Jung Proves Bulldogs Made the Right Choice

Lovianne Jung wasn’t highly recruited during her senior year at Fountain Valley High. At first, only Fresno State and Marshall showed much interest in her.

“There were a few schools that tried to recruit me later after they found out that Fresno State was recruiting me,” Jung said.

Jung signed with Fresno State, and two years later, it looks as though Coach Margie Wright made a wise choice.

Jung, the Bulldogs’ second baseman, became the first Fresno State freshman to have 100 total bases last season. She batted .330 with six home runs and 50 runs batted in, and was chosen to the NCAA College World Series all-star team.

Jung has followed that effort with a standout sophomore season, batting .387 with one homer and 34 RBIs. She was chosen to the Western Athletic Conference all-star team for the second time.

“I just want to keep improving,” Jung said. “I felt some pressure when I first came to Fresno because this is such a quality program. But I gained a lot of confidence last year.”

Jung is one of two Fresno State regulars from Orange County. Lindsay Fossatti, who played at Foothill High, plays third base, and is batting .254 with three home runs and 25 RBIs.

Fresno State lost to California, 2-0, Sunday in the championship game of the Fresno regional tournament.

IRISH WORKHORSE

Aaron Talarico left Laguna Beach for South Bend, Ind., 18 months ago with his tennis racket, but without a scholarship. Thanks to the nifty work he has done with his racket, Talarico has earned a scholarship and become one of most valuable players on the Notre Dame team.

After playing in only one dual match as a freshman, Talarico has been all over the singles lineup this season, compiling an 11-8 record in dual matches at four spots. He has been even better in doubles, going 17-7 with partner Javier Taborga and qualifying for the NCAA doubles championships next week in Athens, Ga.

Talarico and Taborga, the second youngest team in the NCAA doubles tournament, are ranked 29th nationally and have defeated eight ranked teams.

Talarico, who was a Southern Section individual singles finalist in 1998 at Laguna Beach, won his opening round singles match in the NCAA team tournament, beating New Mexico State’s Alvaro Dominguez, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 5 singles.

NETTING HONORS

Chris Seid, a senior at Cal Poly Pomona, was recently presented with the annual Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship and Leadership award for the West Region.

Seid, a graduate of University High, finished the season with a 15-7 record to help the Broncos reach the NCAA West Regional finals at UC Davis.

Seid won the Pacific Coast League singles title in 1996. He has been on a tennis scholarship at Pomona for four years.

PITCHING IN

Cal State Dominguez Hills pitchers Brian Cortes and Chris Reidel have been selected to the All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. baseball squad as voted on by conference coaches.

Cortes, a right-handed freshman from Century High, was a first-team pick. He appeared in 28 games in relief, registering a 2-1 record with seven saves and a 0.95 earned-run average. He allowed only three earned runs in 28 1/3 innings and made 13 consecutive appearances without allowing a run.

Reidel, a senior left-hander from Pacifica High and Orange Coast College, was an honorable mention selection. He had a 6-5 record with a 3.06 ERA in 108 2/3 innings. He led Dominguez Hills in starts with 18 and strikeouts with 80.

ALL-AMERICAN

Louisiana State catcher Brad Cresse, who attended Los Alamitos and Marina highs, was named to the USA Today Baseball Weekly All-America College Team.

Cresse hit .399 with 24 homers and had a 24-game hitting streak during the regular season.

COURTING SUCCESS

Freshman Amy Tranckino, a graduate of Dana Hills High, scored a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 1 singles and teamed with sophomore Lindsay Tadlock for an 8-5 doubles victory as UC San Diego defeated Claremont, 7-2, to win the NCAA Division III West Regional Championship last weekend at UCSD.

Rachel Gunther, a sophomore from Woodbridge High, won her singles match, 7-5, 6-2, and teamed with Kirsten Olsen to win at doubles, 8-2.

The Tritos advanced to the Division III Championships May 19-21 at Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn.

MOUND MARVELS

Softball pitcher Robyn Horrick was selected rookie of the year in the American East Conference at Maine. Horrick, who attended Irvine High, has a regular-season record of 11-6 and an earned-run average of 0.87 with 85 strikeouts.

Ohio University sophomore Heather Hagen, a graduate of Marina High, was named Mid-American Conference softball pitcher of the week for the week of May 9.

Hagen, a right-hander, finished the week with a 3-1 record, getting a three-hit victory over former Mater Dei standout Marissa Young and No. 13 Michigan in Ann Arbor. Hagen also had a complete-game victory over MAC East Division champion Bowling Green. On the week, she struck out 20 in 21 innings.

If you have an item or idea for the alumni report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at paul.mcleod@latimes.com

Staff writer Paul McLeod contributed to this story.