Newbury Park Outfielder Tolli Signs With Detroit

Newbury Park High outfielder Barry Tolli has signed with the Detroit Tigers and will begin his minor league career with Lakeland (Fla.) of the Gulf Coast League.

Tolli, an All-Marmonte League player who had committed to Loyola Marymount, was an eighth-round pick. He hit .386 this season with nine home runs and 34 runs batted in.

Cardinal camp: The St. Louis Cardinals will hold an open tryout Monday at 10 a.m. at Newbury Park High for players ages 16-22.

Players under 21 must bring written permission signed by a parent. Players selected in the amateur draft last week are ineligible to try out.

Information: Chuck Fick, (805) 498-5283.

Scouting tryouts: The major league baseball scouting bureau will hold open tryouts Wednesday at Bakersfield College and June 20 at Fullerton College. Both tryouts begin at 9 a.m. American Legion players must bring a letter from their coach to participate.

Information: (818) 832-4166.

TRACK AND FIELD

Gregory signs: Tara Gregory of Crescenta Valley High, a two-time state finalist in the girls’ 800 meters, has signed a letter of intent with Vanderbilt.

Gregory, who placed seventh in the 800 in the state track and field championships at Cerritos College on Saturday, picked Vanderbilt over UC Irvine.

The 5-foot-3 Gregory was an all-Southern Section Division I basketball player as a junior and a second-team selection this year, but she’ll focus on track at Vanderbilt.

“I just kind of realized that track is my sport,” Gregory said. “And that I can’t keep competing in both sports if I want to reach my full potential in track.”

Gregory placed fifth in the 800 in the 1996 state championships before missing most of last season because of an ankle injury suffered during basketball.

She ran a school record of 2:13.57 in her qualifying heat of the state championships last Friday before clocking 2:13.96 in the final.

BASKETBALL

Malibu bound: Ross Varner, a 6-7 forward from Skyline High in Holladay, Utah, has signed a letter of intent with Pepperdine.

Varner is the third high school senior signed by Wave Coach Lorenzo Romar, following Brandon Armstrong of Vallejo and Craig Lewis of Portland, Ore. Armstrong has yet to achieve a qualifying SAT score.

Moving on: Josh Levy, a junior guard at Chaminade High this past season, has decided to transfer to Campbell Hall under open enrollment.

Levy finished fifth in the high jump in the Southern Section Division III track and field championships last month.

VOLLEYBALL

Wave sweep: Pepperdine outside hitter George Roumain completed a sweep of player of the year honors, winning the award from ASICS/Volleyball magazine.

Roumain, who was selected player of the year by the American Volleyball Coaches’ Assn. last month, finished second in the NCAA in kills per game with 7.39 and had a .421 hitting percentage.

Brigham Young middle blocker Ryan Millar, a Highland High graduate, was a first-team selection. Pepperdine setter J.J. Riley was a second-team selection and Pepperdine middle blocker Chris Jacobson was third team.

Former Notre Dame High middle blocker Tom Stillwell of UCLA was a third-team selection.

MOTOR SPORTS

Tripp recognized: Veteran racer Sleepy Tripp of Costa Mesa, the winningest driver in United States Auto Club Midget history, will be recognized Saturday at Ventura Raceway with a night named for him.

Tripp, 44, holds the USAC career record for total Midget victories at 157 and the Western State series record with 101. Tripp will be going for his 250th career victory--counting all sanctioning bodies.

Rick Hendrix of Simi Valley leads the Western States Midget standings by 40 points.

Event canceled: The Dean Hensley Memorial Flat Track Races for vintage motorcycles, an event at Ventura Raceway since 1991, will not be held this year because of a conflict between the organizer and promoter.

Jet boat nationals: Nearly 200 riders will compete in the International Jet Sports Boating Assn.’s California Nationals on Saturday and Sunday at San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura. Admission is free.

FOOTBALL

Coming home: Former Harvard-Westlake football player Iheanyi Uwaezuoke, a wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers, is returning to the Studio City campus Saturday to run the Uwaezuoke Books and Balls Clinic for players from Harvard-Westlake and North Hollywood.

TENNIS

Assistant honored: Daryl Ahrens of Cal State Northridge was selected women’s assistant coach of the year in the West Region.

Ahrens is one of eight regional winners nominated for the Division I national award.

Northridge, whose coach is Gary Victor, was 17-6 overall and finished third in the Big Sky Conference tournament.