Kennedy Comes Back for Seconds

Cal State Northridge shortstop Adam Kennedy was chosen player of the week by Collegiate Baseball for the second time this season.

The junior shortstop accelerated his All-American bid by going 16 for 19 in four games, driving in nine runs, scoring 11 runs and hitting three home runs, two doubles and a triple.

In 53 games, Kennedy is batting .476 with 112 hits, 22 home runs, 26 doubles, five triples and 75 runs batted in.

Another Matador: Jabari Simmons, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound power forward from Compton College, has signed to play basketball at Cal State Northridge, making him the 15th player expecting a scholarship for next season, two over the NCAA limit.

Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell said only two of the five high school recruits--forward Carloes Harper, from Canoga Park High, and forward Brian Heinle, from Sheldon High in Eugene, Ore.--have qualified academically so far. Braswell also said one of the returning players may transfer.

Sly like a fox: Buena High boys’ volleyball Coach Peter Fox has been named the girls’ volleyball coach at St. Bonaventure. Fox replaces Steve Berk, who resigned last fall.

Tidal Wave: Pepperdine (28-17), which has won 21 of 25 games, is ranked No. 22 by Collegiate Baseball, the first time the Waves have been ranked this season.

Cal State Northridge (35-17-1) is unranked by Collegiate Baseball but is ranked No. 25 by Baseball America. Cal Lutheran (30-7) is ranked No. 3 in the Division III poll.

Brains and brawn: Sophomore soccer player Amy Gill and junior football player Jake Brinton were named Cal State Northridge scholar-athletes of the year at the 15th annual Varsity N Banquet.

Gill, Brinton and 11 other athletes were inducted into the Varsity N Academic Athletic Honor Roll.

Other athletes named to the Academic Athletic Honor Roll include men’s track team members John Greene, Jeff Nasternak, Javier Ramirez and Edward Yamoah; women’s track athletes Margo Hammerstrom, Ellen Muench and Jamie Whitmore; women’s tennis player Jocelyn Hendricks; women’s volleyball player Crystal Newquist; men’s soccer player Trevor Schmidt and diver Becky Snyder.

Other athletes recognized for having grade-point averages of at least 3.0 and ranking the highest on their teams academically were Ted Heath (golf), Tom Samson (men’s basketball), Shelby Wilcox (softball), Kelly Edwards (women’s tennis), Eman Barfield (women’s track) and Michael Arone (men’s volleyball).

Jacob Geyer of Palmdale High, 10th in the 1996 state Division II cross-country championships, has signed a letter of intent with Utah State.

Royal outfielder Andrea Loveless, an All-Marmonte League softball selection in 1996, has signed a letter of intent with Boston University.

Loveless plays travel ball for the Valencia choppers.

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Girls’s Softball Top 10

Rankings of regional high schools by sportswriters of The Times:

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RK LW TEAM (League) REC. 1 3 Thousand Oaks (Marmonte) 12-2 2 2 Hart (Foothill) 15-3 3 1 Simi Valley (Marmonte) 12-3 4 4 Saugus (Foothill) 15-5 5 5 Crescenta Valley (Pacific) 15-3 6 6 Hoover (Pacific) 12-3 7 8 Alemany (Mission) 12-3 8 NR Paraclete (High Desert) 14-3 9 NR Kennedy (Northwest Valley) 15-1 10 NR Camarillo (Marmonte) 8-5

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Boys’ Baseball Top 10

Ranking of regional high schools by sportswriter of The Times

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RK LW TEAM (League) REC. 1 1 Chaminade (Mission) 18-1 2 2 Rio Mesa (Channel) 15-2 3 3 Camarillo (Marmonte) 16-3-1 4 4 Calabasas (Frontier) 17-2 5 7 Hueneme (Channel) 13-4 6 9 Notre Dame (Mission) 13-5 7 5 Palmdale (Golden) 14-4 8 10 Crespi (Mission) 14-7 9 NR Sylmar (Valley Pac-8) 13-6 10 NR Hart (Foothill) 13-7

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