High school close-ups

BASEBALL

MICHAEL CATANESO

Jr., Victorville Victor Valley

* Then: Started playing T-ball when he was 5 and picked up his first golf club about a year later. He continued playing youth baseball in the area while honing his golf skills as a member of Apple Valley Country Club. He faced a tough decision entering high school, as boys’ golf and baseball are spring sports, so he chose to play both. After spending his freshman year participating on the lower levels, Cataneso went 9-1 last season with a 1.34 earned-run average to lead Victor Valley to a 20-4-1 record. He was named Desert Sky League most valuable player. On the course, where he’s a two-handicap, Cataneso had a season average of 78.5 and finished third in league finals to qualify for the postseason.

* Now: Cataneso, a right-hander, continues to pitch for Victor Valley on Tuesdays and to play golf for the Jackrabbits on Thursdays. He improved to 2-1 after Victor Valley (6-1) hammered defending Southern Section Division V champion Phelan Serrano, 18-6, in a nonleague game Tuesday. Cataneso’s ERA has climbed to 3.75, but he has been supported by an offense that has scored 57 runs in the last three games. He has lowered his golf average to 77.

* Quote: “The kids understand the situation and it doesn’t hurt the chemistry,” said Victor Valley baseball Coach Mike Cataneso, Michael’s father. “I try to tell our kids, it’s like someone who plays football and basketball, only his two sports happen to be at the same time.”

--DAN ARRITT

SOFTBALL

GABBY SMITH

Sr., Fontana

Then: Smith has never had a season during which she wasn’t injured or playing hurt, including her freshman season, when she batted .408 with 10 runs batted in in limited action because of a knee injury. She pitched the last nine games and went 8-1. As a sophomore, she finished 23-3 with an earned-run average of 0.81 and as a junior was 18-4 with a 1.08 ERA. She hit .398 with 25 RBIs as a sophomore, despite an injury to her left wrist that forced her to bat left-handed for a few games, and .478 with 40 RBIs as a junior.

Now: Returning last week from a hairline fracture on her pitching hand, Smith pitched a four-hitter in a victory over previously unbeaten Corona Santiago on Saturday that gave the Steelers the Jurupa Valley tournament title. It also improved her career record to 54-10, matching the school record held by 2002 graduate Sarah Steele (54-17). The next day, playing for her club team, Smith suffered a broken thumb that will prevent her from batting. She was hitting .400 with nine runs and eight RBIs in 20 at-bats for the Steelers (5-3), who had won four in a row. She has signed with Cal State Fullerton.

Quote: “If we have her, we’re as good as most people,” Coach Mike Southworth said. “We’re right there because she can flat hit.”

--MARTIN HENDERSON

BOYS’ TENNIS

CHRIS KEARNEY

Sr., Santa Ana Mater Dei

Then: Played center field for the Irvine Diamondbacks at the 13-and-under World Series in Tulsa, Okla., four years ago but gave up baseball after that to focus on tennis. A relative latecomer to tennis compared to most top players, Kearney is ranked No. 32 in Southern California boys’ 18 standings and No. 58 nationally. He struggled early, losing in the first round of 17 consecutive matches when he began playing on the Southern California Tennis Assn., junior circuit. An all-court game featuring a deadly crosscourt forehand has helped him progress steadily. Kearney advanced to the round of 16 in boys’ 18 singles competition at the U.S. Super National Clay Court Championships last July. He also combined with former Irvine Woodbridge standout Michael McClune to reach the doubles quarterfinals of the U.S. Super National Hardcourt Championships in August.

Now: The 6-foot-1 Kearney won the Serra League singles title last year over former Mater Dei standout Wes Burrows, and has carried the momentum of last summer into this season. After advancing to the singles quarterfinals at the U.S. Winter Nationals, he has been the Monarchs’ No. 1 player after three years behind former teammates Kaes Van’t Hof and Burrows. Kearney, who has committed to North Carolina, is 20-1 in sets, his only loss a 7-6 (5) decision to Corona del Mar’s Fabian Matthews. He will be counted on to lead the Monarchs (7-1, 3-0) in the Corona del Mar/All-American tournament Friday and Saturday.

Quote: “It’s tough to tell because I play every day, but if you look at it year-to-year, I’ve come a long way,” Kearney said.

--LAUREN PETERSON