All-Star High School Baseball : Eicher Makes Most of Chance as South Wins

SAN DIEGO —  Mike Eicher of Mira Mesa High School made the South roster for the California High School All-Star baseball series only after Poway’s Phil Plantier became ineligible to play by signing with the Boston Red Sox last Thursday.

Eicher, an outfielder who did not survive the South tryouts, made the most of his second chance. After an outstanding series, he was selected as one of the state’s 18 players Sunday to play a three-game series against Oklahoma all-stars Friday through Sunday at Stockton.

Eicher was 2 for 4 and scored three runs Sunday as the South won the deciding game of the three-game series with a 12-9 victory at the University of San Diego. In the series, Eicher was 4 for 6 with four walks and six runs scored.

“(The coaches) said they only picked two outfielders which I didn’t understand,” Eicher said. “I was kind of disappointed when I wasn’t picked. But I guess I proved myself.”

The South scored nine runs in the first three innings to take a 9-1 lead Sunday. Eight of the nine starting players scored by the end of the third as the South knocked out North starting pitcher David Lafferty of Vacaville after 2 innings.

Still, the North rallied to score six runs in the fourth to cut the South’s lead to 9-7. But the South added a run in the each of the final three innings--one on a 390-foot home run by Placentia El Dorado’s Bret Boone, the first by any player in the series--to hold off the challenge.

Anaheim Esperanza shortstop Tom Redington was named the South Most Valuable Player and Sacramento Valley second baseman Fernando Vina was the North MVP.

All-Star Game Notes

All four San Diego Section players on the South team--Mike Eicher, Lance Dickson, Eric Helfand and Donnie Carroll--made the team that will play Oklahoma. Also making the team from the South were: Scott Schanz (Riverside North), Steve Gill (Placentia El Dorado), Dan Gil (Long Beach Poly), Manny Cervantes (Whittier La Serna), Greg Colbrunn (Fontana), Bret Boone (Placentia El Dorado) and Tom Redington (Anaheim Esperanza). Representing the North will be: Ron Gerstein (Santa Cruz Harbor), Rick Reynolds (San Ramon Valley), Steve Wolf (Lodi), Paul Ellis (San Ramon Valley), Javier Alvarez (San Francisco Sacred Heart), James Proctor (Hanford), David Lafferty (Vacaville), Fernando Vina (Sacramento Valley) and Albert Richardson (Handford). The team will be coached by Cas Munoz (San Leandro) and Nick Salerno (Arroyo El Monte).