PITCHERBRIAN PILKINGTONSantiago Sr.After a stellar season in...

PITCHER

BRIAN PILKINGTON

Santiago Sr.

After a stellar season in which he went 10-2 with a 0.90 ERA, Pilkington has set his sights on major league baseball. The Dodgers selected the right-hander in the second round of the amateur draft with their first overall pick. Pilkington’s goal is to surpass his uncle Bert Blyleven, who had 287 major league victories.

PITCHER

IAN KENNEDY

La Quinta So.

Kennedy’s biggest feat came when he upstaged Pilkington in a Garden Grove League showdown, striking out six and giving up one earned run in a victory over Santiago. Kennedy also struck out 11 in a complete-game playoff victory over La Puente. For the season, he finished 10-2 with a 0.85 ERA..

PITCHER

DANIEL MILTENBERGER

Laguna Hills Jr.

Miltenberger enabled Laguna Hills to win its first Sea View League title with his performance as a starter and a reliever. He recorded 10 complete games and four shutouts as a starter and had five saves in relief. He went 9-3 with a 0.84 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 83 innings. Miltenberger also hit .390 with 26 RBIs.

PITCHER

A.J. SHAPPI

Esperanza Sr.

Shappi was the ace of the team that spent the most weeks this season atop the Orange County Sportswriters’ Poll. He went 11-1 with one save, had a 1.73 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 77 innings. He pitched five scoreless innings of relief in Esperanza’s second-round victory over Diamond Bar.

FIRST BASEMAN

JEFF KERLEY

Westminster Jr.

Kerley had a two-run triple and later scored from third on a wild pitch that ended up less than 10 feet from home plate as Westminster put a scare into eventual Division I champion Capistrano Valley in the first round of the playoffs. For the season, Kerley hit .600 with two home runs and 31 RBIs.

INFIELDER

JOE TURGEON

2B El Dorado Sr.

As steady as they come in the field and at the plate, Turgeon hit .478 with three home runs and 23 RBIs for the Division III champion Golden Hawks. He had two stolen bases and scored two of his 40 runs in El Dorado’s 9-0 championship victory over Westlake Village Westlake at Dodger Stadium.

INFIELDER

FREDDY RODRIGUEZ

SS Westminster Sr.

Players such as the hard-nosed Rodriguez “are the reason coaches coach,” according to Westminster Coach Bill Whiteley. Rodriguez was hit in the left ankle with a line drive during the Lions’ final game but refused to leave the field. He hit .536 with 25 RBIs and went 8-2 with a 1.42 ERA.

INFIELDER

CHRIS MALEC

SS Santa Margarita Sr.

Malec, headed to UC Santa Barbara, helped Santa Margarita rebound from the early-season dismissal of Coach Tip Lefebvre by hitting .443 with 10 home runs, 11 doubles and 27 RBIs. Malec combined with third baseman Matt Wilkerson to give the Eagles perhaps the best infield in the Serra League.

OUTFIELDER

SEAN BOATRIGHT

CF Trabuco Hills Sr.

Boatright terrorized South Coast League pitchers--when they threw to him--by hitting .450 with 13 home runs and 33 RBIs. Fourteen of his 22 walks were intentional. He was also steady in the field, where he made three assists and committed only one error. Next stop: Long Beach State.

OUTFIELDER

BILLY EAGLE

CF Corona del Mar Jr.

One of the best defensive outfielders in the county, Eagle made five assists and didn’t commit an error. He was outstanding at the plate, where he struck out only four times in 89 at-bats and hit .472 with six home runs and 23 RBIs. Eagle also had 10 steals and displayed quickness in the outfield.

OUTFIELDER

BRIAN ANDERSON

CF Laguna Hills Sr.

Anderson played his best when it mattered most, hitting .440 in Sea View League play with five home runs in the final five regular-season games to give the Hawks a share of the league title. Anderson had a 0.44 ERA in 17 playoff innings. For the season, he hit .356 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs.

CATCHER

RICHARD MERCADO

Mater Dei Sr.

The Arizona-bound Mercado was a smash in the playoffs with 10 hits in 16 at-bats, including two home runs. He also drove in 10 runs in Mater Dei’s four playoff games. Mercado finished with a .449 average, hit nine home runs and drove in a county-high 43 runs.

DESIGNATED HITTER

JAY NICHOLS

University Sr.

Nichols, who has committed to USC, was the county’s premier hitter for the second consecutive year. The two-time Times’ Orange County first-team selection hit .512 with three home runs and 39 RBIs. Perhaps his best game came against Estancia, when he had two home runs, a double and six RBIs.

UTILITY

BRETT SMITH

1B/3B/P Sonora Sr.

Smith beat teams at the plate and on the mound. The utilityman, who has signed with UC Irvine, hit .458 with five home runs and 25 RBIs. He also finished 7-4 with a 1.69 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings. He pitched a three-hitter in Sonora’s first-round playoff victory over Goleta Dos Pueblos.