Evolve spikers sparkle in regional play

By Marty James

NOTES AND QUOTES for a Wednesday in the Napa Valley:

Evolve Volleyball, a local club program that was founded by Kelly Van Winden and Kelly Porter, had six of its age-group teams place in an area league qualifier that was sanctioned by the Northern California Region of the U.S. Volleyball Association.

The Evolve’s 16’s and 18’s teams both had first-place finishes. The No. 1 12’s and No. 1 14’s teams both took second. The 12’s No. 2 was fourth and the 14’s No. 2 was fifth.

There are 90 players with Evolve Volleyball, which plays from December to June.

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Sophomore left-hander Matt Leonard, who missed the entire 2008 season due to elbow surgery, started and pitched three scoreless innings for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, striking out four, in the Mustangs’ alumni baseball game Saturday. The 2009 Mustangs won, 13-3. Leonard went to Justin-Siena.

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Bailey Price had a good day for the Southern Oregon University softball team as the Raiders opened their 2009 season by splitting a pair of games at the Cal Baptist Lancer Invitational.

Price, a Vintage graduate, was 2-for-2 in a loss to Belhaven, 3-2. She had a pinch-hit home run in the second game, a 9-1 victory over Indiana Tech.

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Former Napan Scott McCarron is entered in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, a $6.1 million PGA Tour event that begins Thursday at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Poppy Hills Golf Club on the Monterey Peninsula.

Golf Channel will carry the first two rounds. CBS Sports will televise the weekend action.

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Carolyn Knudson of Napa picked up the complete game win for the San Francisco State’s softball team, giving up one run and six hits while striking out five and walking one, as the Gators beat Notre Dame de Namur, 3-1, in the Mizuno Best of the West Invitational in Turlock. Knudson pitched at Vintage and Napa Valley College.

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University of Texas-Arlington junior infielder/outfielder Tim Steggall made the Athletic Department Academic Honor Roll for the fall semester. A student-athlete needs at least a 3.0 GPA to qualify.

Steggall, a Justin-Siena graduate, transferred to Texas-Arlington after helping lead Central Arizona College to a third-place finish at the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.

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The UC Davis men’s golf team, coached by Napa High graduate Cy Williams, finished 12th at the Hawaii-Hilo Invitational. It was played at the par-72, 6,913-yard Mauna Lani Resort Golf Course on the Kohala Coast.

“The team worked extremely hard and prepared very well for the tournament,” said Williams. “We stayed very focused before and during the tournament, and competed as best we could.”

E-mail Executive Sports Editor Marty James at mjames@napanews.com or call 256-2223.

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