BERNIE MILLIGAN ALL-STAR BASEBALL GAME : Big Hit Leaves Serr Slap-Happy : Kennedy Catcher Basking in Afterglow of Title-Clinching Homer

It’s been two weeks since Kevin Serr blasted the biggest hit of his life, circled the Dodger Stadium bases and arrived home to a hero’s welcome that has extended far beyond the Kennedy High dugout.

Serr, whose fifth-inning, three-run home run gave the Golden Cougars a 3-1 victory over Carson in the City Section 4-A Division final, received a congratulatory whack on the buttocks from Coach Manny Alvarado as he rounded third base.

Since then, Serr’s skin has gone sore from all the butt-slapping he has received.

Serr was the star at a campus victory rally. He received countless phone calls from friends, relatives and assorted well-wishers. He was the subject of several newspaper stories and his home run was featured on a local television sportscast. He even did a live interview with a Southern California radio station.

“Lots of hugs and kisses,” Serr said. “My mom was crying in the stands. And I’m glad my grandfather got to see it.”

Life has become such a victory parade, Serr sometimes struggles to come to terms with what has happened.

“By now, it’s sunk in, but it hasn’t worn off,” Serr said. “The next day--that whole weekend--I was like, ‘I didn’t hit a home run in Dodger Stadium. That didn’t happen.’ ”

Neither did being drafted two weeks ago in baseball’s amateur draft. Serr, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound catcher with above-average defensive skills and power, attributes his being passed over to his relatively diminutive stature.

“They like catchers with Mike Piazza’s size,” he said of the Dodgers’ 6-3, 215-pound backstop. “I’m strong and I’m getting stronger. But I wasn’t expecting to get drafted.”

Nor is he lamenting the fact that he wasn’t. Call him slapped silly, Serr still wears the smile he cracked along with the home run in Chavez Ravine. He says he is happy to play at a local junior college next season, although he still is talking with coaches at Cal State Northridge and at least one other Division I school he declines to mention.

Immediately, there’s more baseball to be played. Serr will suit up for the West squad in today’s Bernie Milligan All-Star Baseball Game at Cal State Northridge at 3:30.

Never in the 18-year history of the all-star showcase of area seniors has a player homered in the Bernie Milligan game after hitting a home run in the City final.

An encore, Kevin?

“I don’t even want to talk about that,” Serr said. “I’m not thinking home run at Bernie Milligan. I’m just going to try to hit the ball hard.

“My goal is to play professionally. When I was catching in the seventh inning [at Dodger Stadium], I was thinking, ‘This might be the last time I’m in a major league park.’ But there’s a part of me that says, ‘If I want it bad enough, I can bring myself back here.’ ”

The Bernie Milligan game traditionally attracts a smattering of scouts. And Serr’s talents won’t go unnoticed forever, according to Alvarado, co-coach of the West with Scott Drootin of Calabasas.

“I was surprised he didn’t get drafted,” Alvarado said. “His build’s not too big, but it’s not like he’s scrawny. And he’s got one of the best throwing arms. He doesn’t get challenged much.”

Serr threw out nine of 15 baserunners attempting to steal this season. The Golden Cougars’ cleanup hitter, Serr batted .340 with 31 runs batted in and seven home runs, most among area City Section players.

As for intangibles, Serr has plenty, Alvarado said--leadership ability, the will to improve, a knack for making things happen.

“He’s a very hard-working young man,” Alvarado said. “He had a strong desire to improve this season.”

That will continue. Serr will bet his red bottom on that.

“I guarantee anybody that if I have a shot, I can measure up,” Serr said. “I’m a hard worker and I’m very coachable. And I come through when you need me to. And I’m not talking about what happened in Dodger Stadium.”

Seems like Serr is the only one who isn’t. Acquaintances he says he has not spoken with for months still call to offer congratulations.

Serr swears he has watched the video of his home run “only five or six times.” The ball he hit into the left-field pavilion was retrieved and presented to him, and he plans to keep it as a memento. But he also wants to keep things in perspective.

“I didn’t go to Disneyland,” Serr said. “The President didn’t call . . . and I still have to take out the trash.”