54 RBIs, the third-highest season total in Southern Section history.

Brett Newell, El Segundo--The San Fernando Valley League Player of the Year, Newell put together an outstanding senior season. He batted .451 (46 for 102) with a team-leading 26 stolen bases and 26 RBIs, and tied a school record with 16 doubles. Regarded as one of the area’s finest defensive shortstops, he will attend the University of Washington on a baseball scholarship.

David Rosato, South Torrance--One of three outstanding shortstops on the all-star team, Rosato drew raves for his work at the plate and with his glove. “As good a shortstop as I’ve seen in many years in this area,” said Jenkins, the West coach. Rosato batted .434 (36 for 83) with 19 RBIs and had 24 stolen bases in 25 attempts.

Mike Ryan, Miraleste--A four-year varsity starter, Ryan ended a brilliant high school career by batting .411 (35 for 85), the fourth consecutive season he carried an average higher than .400. The UC Irvine-bound shortstop led the Marauders with 29 RBIs and struck out only nine times. He also pitched for the first time at the varsity level, compiling a 2-2 record.

Antone Williamson, Torrance--One of the finest players ever in the South Bay and a three-time all-star, Williamson batted .539 (41 for 76) to finish his varsity career with 153 hits, an area record and the third-highest total in state history. The third baseman was drafted in the third round by the San Diego Padres and also has a scholarship to Arizona State. He led the area with 39 runs scored and had 29 RBIs. He was named Pioneer League MVP.

Tarrik Brock, Hawthorne--A second-round pick of the Detroit Tigers, Brock batted .405 and was a defensive stalwart in center field. He batted .405 and led the Cougars with 29 runs scored, four triples and 12 stolen bases, earning first-team All-Bay League honors. He has a full baseball scholarship to USC.

Eric Gonzalez, Torrance--The clean-up hitter in a productive Tartar lineup, Gonzalez batted .459 (34 for 74) with 31 runs scored, six doubles, three home runs and 35 RBIs, giving him 76 RBIs in the past two seasons. An All-CIF pick last year, the left fielder earned All-Pioneer League first-team honors.

Dwon Knighten, Serra--The South Bay batting champion with a .629 average (44 for 70), Knighten was the catalyst behind the Cavaliers’ improved play in 1991. The speedy center fielder set an area record with 51 stolen bases in 20 games, the fifth-highest season total in Southern Section history.

Armando Cervantes, Narbonne--The L.A. City 3-A Division Player of the Year, Cervantes led the Gauchos to their first section title. The right-hander was 9-4 as a pitcher with a 1.69 ERA. He pitched a five-hitter in Narbonne’s 5-1 victory over Franklin in the 3-A final. Also a designated hitter, he batted .500 (43 for 86) with 24 RBIs.

Second Team

Player Position School Year Rec./Avg. Kris Radcliffe Pitcher Torrance Senior 9-2 Brian Wise Pitcher El Segundo Senior 8-2 Todd Seneker Catcher Chadwick Senior .568 Paco Cervantes Infielder Narbonne Senior .369 Andy Diver Infielder St. Bernard Senior .338 Jason Garner Infielder Mira Costa Senior .409 Tristan Paul Infielder Rolling Hills Senior .388 Chris Feeny Outfielder El Segundo Junior .410 Martin Macias Outfielder West Torrance Senior .437 Mark Ponce De Leon Outfielder Mary Star Senior .587 Mark Chavez Utility Banning Senior 7-3/.243 Brian Fitzgerald Utility West Torrance Senior 9-5/.354

Name: Mike Busby Position: Pitcher School: Banning Year: Senior Record: 11-1 Name: Kirt Kishita Position: Pitcher School: Rolling Hills Year: Senior Record: 8-3 Name: Jason Kendall Position: Catcher School: Torrance Year: Junior Batting: .477 Name: Jeff Poor Position: Catcher School: El Segundo Year: Junior Batting: .475 Name: Jeff Poor Name: Brett Newell Position: Infielder School: El Segundo Year: Senior Batting: .451 Name: David Rosato Position: Infielder School: South Torrance Year: Senior Batting: .434 Name: Mike Ryan Position: Infielder School: Miraleste Year: Senior Batting: .411 Name: Antone Williamson Position: Infielder School: Torrance Year: Senior Batting: .539 Name: Tarrik Brock Position: Outfielder School: Hawthorne Year: Senior Batting: .405 Name: Eric Gonzalez Position: Outfielder School: Torrance Year: Senior Batting: .459 Name: Dwon Knighten Position: Outfielder School: Serra Year: Senior Batting: .629 Name: Armando Cervantes Position: Utility School: Narbonne Year: Senior Batting: 9-4/.500