Benson Edges Kotsay for College Player of Year

Kris Benson, a junior pitcher from Clemson who was the first player selected in the 1996 major league draft, won the Rotary Smith Award as college baseball player of the year.

The award was presented Thursday night by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Houston.

Benson, drafted by the Pirates, finished just ahead of Cal State Fullerton’s Mark Kotsay, who won the Rotary Smith Award last year. Kotsay, who batted .402 this season with 20 home runs and 91 runs batted in, was a first-round selection of the Florida Marlins.

Benson, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, finished 14-2 with a 2.02 earned-run average this season. He struck out 204 and walked only 27 in 156 innings.

Benson and Kotsay are vying for spots on the U.S. Olympic baseball squad.

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Jin Park of Fullerton shot a three-under 69 in the final round of the Lake Tahoe Classic, but finished second, two strokes behind Billy Harvey of Las Vegas, who shot a five-under 67, at the American Junior Golf Assn. tournament at Genoa Lakes in Genoa, Nev.

Park, who was tied with Harvey after two rounds, finished with a 54-hole total of 10-under 206 recording three rounds under 70.

Grace Park of Phoenix won the girls’ division by six strokes, shooting a five-under 67 to finish at seven-under 209.

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Jennifer Hallen, a 5-11 middle blocker for Capistrano Valley Christian, will play volleyball for Point Loma Nazarene College this fall, the school announced Thursday.

Hallen led Capistrano Valley Christian to the quarterfinals of the Southern Section Division V tournament last fall and was a first-team all-Academy League selection.