Keith Smith, Jose Cortez Are Drafted by XFL’s L.A. Xtreme

Quarterback Keith Smith, formerly of Newbury Park High and Arizona, and kicker Jose Cortez, formerly of Van Nuys High, Valley College and Oregon State, were selected by the L.A. Xtreme on the final day of the XFL draft Monday.

Smith, who played one year of professional baseball, passed for 5,972 yards at Arizona, third-highest in school history. He signed with Saskatchewan of the CFL in the summer but retired before the season began. The Xtreme selected Smith in the 25th round with the 193rd overall selection.

Cortez, an All-Pacific 10 Conference kicker with Oregon State, was selected in the 38th round with the 304th overall pick.

SOFTBALL

* Catcher Ashlie D’Errico of Highland, The Times’ Valley player of the year last season, will take a recruiting trip to Stanford this weekend.

D’Errico, who has visited Michigan, will visit Mississippi Nov. 11.

Meredith Cervenka of Crescenta Valley, Valley pitcher of the year last season, and Sheridan Fowler of Thousand Oaks, an All-Ventura County third baseman, will make a trip to Mississippi.

* Steve Harrington, former coach at Chaminade, has been selected coach at Pomona-Pitzer College in Claremont, an NCAA Division III program.

It is the first college coaching position for Harrington, who abruptly resigned for personal reasons at Chaminade in August.

Harrington, who was 124-56-2 in six seasons at Chaminade, inherits a Sagehens squad that finished 6-32 last season and last in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

CROSS-COUNTRY

* Mark Covert, cross-country and track and field coach at Antelope Valley College, will be the first person inducted into the new NCAA Division II cross-country hall of fame.

Covert won the 1970 Division II cross-country title for Cal State Fullerton before placing 16th in the Division I meet and 13th in the AAU championships that year.

He placed third in the 1971 Division II meet to help Fullerton win the team title.

Covert will be honored Nov. 17 at the Sheraton Fairplex in Pomona.