Titans Get Another Commitment

Derick Andrew, a three-year starter at guard for Rancho Cucamonga High, has made an oral commitment to play basketball at Cal State Fullerton, his mother, Debra, said Thursday.

Andrew averaged 20.7 points for a team that was 26-3 last season. He was selected to The Times’ Inland Empire all-star team.

He is the fourth high school player to commit to the Titans since Donny Daniels took over as coach. The others are guards Ryan Dillon of Victor Valley High in Victorville and Chris Smith of San Bernardino Pacific, and forward Joe Travis of Long Beach Poly. David Castleton, a guard from Orange Coast College, also announced that he was transferring to Fullerton.

FOOTBALL

Frank Saiz, who served for two seasons as defensive coordinator at Buena Park High under his brother Manny Saiz, has been named to replace his brother as head football coach, Athletic Director Dan Hirsch announced Thursday.

Manny Saiz resigned in March after four seasons. He had compiled a 12-8 Freeway League record and led the Coyotes into the playoffs three times.

Frank Saiz is a graduate of La Habra High and Chapman. He has taught on the Buena Park campus for three years.

BASEBALL

Pitcher Jon Smith, who has a 4.0 grade-point average in business administration at Cal State Fullerton, was a repeat selection on the GTE/CoSIDA District VIII All-Academic baseball team.

Smith, a junior from Nueyo, is 8-2 with a 3.03 earned-run average for the Titans. He has 64 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings.

SOFTBALL

Kelly Hauxhurst, a graduate of Westminster High, has been named to the GTE/CoSIDA District VIII All-Academic softball team. A junior outfielder for Washington, the top-ranked team in the country, Hauxhurst has a 3.38 grade-point average in speech communications.

* Sarah Yarbrough, a freshman outfielder for Hope International, was selected to the NAIA All-Region II team.

Yarbrough, who attended El Dorado High, was named to the All-Golden State Athletic Conference team last week.

BASKETBALL

Orange Coast College’s Leah Wilde has signed to play at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo next season, Pirate Coach Mike Thornton announced.

Wilde averaged 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in conference play last season, scoring a season-high 23 points in a second-round playoff victory over Bakersfield.

* Vanguard has received commitments from two players who intend to transfer to play women’s basketball, Lion Coach Russ Davis announced.

They are sophomore Erin Edmonston, a 5-foot-10 guard from Saddleback College, and freshman Jeri Costello, a 5-8 guard from Brea Olinda High who played at Long Beach State last season.

Vanguard, which returns its entire roster, was 28-7 last season and ranked as high as 10th nationally in the NAIA.

* The 2001 NCAA Division I men’s basketball West Regional at the Arrowhead Pond on March 22 and 24 is sold out.

The number of ticket applications has exceeded the number of general public seats, so a random drawing will take place to determine which applicants will receive tickets. Fans will be notified in June as to whether their order was selected.

The winner of the regional advances to the Final Four in Minneapolis.

VOLLEYBALL

Alexis Henry, an outside hitter at Fountain Valley High, will play for Occidental College next fall.

SOCCER

Eric Neal and Marty Driscoll have been named to the Commission on Athletics’ Academic All-State team for their academic and athletic achievements at Orange Coast College.

Neal, a forward from Huntington Beach High, has a 3.14 grade-point average. Driscoll, a defender from Canyon Springs High, has a 3.5 GPA.

WRESTLING

Joe Brady of San Clemente High has committed to compete for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo next season, Triton Coach Mark Calentino said..

Brady was a three-year letterman for San Clemente, placing second in the Southern Section Division II championships.