Freed, Ring, Laird Again Receive Section Honors

Pacifica’s Amanda Freed, Calvary Chapel’s Christy Ring and La Quinta’s Gerald Laird were named players of the year by the Southern Section on Monday for the second year in a row.

They were among five county players honored in such fashion. Mater Dei softball player Kelsey Kollen and Santa Margarita volleyball player Marcus Skacel were also selected by coaches in their respective divisions.

Freed, selected the Times Orange County player of the year, pitched Pacifica to the Division III softball title for the second year in a row. Freed was 17-2 with a 0.33 earned-run average and 254 strikeouts in 127 1/3 innings. She pitched three no-hitters in the playoffs and 10 on the season. She will attend UCLA.

Ring, a shortstop, batted .500 with 25 runs batted in to lead Calvary Chapel to its second consecutive title, the Division V crown. In the playoffs, Ring batted .692 with seven runs, three RBIs and seven stolen bases. She will attend Oklahoma.

Kollen, a second baseman who will attend Michigan, played a pivotal role in Mater Dei winning its second title in four years, and making three Division I championship appearances in that time. She batted .500 with nine RBIs, stole 26 bases and scored 31 runs. She ended her career as the section’s all-time hit leader.

Rob Weil (Pacifica), Doug Myers (Mater Dei) and Rose Imbriano (Calvary Chapel) were named coaches of the year for directing their teams to section titles.

Laird, like Freed a two-time Times Orange County player of the year, was named the Division IV baseball player of the year. He was a co-player of the year last season.

Laird was the county’s first player to hit over .600. He batted .630 with 46 RBIs and eight home runs, and also stole 42 bases in leading La Quinta to the section Division IV final. He has signed to attend Arizona State, but was drafted in the second round by the Oakland Athletics.

Skacel, an outside hitter who led Santa Margarita to the Division I boys’ volleyball championship, was named the division’s player of the year. His coach, Eddie Rapp, was named coach of the year.

Corona del Mar boys’ volleyball Coach Steve Conti, who directed his team to the Southern Section Division II title, also received coach of the year honors.

Orange County players selected to All-Southern Section spring teams:

BASEBALL

Division I

First team--Mike Carey (Westminster), Sr.; Matt Colin (Esperanza), Sr.; Brett Kay (Mater Dei), Sr.; Nick Lovato (Mater Dei), Jr.; Blair Lucas (El Toro), Sr.; Pat Manning (Mater Dei), Jr.; Brian Wolfe (Servite), Jr.

Second team--Bo Ashabraner (Esperanza), Jr.; David Fisher (Servite), Sr.; Ryan Garko (Servite), Jr.

Division II

First team--Tommy Duarte (Canyon), Sr.; Andrew McMillan (El Dorado), Jr.; Drew Parkin (Aliso Niguel), Sr.; E.J. Ochoa (El Dorado), Sr.; Sean Stutzman (Aliso Niguel), Sr.; Chris Willmer (Mission Viejo), Sr.

Second team--Jason Corapci (Canyon), Jr.; Sean Fluent (Dana Hills), Sr.; Matt Swearingen (Villa Park), Jr.

Division III

First team--David Cosato (La Habra), Sr.; Scott Davis (Brea Olinda), Sr.; Casey Grzecka (Santa Margarita), Sr.; Brandon Herbert (Western), Sr.; Randall Shelley (Santa Margarita), Sr.

Second team--Mike Ausman (Brea Olinda), Sr.; Bubba Cauley (La Habra), Sr.; Chad Chop (Tustin), Sr.; Matt Huggett (Pacifica), Sr.; Jason Lane (Tustin), Sr.; Adam Shaeffer (Los Amigos), Jr.; Alex Taylor (Western), Jr.

Division IV

First team--Jeff Cody (Fullerton), Sr.; Bobby Crosby (La Quinta), Sr.; Jason Garcia (La Quinta), Sr.; Ty Harper (Corona del Mar), Sr.; Gerald Laird (La Quinta), Sr.; Steve Lee (La Quinta), Jr.; Jason Martini (Ocean View), Sr.; Pete Montrenes (Ocean View), Sr.; John Tucker (Calvary Chapel), Sr.

Second team--Ryan Achterberg (Corona del Mar), Sr.; Randy Blood (Calvary Chapel), Jr.; Tony Serna (Rancho Alamitos), Sr.; Aaron Skinner (Laguna Beach), Sr.; Chad Sterbens (Calvary Chapel), Jr.; Brett Young (Calvary Chapel), Jr.

