1994 LOS ANGELES TIMES : All-Valley Baseball Team : Player & Pitcher of the Year : Pitch Perfect : Jim Parque: Left-handed strikeout artist stood tall for Crescenta Valley.

To be fair to Crescenta Valley High’s Jim Parque, let’s squash the how-tall-is-he-really debate for now. Parque, whose height has been reported anywhere from 5-foot-6 to 5-10, insists he is 5-10.

And, lacking a tape measure, who can argue?

Unquestioned is Parque’s talent. And, like his height, it is often underestimated.

Parque, The Times’ 1994 Valley pitcher of the year, was dominant this spring, leading the Falcons into the Southern Section Division I semifinals.

He was 12-3 with an 0.49 earned-run average, the best in the area. In 85 innings, he struck out an area-high 156, an average 12.8 per seven innings. He allowed only 43 hits, walked 25 and allowed a grand total of six earned runs.

Parque was named to the All-Southern Section Division I and Cal-Hi Sports All-State teams.

“I really thought he would have a great year,” Coach Tony Zarrillo said, “but I don’t think I ever thought he could do this.”

But Parque has not surpassed his own expectations.

He has merely met them.

“I wanted to be the best pitcher in the area,” he said. “I wanted to spread my name around and spread my reputation, show everyone that I’m not a fluke. I can really do these things.”

Like strike out 10 batters in three innings? He managed to do that against Montclair Prep when one batter reached base on a passed ball after striking out.

Like strike out 17 batters in six innings? Parque did that in a game against Muir. He didn’t even get a chance to go for 20 because Zarrillo pulled him after six to save him for his next outing a few days later against Hoover.

“I was a little bitter about that,” Parque said, “but it’s over now.”

And how, you wonder, did he do in his next start against Hoover?

“I think it was a three-hitter with 15 or 16 strikeouts,” he said.

Hard to feel sorry for him.

Parque has even been the subject of a bidding war of sorts lately. In the fall, he accepted a partial scholarship to pitch at UCLA.

But Parque was drafted in the 50th round by the Dodgers earlier this month.

So, just to make sure Parque didn’t have any ideas about becoming a Dodger instead of a Bruin, UCLA Coach Gary Adams granted Parque a full scholarship, rare in baseball.

The one thing missing from Parque’s career, however, is a no-hitter. Although he has gone 21-9 with a 1.40 ERA in three varsity seasons, he hasn’t been able to finish off a no-hitter.

He threw three one-hitters this season. He took a perfect game into the seventh inning against Muir early in the season, only to lose it on a two-out home run.

“It’s a little gap not fulfilled,” Parque said of his lack of a no-hitter. “I’m not really too disappointed. It will come sooner or later.”

1st-Team All-Stars Invited to Times’ Awards Ceremony

Players selected to the All-Valley and All-Ventura County baseball and softball teams are invited to a Times’ awards brunch Sunday at 9 a.m. at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills. The guest speaker is Rich Hill, baseball coach at University of San Francisco who formerly coached at Cal Lutheran.