Breitbard Stars of the Month, August, 2008

PROFESSIONALS

Kristie Fox, Drew Garcia, Luis Rodriguez and Ty Wigginton

KRISTIE FOX (Softball, Chicago Bandits/Mt. Carmel High) -- Fox helped the Bandits clinch a third straight National Pro Fastpitch regular-season title and and their first NPF championship with a three-game sweep of the playoffs. The Bandits' infielder, an All-American and NCAA champion at Arizona, ranked among the team and league leaders with a .269 average, six doubles, five home runs and 12 RBIs. She is a four-time Star of the Month.

DREW GARCIA (Baseball, Bristol Sox/Valhalla High) -- The Rookie League second baseman hit for the cylce on Aug. 24 in one of the Bristol Sox's final games of the season. His home run was a walk-off homer in the 10th inning for a 2-1 win. He singled in the first inning, grounded out in the third, tripled in the sixth and doubled in the eighth before tehe game went into extra innings. For the season, he batted .299 with eight home runs. As a UC Riverside senior in the spring, he finished his college career by being named to the All-Big West Conference team.

LUIS RODRIGUEZ (Baseball, Padres) – Rodriguez hit .315 for the month of August while filling in at shortstop in replace of injured Khalil Greene. In his last 10 games of the month, he hit .400 (16-of-40) and was batting .276 overall. He is a first-time Star of the Month.

TY WIGGINTON (Baseball, Houston Astros/Chula Vista High) – The veteran third baseman put up big power numbers in August with 12 homes runs and 26 RBI to go with a .379 batting average. His on-base percentage was .394 and his slugging percentage .806. He lifted his season totals to .301 with 21 home runs and 52 RBIs. He is a first-time Star of the Month.

BASEBALL (3) -- Stephen Strasburg, Trevor Cahill and Brian Barden helped the U.S. to a bronze medal. Strasburg, a pitcher, is from San Diego State and West Hills High is entering his junior year for the Aztecs. Cahill is pitching in the Oakland A's organization at Double-A Midland (Texas) and is from Vista High. Barden is an infielder in the St. Louis Cardinals's organization at Triple-A Louisville. The Oregon State alus is from St. Augustine High. It's the third Star of the Month for Strasburgh, second for Cahill and first for Barden.

WOMEN'S SOCCER (1) -- Rachel Buehler, a Torrey Pines High alumnus, helped the U.S. to a gold medal in women's soccer. Buehler, a defender, has an extensive history on USA Soccer Youth National teams before making the Olympic team this year. She was an All-Pac-10 player at Stanford. She is a three-time Star of the Month.

WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD (1) -- Monique Henderson, a Morse High alumnus, ran the third leg of the 4x400-meter relay as the U.S. won the gold medal. It's Henderson's second gold medal after running on the 4x400 team that won at Athens in 2004. As a senior at UCLA in 2005, Henderson was the Honda Award recipient as the nation's top women's track and field athlete. She is a 15-time Star of the Month.

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL (1) -- David Lee, a Granite Hills High alumnus, led the team in blocks as the U.S. won the gold medal. Lee, a middle blocker, was an All-American at Long Beach State. He is a first-time Star of the Month.

MEN'S WATER POLO (2) -- Layne Beaubien and Jesse Smith, both Coronado High graduates, helped the U.S. to a silver medal. It's the first Olympic medal for the men in water polo since 1988. Beaubian, a Stanford alum, and Smith, a Pepperdine alum, are both defenders that both play professionally in Europe. Smith is a Star of the Month for the third time and Beaubien for the second time.

WOMEN'S WATER POLO (1) -- Moriah van Norman, a USDHS alumnus, led the U.S. to a silver medal in women's water polo. It's her second international medal after helping the U.S. win a gold medal in the 2007 World Championships. Van Norman, a center, is a former national player of the year in women's water polo at USC. She is a five-time Star of the Month.

CARLI LLOYD (Volleyball, Cal/Fallbrook High) -- The 5-foot-11 sophomore setter was named MVP Cal Molten Classic as well as the Pac-10 Player of the Week after the nationally ranked Bears defeated St. John's and UC Santa Barbara. Lloyd had 66 assists with eight kills in 12 attempts without an error for the tournament. It was her first Pac-10 award.

DANIELLE FRASIER (Golf, La Costa Canyon High) -- The 15-year-old Fraiser won the Girls Junior PGA Championship at TPC River's Bend in Cincinnati, Ohio with an 11-under par total of 277 for a seven-shot victory. She had rounds of 68, 72, 69, 68. Her final round included five birdies on the back nine. Her third round included 16 greens in regulation in a bogey-free round. Earlier in the month, she won the girls 15-to-17 division of the Emerson Junior Golf Classic, an event played at Carlton Oaks that is part of the American Junior Golf Association. Frasier shot a 4-under par 68 on the final round to make up three shots on the leader with a winning total of 217 for 54 holes. Frasier's summer included finishing as the runner-up at the Junior World Golf Tournament. She is a first-time Star of the Month.

Contact Tom Shanahan at toms@sdhoc.com.