Breitbard Stars of the Month, May, 2006

PROFESSIONALS

JOSH BARD (Baseball, Padres) – The switch-hitting backup catcher acquired from the Boston Red Sox on May 1 in a trade for Doug Mirabelli sparked the Padres to a 19-9 record in May. In the 19 games Bard played, he hit .391 with five home runs, five doubles, 15 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .826. In a 10-8 over the St. Louis Cardinals, he was 3-for-5 with two home runs, two runs scored and three RBIs. In a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies, his two-out single knocked in the winning run.

TONY GWYNN (Baseball, SDSU/Poway High) – The former Poway High and San Diego State outfielder, who is going by Tony Gwynn this year instead of Anthony while playing for the AAA Nashville Sounds, was named the Minor League Player of the Month for May in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization. Gwynn, now 23 and the son of future Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn, hit .363 (41-for-113) in 29 games with 23 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, three doubles, one triple, one home run and eight RBIs. The Sounds’ leadoff batter hit .396 in a 24-game stretch. His 74 hits led the Pacific Coast League through the end of May. Gwynn later made his Major League debut on July 15 against the Arizona Diamondbacks when he was called up by the Brewers.

JIMMIE JOHNSON (Auto racing/NASCAR, El Cajon/Granite Hills High) – The driver of Lowe’s No. 48 won his second race of the year when he took the lead with one lap remaining to capture the Aaron’s 499 title at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. The win moved him into the Nextel Cup standings lead. He finished the month with $5,016,840 in prize money.

KATHY MAY FRITZ (Women’s tennis, Rancho Santa Fe) – The former WTA touring pro returned to the game to compete in the USTA National Hardcourt Championships, and she won the women’s 50 division on May 14 at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. May Fritz, who at one time was ranked as high as No. 8 in the world and No. 6 in the U.S., won 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in the finals.

AMATEURS

BRUCE BILLINGS (College baseball, SDSU/Morse High) – The junior pitcher was named first-team All-Mountain West Conference for the second straight year. Billings was 6-1 in MWC play (6-3 overall). His 2.11 ERA ranked second in the conference and his opponents’ batting average of .237 was the conference’s lowest. He struck out 85 in 81 innings overall and was third in the MWC with 50 strikeouts. He was drafted in the 31st round by the Philadelphia Phillies but is expected to return to SDSU for his senior year.

DOROTHY “DODO” BUNDY CHENEY (Women’s tennis, La Jolla) – Cheney claimed a United States Tennis Association national title for the 351st time in her career when she won the women’s 90 title in the USTA National Women’s Hardcourt Tennis Championships on May 13 at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. Cheney, 89, was eligible for the women’s 90 division because her 90th birthday is in 2006. In 1938, as Dorothy Bundy, she was the first American woman to win the Australian Open.

SEAN O’SULLIVAN (Junior college baseball, Grossmont College/Valhalla High) – The right-handed pitcher/infielder earned Junior College All-American and California Junior College All-State honors while leading the Griffins to the state playoffs. He batted .408 with 18 doubles, eight home runs and 41 RBIs. He was 7-4 on the mound with a 2.71 ERA. O’Sullivan, drafted in the third round in 2005 by the Los Angeles Angels as a pitcher, opted to play his freshman year at Grossmont. He later signed with the Angels shortly before the 2006 draft for a $500,000 bonus.

JOE PRINCE (Men’s golf, Point Loma Nazarene University) –The senior won an individual national golf title as champion of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Tournament. Prince finished with a 4-under par total of 284 on May 19 at Prairie Highlands Golf Course in Olathe, Kan.

JOSH ROMANSKI (College baseball, USD) – The freshman pitcher/outfielder was named a Freshman All-American by College Baseball Magazine and honored by the West Coast Conference as a second-team pick and the Freshman of the Year. In conference play, Romanski hit .308 and was 3-0 with one save. The left-hander was 4-4 overall and led the team with five saves. Romanski, from Corona, Calif., was a Padres' draft pick in 2005 out of Norco High but opted to play college baseball.

