Valley / Ventura County Sports : Oller’s Average Above Norm in the Summer

Summer vacation is three months of sleeping in and kicking back for many teenagers. The toughest decisions revolve around which beach to visit, how much sunscreen to lather on and which R-rated movies to sneak into.

Ambitious high school athletes have different priorities. Their summers are filled with workouts and competition. It’s a critical three-month period, a time for growth spurts, for increasing strength and stamina, for being transformed from average to good or good to great.

Every summer, I search for the 10 most improved athletes because they will be the ones who set the highest standards during the upcoming prep season.

Look at some of the athletes identified last summer as most improved: Pitcher Jamie Shields of Hart went from a promising sophomore to the Southern Section Division II player of the year as a junior; outfielder Chad Redfern of Chatsworth batted over .400, got a scholarship to San Diego State and helped his team reach the American Legion World Series; football player Gregg Guenther of Taft accepted a scholarship to USC; shortstop Wes Rasmussen of Moorpark was drafted and signed by the Atlanta Braves.

This summer, the athlete who made the most dramatic improvement was Jonathan Oller, a junior third baseman at Crespi. He was the No. 8 hitter in the Celts’ lineup as a sophomore and once had an .083 batting average in Mission League play.

In American Legion ball, Oller finished with a team-record .570 batting average, including 53 hits, 52 runs batted in and 11 home runs. He erased the hitting records held by Jeff Suppan, the former Celt who pitches for the Kansas City Royals.

Hitting off a tee in his backyard, hitting in batting cages with friends at Westhills Pony League, and taking lessons from former Dodger Reggie Smith, Oller made the most of his summer experience.

“I just told myself to work hard and you can always get better,” he said.

Oller’s success is not surprising. From age 6 to 16, he has never batted under .300 in league competition. But there was a crisis of confidence last April when his Mission League average dipped below .100.

“It was hard and at one point, I really felt horrible and thought I couldn’t hit,” Oller said. “After a while, I told myself everyone goes through this. I started working harder to get out of the slump.”

Oller, 5 feet 10 and 195 pounds, finished with a .323 batting average.

His renewed confidence carried over.

“He stayed hot all summer,” Coach Scott Muckey said.

The other most improved players:

Conor Jackson, El Camino Real: Here’s a baseball player who went from good to great, from a lukewarm college prospect to one of the most sought-after in the region. One scout said the 6-4, 195-pound Jackson proved he could hit against the best.

He had five hits in 11 at-bats at the Area Code tournament in Long Beach. Wherever he went--the Stanford camp, Team One in Arizona, the Area Code tournament--he left an indelible impression.

“I told myself I had to turn it up a notch because going from high school to the next level you have to,” Jackson said.

He has set up recruiting visits to California, Miami and Tulane. Texas, the school his parents attended, his sister attends and the one he always dreamed of attending, finally called this month.

But he said they’re too late.

J.D. Peterson, Camarillo: He played junior varsity baseball as a sophomore, then got the chance this summer to play Legion ball for Camarillo’s 17-and-under team. He responded with a .480 average and six home runs as an outfielder. He’s already considered the fastest player on Camarillo’s varsity.

Jose Montes, San Fernando: His earned-run average last season was above 5.00. So when the 6-3, 175-pound senior made the Area Code roster, many were shocked. But he showed a big turnaround in Legion ball with a 5-1 record. He could be San Fernando’s best pitcher since Raymond Rivera.

Shaina Zaidi, Burroughs: She was an unknown freshman point guard when the summer began. Now she’s ready to challenge the region’s top ballhandlers. She averaged 17 points for the Indians.

“If you looked at her, you wouldn’t even think she was a player until you put a ball in her hands,” Coach Doug Nicol said. “She’s pretty incredible. She’s probably the best ballhandler in the Valley right now.”

Krystal Mejia, Sylmar: No longer is Mejia’s father, Oscar, the most famous family member. Oscar helped Sylmar win the 1980 City baseball championship and was an All-City infielder. Krystal is a junior second baseman who played for the Valley Breeze, runner-up at the ASA under-18 national softball championships in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Mejia is a likely All-City choice for 2000 and a college prospect for 2001 based on her improved fielding and hitting.

Scott Borchart, Chaminade: Borchart has taken a huge hit for declining to play club basketball this summer. His name won’t be found among the lists of top junior players nationally because he didn’t attend camps or tournaments. But don’t let that hide the truth.

Playing with his high school team, the 6-9 center displayed improved strength, better free-throw shooting skills and more quickness on his second and third efforts. He’s ready to lead Chaminade to a third consecutive Southern Section Division III-A championship.

Russell Lakey, Harvard-Westlake: As a sophomore shooting guard, Lakey was a phenom. As a junior point guard, he was a bust. This summer, he looked revitalized, scoring, passing and dribbling his way into the hearts of college recruiters.

Tommy Garagliano, Granada Hills: This senior tight end was used mostly as a kicker last season. During the summer, he became the favorite receiver of quarterback Jason Winn. “He caught everything we threw to him, no matter where we threw it,” Co-Coach Tom Harp said.

Kyle Matter, Hart: The quarterback for Hart’s sophomore team is being asked to step in and replace All-American Kyle Boller. No sweat. Don’t expect 75-yard frozen ropes, but 3,000 yards passing isn’t out of the question. By summer’s end, Coach Mike Herrington was raving about Matter’s progress and seemed convinced the Indians will have an All-Southern Section quarterback for the 15th consecutive season.

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Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com