Jackson Is Hitting Upswing in Cycle

These days, Conor Jackson is hitting ropes, rather than the slopes.

A snowboarding accident last December cost the El Camino Real High and Woodland Hills West shortstop a broken wrist and 15 weeks on the sidelines.

Now opposing pitchers are paying the price.

Jackson entered the week batting .514 with six home runs and a 1.229 slugging percentage for Woodland Hills West (10-3).

On Saturday, he needed only four at-bats to hit for the cycle against Kennedy.

“It was amazing,” said Coach Andy Montes of Kennedy. “They were great hits.”

Jackson, 6 feet 4 and 190 pounds, spent nine weeks in a cast after his Dec. 22 injury.

When he returned to the El Camino Real lineup, he started one for 12.

“It was frustrating not being able to hit line drives,” he said. “It was brutal.”

But Jackson finished as one of the toughest outs in the City Section, batting .463 over the final portion of the season to finish at .389.

If Jackson’s bat ever goes cold, it won’t be caused by the climate.

“This winter break, I’m going to take it easy and stay away from the snow,” he said.

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Right-hander Jamie Shields of Hart missed Legion play last weekend to show off his fastball to dozens of professional and college scouts at the Team One National Showcase in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Baseball America magazine is listing him as the eighth-best prospect at the event.

“Shields needs to smooth out his delivery, but his arm action was as quick as any pitcher at the showcase,” writes David Rawnsley, Baseball America’s national correspondent, in the next edition. “His fastball hits 92 mph and has the potential to get faster.”

Two other pitchers from California were rated higher than Shields--No. 4 Mike Davern of Brea Olinda and No. 6 Matt Wheatland of San Diego Rancho Bernardo.

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Ivan Hernandez has graduated, but Sylmar High has another Ivan who appears ready to make his mark on the mound.

Ivan Lopez, a senior-to-be who saw limited action behind Hernandez, is 3-1 with a 2.06 earned-run average for Studio City Sylmar.

On Saturday, the right-hander pitched a one-hitter with 12 strikeouts in a 5-1 victory over Saugus.

“Finally, I’m getting my chance, and I have to appreciate it and take control of it,” Lopez said. “It’s all coming together for me now. My pitches are there. I can locate them where I want them now.”

That wasn’t the case when Lopez took up baseball in the ninth grade. But after a season on the frosh-soph team and spending his sophomore year on the junior varsity, his control improved sufficiently to make the jump to varsity competition last season.

He hopes a strong Legion season will help him become a regular starter in the Spartans’ rotation.

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Chatsworth loses its top three pitchers to graduation, which makes this summer crucial to the development of left-hander Sean Richards, a dominant pitcher for the junior varsity as a sophomore.

Richards (2-0) pitched a two-hit shutout against San Fernando last week.

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Chatsworth defeated Hart, 5-1, on Saturday in a matchup of the only District 20 teams from schools that won section titles in the spring.

Chatsworth claimed the City Championship title. Hart captured the Southern Section Division II championship.

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Hart got its first look at new Coach Jim Ozella, who on Friday was chosen successor to retiring Bud Murray.

Ozella, who previously coached at Alemany and College of the Canyons, took over the Legion team last weekend.

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The major league season record for runs batted in is 191, set by Hack Wilson of the Chicago Cubs in 1930.

Jonathan Oller of Encino Crespi is on a 162-game pace to drive in 371 runs. Oller, who had 25 RBIs in 28 games for Crespi High as a sophomore, has 32 RBIs in 14 games.

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Outfielder Steve Moss has received clearance from District 20 to play for Van Nuys Notre Dame.

Moss, who will be a sophomore in the fall at Notre Dame, transferred from Brentwood, where he was the Delphic League co-player of the year.

Staff writers Dave Desmond, Lauren Peterson and Eric Sondheimer contributed to this notebook.