CHRISTINA ROSS (College softball, San Diego State) – The sophomore was named the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year after leading the Aztecs to the MWC regular-season title and an NCAA at-large playoff berth. The transfer from Kansas and Santa Clarita, Calif., was 8-2 in MWC play with a conference-low ERA of 1.55. Her overall marks were 17-10 and 1.82.

ERIN SNYDER (Softball, Princeton/Torrey Pines High) – Snyder was named the Ivy League Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season after finishing with a 17-5 record and 0.76 ERA. Snyder led the Tigers to the Ivy League title and an NCAA Tournament berth. She also was named to the CoSIDA All-Academic District II team for carrying a 3.4 grade-point average.

PREPS

RICARDO AGUILAR (Baseball, Montgomery High) – The senior second baseman was the Aztecs’ sparkplug at the top of the batting order en route to the Mesa League title and a runner-up finish in the CIF San Diego Section Division II playoffs. In an 11-inning semifinal win over Westview, Aguilar was 5-for-6 and scored the winning run to advance the Aztecs to the final against Grossmont. The All-Mesa League pick and Southwestern College-bound infielder led the Aztecs with his glove and batted .360 for the year.

SAMANTHA BEASLEY (Softball, Steele Canyon High) – The junior right-handed pitcher led Steele Canyon to a pair of first-time titles as the Cougars won the Grossmont South League championship and the CIF San Diego Section Division III crown. Steele Canyon beat Cathedral Catholic in the Div. III final, 6-0. Beasley, who finished with a 13-7 record, tossed a four-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and one walk and knocked the first run with a triple. She was a second-team All-CIF pick.

JEFF GIDDENS (Boys swimming, La Costa Canyon High) – The senior won two CIF San Diego Section Division I titles and recorded the fastest marks of the day in both events from the Div. I and Div. II meets. Giddens, who qualified for prep All-American honors with his times this year, won the CIF titles in the 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke. He was named boys swimming’s All-CIF Athlete of the Year.

BRANDI JONES (Girls lacrosse, Poway High) – The junior center led the No. 3-seeded Titans to the CIF San Diego Section title in girls lacrosse with upset wins over Coronado in the semifinals and La Costa Canyon in the championship. Jones scored seven goals against Coronado and three against LCC. For the season she led the Titans with 70 goals and 23 assists for 93 points. Jones was named the girls lacrosse All-CIF Player of the Year.

COLLEEN LONAC (Gymnastics, Torrey Pines High) – The junior successfully defended her CIF San Diego Section individual title by winning the optional all-around crown at the CIF finals. Lonac’s overall score was 37.325 as she won the title for the second straight year despite not winning one of the four individual events. Lonac was gymanstics’ All-CIF Athlete of the Year.

NICK NYEHOLT (Boys lacrosse, La Costa Canyon High) – The junior led the Mavericks to the CIF San Diego Section title with 14 points on eight goals and six assists in the playoffs. In a semifinal win over Torrey Pines, he scored with 22 seconds left to send the game into overtime and then tallied the game winner in OT. In the finals, Nyholt scored a clinching goal in a 5-3 win over Poway for the Mavs’ second straight CIF title. Nyeholt was a second-team All-CIF pick.

JESSICA SCHMITT (Girls swimming, Torrey Pines High) – The freshman won two events in the CIF San Diego Section Division I finals and led the Falcons to the team title. She was the only girl to record the fastest mark of the day in two events from the Div. I and Div. II meets. Schmitt was named girls swimming’s All-CIF Athlete of the Year.

MITCHELL WISSING (Boys volleyball, Scripps Ranch High) – The junior, playing only his second season of volleyball, led the Falcons to the CIF San Diego Section Division II title and was named first-team All-CIF. In the championship match win over Mt. Carmel, the 6-foot-4 middle blocker had nine kills and nine blocks and his kill percentage was .643. In three playoff matches, he averaged 5.11 kills per game.

Tom Shanahan can be contacted at 619-699-2334 or toms@sdhoc.com.