By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
Baseball: MLB Draws On High School Talent
National Basketball Association franchises are no longer allowed to pluck student-athletes from the high school ranks, but Tuesday's MLB First-Year Player Draft proved the practice is alive and well in baseball.
Highlighted by the Los Angeles Dodgers' No. 7 overall pick, pitcher Clayton Kershaw of Highland Park High School in Texas, 14 of the first round's 30 selections were high school seniors.
Kershaw, a 6-3, 220-pound lefthander, was the Gatorade National Player of the Year after compiling a 13-0 record and a 0.77 earned run average in 2006. The Texan struck out 139 batters in just 64 innings and signed with Texas A&M University, although he is unlikely to fulfill that commitment.
The Dodgers took another notable high schooler with the first pick of the second round, selecting Preston Mattingly of Evansville Central High in Indiana. Mattingly is the son of New York Yankee great Don Mattingly, known to Bronx baseball fans as "Donny Ballgame."
Four Floridians were taken by Major League clubs in the first 24 picks, solidifying the Sunshine State's reputation as a hot spot for baseball talent.
Christopher Marrero of Monsignor Pace in Miami, and Maxwell Sapp of Bishop Moore in Orlando were both members of teams ranked in the top 15 of MaxPreps Florida Baseball Rankings.
Marrero's teammate, shortstop Adrian Cardenas, was a second-round selection of the Philadelphia Phillies, giving the Spartans the rare distinction of having two players taken in the top 40 of the MLB Draft.
High School Players Taken in the First Round
(7) Los Angeles Dodgers
Clayton Kershaw (6-3, 220), LHP, Highland Park, Texas
(9) Baltimore Orioles
Williams Rowell (6-5, 215), 3B, Bishop Eustace Prep School, N.J.
(12) Texas Rangers
Kasey Kiker (5-11, 185), LHP, Russell County, Ala.
(14) Toronto Bluejays
Travis Snider (5-11, 230), RF, Jackson, Wash.
(15) Washington Nationals
Christopher Marrero (6-3, 210), OF, Monsignor Pace, Fla.
(16) Milwaukee Brewers
Jeremy Jeffress (6-0, 175), RHP, Halifax County, Va.
(18) Philadelphia Phillies
Kyle Drabek (6-1, 190), RHP, The Woodlands, Texas
(20) Minnesota Twins
Christopher Parmelee (6-1, 205), RF, Chino Hills, Calif.
(22) Washington Nationals
Colton Willems (6-4, 175), RHP, John Carroll, Fla.
(23) Houston Astros
Maxwell Sapp (6-2, 220), C, Bishop Moore, Fla.
(24) Atlanta Braves
John Johnson (6-4, 195), OF, A. Crawford Mosley, Fla.
(25) Los Angeles/Anaheim Angels
Hank Conger (6-0, 205), C, Huntington Beach, Calif.
(27) Boston Red Sox
Jason Place (6-3, 205), CF, Wren, S.C.
Basketball: MaxPreps All-American Commits to Stanford
Kayla Pedersen, a MaxPreps All-American third-team selection, has made the decision to attend Stanford University to play basketball.
Pedersen, a versatile 6-4 forward, broke the heart of Arizona State Sun Devil fans by electing to take her game out-of-state. The Red Mountain High star is considered to be one of the best girls basketball players Arizona has produced.
As a junior this season, Pedersen averaged 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, taking her team to the Class 5A Division I state title game.
Awards: Jesuit Captures Cup
The Director's Cup is awarded annually to the nation's top all-around athletic program at the college level. Taking the same concept to the high school level, The Oregonian and the Oregon School Activities Association has been rewarding the top 4A, 3A, 2A, and 1A schools in the state with "The Oregonian Cup" since 1999, a trophy that rewards not just athletics, but also academics and activities.
Schools can earn points based on participation in OSAA State Championships, as well as each season without an ejection.
At the 4A level, Jesuit captured its second-straight Oregonian Cup title, accumulating 4,532 points. The Portland-area Catholic school has finished in the top five in each of the seven years the Cup has been awarded.
Marist captured its third-straight title at the 3A level, and fourth overall, while Santiam Christian was tops in the 2A ranks. The Triad School bested Damascus Christian by just 10 points in the tightly-contested 1A classification.
Before We Go: Washington Correspondent Nathan Joyce reported last week that DeSales, Wash., captured its seventh-straight State B baseball title this spring, and the school's 14th in the last 15 years. What he didn't mention is that the Irish have piled up an incredible 59-1 state playoff record since 1991. DeSales will look to expand on a 29-game state tournament winning streak in 2007, and potentially surpass its record of 30-straight playoff victories between 1992 and 1999.Looking for the breakout freshman star of the 2006 college football season? Florida State's Myron Rolle is a good candidate. The Lawrenceville, N.J., native was an All-American defensive back last year at The Hun School in the Garden State. Rolle, also an outstanding student, graduated early and enrolled at FSU in January. It didn't take Rolle long to get acclimated, as he picked off a pass in the Seminoles' annual Garnet &Gold Game and took it 64 yards for a touchdown.
Jason Hickman: jason@maxpreps.com
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