August 14, 2007

Arnerich lands with Fullerton
Alameda baseball star to play for one of the nation's top programs
By Mike McGreehan, STAFF WRITER

Former Alameda High baseball star Kenny Arnerich was at the right place at the right time. His skills were a plus, too.

On Monday, the Arnerich family announced that Kenny had signed with Cal State Fullerton, one of the nation's most prestigious baseball programs.

"It's a top school, a dream come true," said Arnerich, a catcher who could make an immediate impact for the Titans.

Arnerich should vie for playing time as a freshman, given the graduation of the Titans incumbent catcher and the loss of the heir apparent to professional baseball.

In Arnerich, the Titans get a prospect who had the interest of UCLA, Cal, Fresno State, Hawaii and Gonzaga.

As a senior, Arnerich was the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League co-MVP and the East Bay Player of the Year after setting Alameda season records with a .533 average and 48 hits. He also scored 28 runs and had 25 RBIs in leading the Hornets to the North Coast Section 3-A final for the second consecutive season.

For added measure, Arnerich was 6-4 with three saves and a 1.20 ERA as a pitcher.

However, it wasn't Arnerich's final prep season that turned the heads of the Fullerton staff. That happened when he competed in a Southern California summer tournament with the Danville Hoots.

"I was told (Fullerton) basically, doesn't recruit kids out of Northern California because there is so much talent in Southern California," said Ken Arnerich, the player's father and high school coach.

"He just happened to be down there in a tournament (and the coaches saw him)."

Women's basketball

Jasmine Smith, a 2006 graduate of Pinole Valley, has left Oregon State and signed to play at St. Mary's College in Moraga. She will join her older sister, Jontelle, who will be in her junior season.

Jasmine Smith will have to sit out the 2007-08 season because of NCAA transfer rule, but will have three years of eligibility remaining and one year to play with Jontelle again.

"I thought (Oregon State's) program was good, but I was homesick," Jasmine Smith said. "I just wasn't as comfortable as I thought when I got there."

Oregon State finished 9-19 overall and 4-14 in the Pacific-10 Conference. Smith averaged 7.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game off the bench.

Youth baseball

ABERDEEN, Md. — Oakland American's 12-year-old All-Star team has righted the boat.

After losing its pool play opener in the Cal Ripken World Series on Saturday, Oakland has posted two consecutive wins, the latest coming Monday, a 5-0 decision over Calvert, Md.

Oakland, now 2-1 in the tournament, takes on Bryant, Ariz., at 10:30 this morning to finish off its participation in pool play. The top two pool play finishers in the American and National divisions will join the top four international finishers in the single-elimination World Series tournament that begins Thursday.

Oakland scored three runs in the second inning against Calvert. Taylor Jones and Izzy Behrman had back-to-back doubles to provide the first run, and Marcus Williams added a two-run single later in the inning for a 3-0 lead.

The team added unearned runs in the third and fifth innings.

David Sumisaki got the win, throwing no-hit ball for 4 innings before giving way to Behrman in the fifth. Behrman got out of a two-on, one-out jam, then struck out the side in the top of the sixth to lock down the victory.

Oakland banged out 13 hits in its opener with Black Hills, Wash., on Saturday, but fell 11-8.

The team rebounded Sunday for a 5-0 win over Greenwich, Conn., as Jones threw three-hit ball over the first four innings and also drove two runs. Behrman finished with two innings of no-hit relief.

Tevin Goodwin had two hits, two steals and scored twice for Oakland.

Staff writers Robert Jordan and Steve Herendeen contributed to this report.