NOTEBOOK : Transfer and Two Walk-Ons to Bolster UCLA Pitching Staff

The UCLA baseball team has received unwritten commitments from three players.

Cal State Fresno pitcher Bobby Kazmirski and former Rio Mesa High standouts John Mitchell and Jeff Howatt plan to attend UCLA in the fall.

Kazmirski, a former Agoura High standout, was released from his scholarship at Fresno and will be eligible to play immediately for the Bruins. Kazmirski, a right-handed reliever who has been hampered because of shoulder and elbow injuries, had a 1-1 record and a 4.09 earned-run average in 11 innings.

“Bobby has had a tender arm and Fresno has been reluctant to use him,” UCLA Coach Gary Adams said. “I think he’s going to do a lot of pitching for us.

“He can step in and make an impact. That’s exactly why we got him.”

Right-handers Mitchell and Howatt were the top pitchers for Rio Mesa last season. Howatt had a 9-1 record and 1.48 ERA and Mitchell was 8-2 with a 2.85 ERA.

“The first time I saw them pitch I said ‘OK’, “ Adams said. “The second time I was wondering how come no one got these guys.”

Adams, however, was unable to offer either player a scholarship and Howatt and Mitchell will walk on.

“We’re talking about them making an impact next year,” Adams said. “They’re good ones for the future. Guys we’re going to build our program around.”

Three strikes and you’re out--Adams always wanted a boy in his family, and when his first wife gave birth to three girls, he named each one with the letter K (Kristy, Kimmy and Kathy). “Their names all start with a K because I struck out three times,” Adams said, jokingly.

His second wife gave birth to two girls (Jessica and Audrey).

“I never picked boys names because I knew they would be girls,” he said.

Is Adams disappointed?

“No, I had enough boys on my baseball teams,” he said.

They count too--Santa Monica College football Coach Owen Hahn boasts that all 30 of his sophomores from last year’s team will attend four-year schools in the fall.

The Corsairs finished 9-2 and beat San Bernardino Valley College, 32-31, in the K-Swiss Classic I Bowl in 1991.

Santa Monica opens practice Aug. 20 and Hahn expects to have 90 players in camp, including 55 freshmen.

El Camino Real High defensive tackle Herb Cosey (5-foot-9, 210 pounds), Morningside wide receiver Montres Gords (5-8, 165), Dorsey offensive tackle Byron Kimbrew (6-4, 291), Morningside free safety Keith Long (5-11, 160), and Venice defensive tackle James Trammel (6-3, 258) are among the top recruits.

Bishop Amat fullback/linebacker Jason Patterson, the 1990 Southern Section co-defensive player of the year, will transfer to Santa Monica after sitting out a season because of grades. Patterson had hoped to play at a Division I school this year.

Several former Westside football players will compete in the Los Angeles Prep Senior Bowl at El Camino College on Saturday afternoon.

Among the Westside players scheduled to compete for the South-West team are Dameron Ricketts of Culver City, Luke Davis of Santa Monica and David Saraf of Beverly Hills.

Tickets for the game, which begins at 4, are $7 for adults, $5 for high school students and $2 for children.

There was some doubt that the game would be played after the 1991 contest, which was played at Culver City High, was called with 4 minutes, 43 seconds left in the third quarter because of fan violence.