Rolling Hills Shortstop Paul Is a Star Among All-Stars

There is something about top-notch competition that brings out the best in Tristan Paul.

The Rolling Hills High shortstop proved it again last week with a dynamic performance for a California prep all-star team at the Sunbelt Tournament in Stillwater, Okla.

Playing against all-star teams from Georgia, Maryland, Florida, Ohio and Oklahoma, Paul batted .667 (eight for 12) with a home run and seven runs batted in to earn the tournament’s most valuable player award. California finished second behind Georgia with a 3-2 record.

“I just stepped up and turned it up a couple of notches,” said Paul, who set a tournament record for highest batting average. “I seem to play better under those conditions.”

Paul has been on a hitting tear since the regular season ended for Rolling Hills with a 3-0 playoff loss to El Toro on May 17. He was the only player to hit a home run in the South Bay All-Star Classic, and he has homered twice for his Connie Mack League team, Mary Star.

Paul batted .388 during the regular season, but had only one home run. He has hit four home runs since then.

“I didn’t have as good a year as I expected,” he said. “I was kind of disappointed in my home runs. I hit the ball well in practice, but I just couldn’t get it to go out during games.

“I’ve done some of my best hitting after the season. I faced the best pitching in the state, and all of a sudden I started hitting well.”

Paul had one of his best games Friday in a 7-4 victory over Maryland. He had three hits in three at-bats and drove in three runs to help his Rolling Hills teammate, pitcher Kirt Kishita, earn the decision in relief. Kishita was 1-1 in the tournament.

“I was really glad I got to play because I wasn’t supposed to,” Paul said. “There were two shortstops in front of me, but they both signed (with major league teams). I was going to be a backup infielder.”

After pinch-hitting in the tournament opener, Paul played four games at shortstop and exhibited his defensive abilities. He made eight putouts and committed only one error.

Drafted by the Detroit Tigers, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound Paul said he most likely will play for Harbor College next season.

“Basically, the Tigers want me to go to Harbor,” he said. “They didn’t think I was ready to turn pro. They want to give me another year.”

Detroit retains the rights to Paul for a year. If he remains unsigned for that length of time, he will again be eligible for the draft.

Kishita, who was released from a letter of intent with UC Irvine after the school considered dropping its baseball program, said he will attend Arizona.

The right-handed pitcher picked the Wildcats over Fresno State.

“I’m really happy,” he said.

It has been a busy postseason for Kishita, who led Rolling Hills to the Ocean League title and was the league’s player of the year. Aside from straightening out his college plans, he has played in two state all-star series and has been picked to play for the Olympic Festival West Regional team.

El Segundo catcher Jeff Poor, a senior, also was one of 16 players chosen to the West squad. Olympic Festival games will be played July 16-20 at USC’s Dedeaux Field.

Banning pitcher Mike Busby reported Monday to the St. Louis Cardinals’ rookie league affiliate in Peoria, Ariz., after signing a contract with the major league club last week.

Busby, reached at his apartment in Phoenix, said his signing package was worth $40,000, including $8,000 deferred for his education.

That’s a pretty good deal considering that Busby didn’t get drafted until the 14th round.

“Most of the guys here didn’t get anything close to that,” he said. “I probably would have signed for anything. I didn’t want to go to school.”

Busby’s wife, Misty, said Mike held out for more money after the Cardinals made an initial offer.

“He was happy,” she said. “They gave him a fairly good price. At first they told him, ‘No, we can’t give you what you want.’ But he stuck with what he wanted, and they came back and gave him a package.”

Busby, who expects to pitch his first game Saturday, said he is one of two high school players on a team mainly composed of college players.

Hawthorne outfielder Armando Fernandez, a 36th-round pick of the New York Mets, is working out at El Camino College, where he plans to play football and baseball. He was an All-Bay League fullback and outfielder at Hawthorne.

But Fernandez said he might change his plans if a four-year school shows interest in him. He learned Tuesday that he scored an NCAA-qualifying 20 on the American College Test.

“There were some (four-year) schools that expressed interest in me, but that was a long time ago,” he said. “Hopefully they didn’t forget about me. Now that I’ve received my (passing) score, things could open up for me as far as college baseball is concerned.”

The 6-foot, 215-pound Fernandez said USC has shown the most interest in him recently.

If things don’t pan out with a four-year school, Fernandez said he will aim toward having a good freshman season at El Camino and re-entering the baseball draft next year.

Either way, Fernandez figures he can’t lose.

“I want to go to the minors, or go play baseball and get an education,” he said.

The Palos Verdes and Morningside girls’ basketball teams appear to be on another collision course.

If both teams win their quarterfinal-round games Saturday in the L.A. Watts Summer Games, they will meet in the semifinals at 10 a.m. Sunday at El Camino. In Saturday’s games at Locke High, Palos Verdes faces Gahr of Cerritos at 9 a.m., and Morningside meets Long Beach Poly at 10 a.m.

The South Bay rivals met three times last season, with Palos Verdes winning twice. The teams tied for the Ocean League title, before going on to bigger and better things. Palos Verdes won the Southern Section Division III-A and State Division III titles, whereas Morningside won the Southern Section Division I-AA title and reached the State Division I final.

Palos Verdes, which will be Peninsula High next season, returns all five of its starters, led by point guard Kristen Mulligan, the Division III co-player of the year.

Morningside also returns its best player, 6-4 center Janet Davis, the Division I co-player of the year and The Times South Bay player of the year.

Notes

Torrance third baseman Antone Williamson, a three-time All-CIF and Times All-South Bay selection, is still deciding between a scholarship to Arizona State and professional baseball, according to a family member. Williamson, who is currently on a fishing trip in Idaho, was drafted in the third round by the San Diego Padres. . . . Former San Pedro football Coach Henry Pacheco has been released from the hospital and is continuing his battle with acute lymphocytic leukemia at home.

Former Carson football Coach Gene Vollnogle already has plans to keep busy during his retirement. He will serve as an assistant coach at Los Alamitos High, located near his home. . . . Palos Verdes, with CIF-Southern Section titles in boys’ cross-country, girls’ tennis and girls’ basketball, tied San Marino and Sunny Hills for the most team championships during the 1990-91 academic year. . . . Chris McAllister, a water polo and swimming standout, and soccer player Jennifer Molter were named Palos Verdes’ athletes of the year at the school’s final sports banquet honoring seniors.