COUNTY NOTES : Ex-Los Alamitos Standout Signs Contract With Braves

The Atlanta Braves on Monday signed their No. 1 draft pick, Mike Kelly, an outfielder from Arizona State and Los Alamitos High School.

Kelly, 21, will work out with the Braves in Pittsburgh today and Wednesday before reporting to the organization’s Class-A team in Durham, N.C., later this week, said club spokesman Jim Schultz.

Kelly was the second pick overall in the free-agent draft June 3 behind Brien Taylor, a high school pitcher from Beaufort, N.C., who was chosen by the New York Yankees.

In his three-year college career, Kelly batted .351, hit 46 home runs, had 194 runs batted in and stole 59 bases in 68 attempts. As a senior at Los Alamitos, he hit .467.

“Obviously, we feel he has an outstanding future because of the way he approaches the game both physically and mentally,” said Chuck LaMar, the Braves’ scouting director. “He’s a combination of speed and power that we want to build our major league club around.”

Jared Knickmeyer, who will be a senior at University High School this fall, has been selected to the U.S. Junior National Rowing team, which will compete July 31-Aug. 4 in the Junior World Championships in Banyoles, Spain.

Banyoles is the site for all rowing events at the ’92 Olympics.

Knickmeyer, 17, was chosen for the eight-man team from a field of about 40 at a selection camp in Ithaca, N.Y., which ended Sunday.

Knickmeyer, a two-time letterman on the University water polo team, rows for the Newport Aquatic Center in Newport Beach.

Cherokee Parks of Marina High School has been selected to the U.S. basketball team for the Junior World Championships July 28-Aug. 4 in Edmonton, Alberta.

The 6-foot-11 Parks, who will play at Duke in the fall, averaged 28.8 points and 14.4 rebounds in leading the Vikings to the Southern Section 5-A championship game, where they lost to Santa Barbara. He recently played in the Olympic Festival.

The Taiwan Olympic baseball team will play a two-game series against an all-star team from the Los Angeles Basin Collegiate League July 30-31 at UC Irvine.

Both games will begin at 7 p.m.

The games are part of a nine-day, five-game tour by the Taiwan team. The Los Angeles Basin Collegiate League features college players from the area.