Division V

First team--Josh Emery (Capistrano Valley Christian), Jr.

Second team--Thomas Grove (Cerritos Valley Christian), So.

Division VI

First team--C.J. Leeman (Liberty Christian), Sr.; Jerome Metz (Southern California Christian), Sr.

Second team--Chris Myrtle (Heritage Christian), Sr.

SOFTBALL

Division I

First team--Tia Bollinger (Mater Dei), So.; Marissa Young (Mater Dei), Jr.; Sara Kahler (Los Alamitos), Jr.; Lovianne Jung (Fountain Valley),, Sr.; Kelsey Kollen (Mater Dei), Sr.; Edel Leyden (Irvine), Sr.; Eryn Manahan (Foothill), Jr.

Second team--Kristin Farber (Los Alamitos), So.; Brett Nakabayashi (Irvine), Jr.; Susan Churchwell (El Toro), Jr.; Courtney Fossatti (Foothill), Fr.

Division II

First team--Heather Hagan (Marina), Sr.; Christy Robitaille (Woodbridge), Sr.; Kelly Bunker (Kennedy), Sr.; Natasha Watley (Woodbridge), Jr.; Nicole Crouse (Kennedy), So.

Second team--Carrie Hagan (Marina), Fr.; Chrystal Hewitt (Canyon), Jr.; Adrienne Rice (University), Sr.; Nichole Thompson (Woodbridge), Sr.

Division III

First team--Toria Auelua (Pacifica), Jr.; Jenny Topping (La Habra), Sr.; Amanda Freed (Pacifica), Sr.; Erin Norton (El Modena), Jr.; Erica Harding (Valencia), Sr.; Chrissy Lake (El Modena), Sr.; Kristen Morley (Santa Margarita), Sr.; Leea Harlan (Laguna Hills), Sr.; Geney Orris (Brea Olinda), Sr.

Second team--Christina Gibbons (La Habra), Sr.; Jennifer Link (Sonora), Jr.; Susan Shuplock (Brea Olinda), Sr.

Division IV

First team--Christy Ledford (Rosary) Sr.; Natalie Golda (Rosary), So.; Leah Gulla (Ocean View), Jr.; Erin Hogan (Rosary), Jr.

Second team--Theresa Cronin (Rosary), Sr.

Division V

First team--Jessica Edwards (Orange Lutheran), So.; Laura Miklos (Orange Lutheran), Fr.; Christy Ring (Calvary Chapel), Sr.; Abbey Arnold (St. Margaret’s), Sr.; Amber Arnold (St. Margaret’s), Sr.; Amanda Halloway (Calvary Chapel), Jr.

Second team--Anna Jones (Calvary Chapel), Jr.; Celina Camarillo (Whittier Christian), Jr.

Division VI

First team--Delci Huntley (Southern California Christian), Jr.; Lauren Capriotti (Capistrano Valley Christian), So.; Tristan Fernandez (Liberty Christian), So.

Second team--Cari Fouse (CVC), So.; Claudette Morrell (SCC), Sr.; Tiffany Potter (Liberty Christian), Jr.; Natalie Hernandez (SCC), Sr.

BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL

First team--Miles McGann (Laguna Beach), Jr.; Travis Nelson (Newport Harbor), Sr.; Matt Zierhut (Santa Margarita), Sr.; Jeff Wootton (Marina), So.; Scott Archbold (Newport Harbor), Sr.

Second team--Brad Keenan (Fountain Valley), Jr.; Tyler Reynard (Laguna Beach), Sr.; Andy Mauro (Santa Margarita), Jr.

Third team--Matt Jameson (Newport Harbor), Jr.; Matt Komer (Los Alamitos), Sr.; Chris Van Reusen (Edison), Sr.; Jeremy Blain (Marina), Sr.

Division II

First team--Kevin Kowalski (Tustin), Jr.; Daniel Vander Roest (Tustin), Sr.; Eric Barnes (Servite), Jr.

Second team--Mike Deal (Servite), Sr.; Jim Munoz (Mater Dei), Sr.; Daniel Dizon (Tustin), Sr.

Third team--Chris Cachet (Foothill), Sr.; Billy Hamilton (Servite), Jr.; Mike Okano (Trabuco Hills), Sr.

Division III

First team--Dennis Alshuler (Corona del Mar), Jr.; Greg Coon (Corona del Mar), Sr.; B.J. Lightfoot (Costa Mesa), Jr.

Second team--Greg Burden (Corona del Mar), Sr.

Third team--David Engle (Calvary Chapel), Sr.