Outfielder Tolli Commits to LMU

Barry Tolli, an outfielder from Newbury Park High who moved into the area this year from St. George, Utah, said Wednesday he has committed to Loyola Marymount.

Tolli batted .542 with eight home runs last season at Pine View High in Utah. He moved to the area during the summer and played in the Area Code games in San Diego.

He’s expected to rank among the top players in the Marmonte League this spring.

“It’s exciting,” Tolli said.

Tolli’s commitment is another recruiting coup for second-year Loyola Marymount coach Frank Cruz, who signed top Valley players Mike Schultz (Cleveland), Chris Gray (Chaminade), Brian Felten (Crespi) and Mark Madsen (Quartz Hill) last season.

FOOTBALL

Too young: Michael Porter, a sophomore who has been playing defensive back for Verdugo Hills, has been placed on the school’s freshman-sophomore team after coaches discovered he was only 14 years old. City Section rules say a student must be 15 to play on the varsity.

Porter will be 15 on Nov. 10 and will be eligible to play in the season finale against Franklin, Coach Don Scott Jr. said.

Honored: Former Taft High football player Gary Hein will be inducted into the California sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 11. Hein was a three-time All-American rugby player at Cal.

HONORS

Top Matadors: Volleyball player Nancy Ma and cross-country runner John Greene have been selected as the athletes of the month at Cal State Northridge for September.

Ma, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in a match against Weber State on Saturday, had 134 kills, 113 digs and nine blocks in eight matches in September.

Greene was the Matadors’ top runner in two of three meets last month.

His highest finish was a sixth-place effort in the Aztec Invitational at San Diego’s Balboa Park on Sept. 20.