NOTEBOOK : Pepperdine Pitcher Wallace, 11th Pick of Draft, Signs With the Cubs

Pitcher Derek Wallace became the last of three holdouts from Pepperdine to sign a professional contract when he agreed to terms Monday with the Chicago Cubs.

Wallace was the 11th overall pick in the June draft. He will report to the Cubs’ Class-A team in Peoria (Ill.) of the Midwest League.

Last week, second baseman Steve Rodriguez signed with the Boston Red Sox after being cut by the U.S. Olympic team, and reliever Steve Montgomery agreed to terms with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Rodriguez, a fifth-round pick, will play for the Red Sox’s Class-A team in Winter Haven, Fla. Montgomery, a third-round pick, will not report to the Cardinals until June, 1993, so that he can complete his education at Pepperdine.

The three players were instrumental in helping the Waves win their first NCAA championship in June. With little time left to recruit, Pepperdine Coach Andy Lopez said finding replacements will be difficult.

“I wasn’t surprised to hear they signed,” Lopez said. “I knew all along that if they got the right offer, they would go.”

Down but not out: University High pitcher Javier Mejia, The Times’ Westside Player of the Year, will not be playing baseball at USC next season; he failed to meet USC academic requirements, Trojan Coach Mike Gillespie said Monday.

An admissions panel at USC reviewed Mejia’s academic records and determined Friday that he did not qualify.

“I hope he plays at a junior college and will play for us in the future,” Gillespie said.

Mejia, however, may qualify for admittance to another Division I school. At least two coaches said they would offer him a scholarship if he meets their entrance requirements.

“Every school has their own admission policies,” said a coach from a Southern California university who declined to be identified. “I know Javier worked hard during his final two years in high school, and he deserves the benefit of the doubt.”

Mejia, a right-hander, was 27-3 with an earned-run average under 1.50 during his Warrior career, including an 11-1 record and a 1.26 ERA as a senior. He had a grade-point average above C and attained the minimum score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test required for eligibility by the NCAA.

If he does not sign with a four-year school, Mejia said he will play at a community college.

All-Star showing: Despite competing with the Slam-’n-Jam National Invitational Tournament in Long Beach, the sixth annual Fairfax Summer Classic drew some of the area’s top high school basketball teams and players.

Muir High guard Jacque Vaughn, who was scheduled to play games at both tournaments, chose to participate in the final of the Fairfax tournament and guided the Mustangs to a victory over La Canada. Vaughn, a 6-foot guard, was voted the tournament’s most valuable player. But 6-10 center Richard Mandeville of La Canada was left off the all-tournament team by his coach. Vaughn and Mandeville are preseason All-Americans.

St. Monica guard Alex Davis, Fairfax forward Lawrence Gardiner and Westchester guard Jason Sanders also made the first team.

Westchester won the third-place game, Fairfax won the fifth-place game, and South Gate won the consolation championship.

Indiana Coach Bobby Knight and UCLA Coach Jim Harrick were among more than 20 Division I representatives who scouted the Fairfax final.

Mandeville gave an unwritten commitment to Indiana in May.

Reunited: Daryl Hobbs and Paul Richardson, members of University High’s City Section runner-up team in 1986, are trying out as wide receivers with the Raiders.

Hobbs, a quarterback, threw 26 touchdown passes, and Richardson, a receiver, caught 16 scoring passes in 1986 for University, which lost in the final to Reseda.

Richardson played at UCLA and Hobbs competed at Pacific.

Departing: Saint Monica High baseball Coach Bruce Meyers has resigned as the school’s coach and will take a one-year leave as a teacher.

Meyers, who coached three seasons, guided the Mariners to a 16-6 record and berth in the Southern Section playoffs for the first time in 11 years last season.

No successor has been named.

Surf’s up: Top surfers from the United States, Australia, South Africa and Brazil will compete in the $20,000 eighth annual Body Glove Malibu Open beginning today at Surfrider Beach.

Heats begin at 7 a.m. each day, with the final scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

The second annual American Oceans Campaign Celebrity Surf Challenge is set for 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Actors Ian Ziering (“Beverly Hills, 90210”), Jason Hervey (“The Wonder Years”) and Gregory Harrison are among those scheduled to participate.

Staff writer Steven Herbert contributed to this report.