Brown Picks Canyons Over Pro Baseball

Larry Brown of San Fernando High will play at College of the Canyons rather than sign with the Seattle Mariners, said his father, Fred Flores.

Brown, who a 12th-round pick of the Mariners in the draft earlier this month, is a 6-foot-4 outfielder who didn’t play organized baseball until last season.

“We were just having hard negotiations [with the Mariners],” Flores said.

Flores said the Mariners refused to pay for Brown’s college education.

“There was no school involved,” Flores said. “School’s very important to me and my wife, and Larry decided that playing one more year in school would better [him].”

* Mike Falco of Agoura, Kevin Howard of Westlake, Jordan Olson of Crescenta Valley, Jamie Shields of Hart and Chris Testa of Palmdale received honorable mention on USA Today’s All-USA team.

SOFTBALL

* Kris Kohlmeier has been hired as coach at Glendale High. He was an assistant at the school for seven years under Craig Becker, who resigned to become coach at Glendale College.

Kohlmeier, 37, is the brother of Kirt Kohlmeier, softball and boys’ basketball coach at Hoover.

TENNIS

* Marissa Irvin, a graduate of Harvard-Westlake, has been selected Intercollegiate Tennis Assn. national women’s rookie of the year after a her freshman season at Stanford.

Irvin, 1997 Southern Section girls’ singles champion, played No. 1 singles in leading Stanford to the NCAA Division I team title last month. She lost in the NCAA women’s singles final.

* Ryan Heinberg of Agoura Hills defeated Joseph Kao of Fullerton, 7-6 (7-0), 6-2, to win the boys’ 16 division of the USTA Southern California junior sectional tournament Sunday at Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley.

Top-seeded Sergy Vagramian of Glendale beat Scott Hohenstein of Anaheim to win the boys’ 12 final.

Top-seeded Candice Fuchs of San Diego defeated Bernadette Bayani of Simi Valley, 6-4, 6-4, in the girls’ 18 final.

Top-seeded Lindsey Nelson of Orange beat Erica Sauer of Somis, 6-3, 6-3, in the girls’ 14 final.

VOLLEYBALL

* Scott Caulk, women’s coach at Cornerstone College in Grand Rapids, Mich., the last two seasons, has been hired as boys’ and girls’ coach at Hart High.

Caulk replaces Tiffany Coe as coach of the girls’ team and Chris Thurm as coach of the boys’ team.

BASKETBALL

* Russell White, 27, who coached at Chaminade the last five seasons, has been hired as varsity coach at Calabasas.

* Brad Katz, former assistant coach at Canoga Park, has been hired as boys’ coach at Poly.

SPORTS CAMPS

* Lenny Dykstra and Mark Gubicza, former major league players, are featured guests at sessions of the Cal State Northridge baseball summer camp.

The first session is scheduled for July 5-9, with the second session--featuring Gubicza--slated for July 12-16. Dykstra is scheduled to appear at the third session from July 19-23.

Registration fee for each session is $160 per person.

Information: Jamie Nelson, (818) 677-3218 or (818) 677-3233.

* Northridge is holding one-week tennis camps through Aug. 6.

Gary Victor, Northridge coach, is directing the camps with help from assistant James Ciuffo, youth coach Craig Cignarelli and members of the Matador women’s team.

Cost of the weekly camps is $210 per person. Information: (818) 677-4731 or (818) 677-2948.

* One-week sessions of the Cal Lutheran softball camp are scheduled through July 16.

Sessions from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. are for intermediate and advanced players. A session for pitchers and catchers is slated for 4-5 p.m. each day.

Coach Jodi Eyraud of Cal Lutheran, and assistant Sheilah Conway are the lead instructors.

Cost is $125 per session or $160 for both. Cost is $75 for the pitchers’ and catchers’ session.

Information: (805) 493-3921.