Five Area Baseball Players Earn Division I, II Honors

Two area players have been named to the Southern Section Division I baseball team and three have been selected to the Division II squad by the Amateur Athletic Foundation/First Interstate Bank board of athletics.

Peninsula outfielder Brett Campbell was selected to the Division I second team and Leuzinger catcher Gustavo Rubio was a third-team choice.

In Division II, Redondo second baseman Domonek Prince was named to the second team and Redondo first baseman Rick Janssen and Mira Costa pitcher Brian Zinda were third-team selections.

Campbell, a Loyola Marymount recruit, led Peninsula with a .461 batting average, 36 hits, eight doubles, five home runs and 31 runs batted in. His play helped the Panthers (18-7) win the Bay League.

Rubio, the Bay League most valuable player, led Leuzinger with a .513 average, 40 hits, 28 runs scored, 13 doubles, five home runs, 27 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. He struck out only once in 78 at-bats and was drafted in the 42nd round by the Dodgers.

Crespi pitcher Jeff Suppan, who was 11-1 with an 0.92 earned-run average, was named Division I player of the year. The right-hander was drafted in the second round by the Boston Red Sox.

Prince was the leading hitter for Redondo (20-10), which won 17 of its last 21 games and reached the Division II quarterfinals. The junior batted .418 (41 for 98) with 35 runs scored, an area-leading 15 doubles and 15 stolen bases.

Janssen, considered one of the area’s best defensive first basemen, batted .333 with eight doubles, six home runs and 31 RBIs. His leadoff home run in the eighth inning gave Redondo a 7-6 victory over Valencia in a second-round playoff game May 25.

Zinda, named best player in the Ocean League, had an 11-3 record and 2.87 ERA for Mira Costa. The senior left-hander led the area with 104 strikeouts in 90 1/3 innings and had seven complete games.

Right-handed pitcher Seth Bean of Division II champion Lompoc was named player of the year. The UCLA recruit was 12-1 with a 1.52 ERA.