Big West Honors Local Softball Players

Three college softball players with local ties were named to the Big West Conference’s 1998 All-Conference Softball Teams.

Cal State Fullerton junior second baseman Nikki Hart (El Dorado) earned first-team honors and teammate sophomore catcher Dara Marzolo (Orange) was named to the second team.

Brandee McArthur (Villa Park), a junior pitcher and utility player at Pacific, also was named to the second team.

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Nina Lindenberg, a senior second baseman at Fresno State, was named Western Athletic Conference player of the year Tuesday by the league’s softball coaches.

Lindenberg, who played at Canyon High and Long Beach State, led the conference in batting average (.459), runs batted in (69), slugging percentage (.785), on-base percentage (.531) and was second in home runs (11).

She is joined on the All-WAC first team by teammate Carolyn Wilson, a senior designated player from Los Alamitos High. Fresno State finished 45-10, 28-2 this season and won its second conference title in the last three years.

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Jeff Bowman, a junior pitcher at San Francisco and Corona del Mar High graduate, earned honorable mention honors on the All-West Coast Conference baseball team.

Bowman was 6-2 with five saves and a 5.62 ERA for USF and held WCC opponents to a conference-low .183 batting average.

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Magnolia cross-country Coach Bill Chavez and girls’ volleyball Coach Gerry Resch have resigned, girls’ Athletic Director Debbie Burlison said.

Chavez is leaving Magnolia to teach junior high math. Resch, a walk-on who coached for two years, left for personal reasons, Burlison said.