Haning Named Olympic Festival Softball Coach

Gary Haning, who coaches at Mission Viejo High, has been named to coach one of the four U.S. Olympic Festival softball teams by the Amateur Softball Assn.

A number of Orange County girls have been selected to participate in the festival, which runs July 23-28 in San Antonio. Team selections have not been made yet.

“Of the 30 (18-and-under) players chosen, 25 are from the West,” Haning said. “Nine are from my team (the Batbusters, a travel ball team).”

Members of the Orange County-based Batbusters are Alleah Poulson (Irvine High), Robyn Yorke (Marina), Leah Braatz (Estancia) and Carrie Dolan (Los Alamitos).

Other players with county ties are Sara Mallett (La Habra), who currently plays for UNLV; Micki Mangan (Camarillo), who plays for Cal State Fullerton; Jennifer Cline (Mater Dei), who plays for Washington; Rose Garces (La Mirada), who plays for Cal State Fullerton, and Cathy Turner (La Habra), who plays for Hawaii.

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John Ricchio, 6 feet 3 1/2, 255 pounds, who played football, basketball and baseball while maintaining a 3.6 GPA at Fullerton High School, will attend Pennsylvania in the fall, his father, Sam Ricchio, said Monday.

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Play Bald! True to his word, Fountain Valley baseball Coach Ron LaRuffa will have his head shaved in honor of the Barons winning the Sunset League title.

LaRuffa promised his team he would cut all his hair if the Barons finished first. The Barons clinched the title Saturday, so LaRuffa will keep his word Wednesday with a ceremony at school.