Close-ups

A weekly look at some of the Southland’s top high school athletes:

SOFTBALL

McKENNA LOWE

Jr., Santa Ana Foothill

Then: Played out of position as a freshman, starting at second base to get her quickness into the lineup, and moved from ninth to leadoff in the batting order after a late-season injury to Whitney Radcliff. She finished the season with a .227 batting average. In left field as a sophomore and batting leadoff from the first pitch, Lowe batted .314, stole successfully in 23 of 24 attempts and scored 15 runs as Foothill shared the Sea View League title.

Now: Lowe is the sister of previous Foothill standouts Caitlin, a center fielder at Arizona, and Paige, a second baseman at Oregon State. McKenna helped the Knights take third, the highest finish for a Southland team, in the Mohave Tournament of Champions last weekend at Bullhead City, Ariz. She went six for 12 with two runs during the tournament, as her average dropped to .542. She has scored in the first inning in five of Foothill’s first eight games, scored seven runs, and has helped secure victories over Southland ranked teams, including No. 13 Chino Hills and No. 6 Garden Grove Pacifica.

Quote: “They’re basically amazing, and taught me a lot, pretty much everything I know,” Lowe said of her sisters. “How hard they work, it makes me want to work that much harder.”

-- MARTIN HENDERSON

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BASEBALL

GRANT GREEN

Sr., Anaheim Canyon

Then: Called up to the varsity at the end of his freshman year, he earned the starting shortstop job as a sophomore, when he hit .430 with eight doubles and 22 runs batted in and committed only five errors. He was named the Century League rookie of the year. Last season, Green hit .455 with three home runs, 30 RBIs and 14 stolen bases, earning league MVP honors and a selection to the Southern Section Division I first team. In a league game against Placentia El Dorado, he hit a home run in the top of the seventh to tie the score and the Comanches went on to win in extra innings. He was named to the U.S. junior national team last summer and batted .304 with six RBIs at the 2005 Pan-Am Championships.

Now: Nicknamed “Mr. Clutch,” Green signed with USC but is mentioned as a potential high draft pick in June. In a mock draft last summer by Baseball America, he was the 33rd overall selection. In a poll of coaches, Baseball America also listed him as the second best high school shortstop in the country. He missed the first two games of the season with a sore leg, but heading into a doubleheader Wednesday at Santa Ana Mater Dei, Green was five for eight in three games with a home run and four RBIs. He homered and drove in two runs Saturday in an 11-6 loss to El Dorado in the championship game of the Anaheim Loara tournament.

Quote: “He has put quite a resume together,” Canyon Coach Joe Hoggatt said. “He’s either the best player we’ve ever had at the school, or he’s right there with guys like Eric Valent, who is with the Padres, and Rob Deer, who played for the Brewers.”

-- DAN ARRITT

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BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL

RYAN WORTH

Sr., Valencia

Then: Played on the Vikings’ freshman and junior varsity teams during his first two years of high school, going unbeaten in 59 games while the varsity won Southern Section Division II championships in 2003 and 2004. Last year, he served as a back-row specialist as the Vikings won their fifth consecutive Foothill League title and advanced to their third consecutive Division II title match, where they lost to Corona del Mar.

Now: Worth’s innate jumping ability, newfound aggressiveness and hard work have made the 6-foot-2 opposite hitter a fixture in the front row. He had a team-high seven kills as the Vikings (12-0), top-ranked in the Southern Section Division II coaches’ poll, defeated Bellflower St. John Bosco, the top-ranked team in Division I, 25-18, 25-20, in the final of the San Diego Parker tournament last weekend. Named MVP of the tournament, he finished it with only seven errors and a .429 attacking percentage. He also has helped the Vikings defeat several other top teams, including Santa Ana Mater Dei (twice), Newport Beach Newport Harbor and Santa Barbara.

Quote: “I knew I wanted to improve, and just playing with these guys every day has made a big difference,” Worth said. “This year, I’ve taken the spot, and I’m going to stay there.”

-- LAUREN PETERSON