Ackermann Is Fired as Newbury Park Coach

Pete Ackermann was fired this week as softball coach at Newbury Park High, which has not selected a replacement.

Ackermann, a walk-on coach who did not return calls to The Times, led Newbury Park to a co-championship title in the Marmonte League last season and a 24-8 record.

Lori Reece, a first-year athletic director, said Ackermann’s contract was not renewed, but did not cite the reason.

FOOTBALL

* Jack Willard, coach at Channel Islands High for the last three years, has resigned.

Willard, 42, turned in a letter of resignation to Principal Michael Martinez on Tuesday, 6 1/2 weeks after Channel Islands finished the season with a 2-9 record.

“I don’t think I affected as much change as I thought I would,” Willard said. “I think we made some positive changes while I was here, but obviously there were still some things that needed to be improved. I think that maybe it’s time for a younger person to come in and give it a shot.”

The Raiders were 5-25-2 under Willard after posting a 10-50 record from 1991-1996.

TENNIS

* Seventh-seeded Lester Cook, a 15-year-old playing in the boys’ 18 division in the Copper Bowl 2000 tournament, lost to top-seeded Brian Wilson of San Marcos, 6-4, 6-2, in the division championship match Wednesday at El Conquistador Country Club in Tucson, Ariz.

Cook, of Calabasas, advanced to the final by default over No. 4-seeded Avery Ticer, who was ill, earlier Wednesday.

No. 3-seeded Ryan Heinberg of Agoura Hills lost to Wilson, 6-1, 6-1, in another boys’ 18 semifinal.

Unseeded Sam Querrey of Thousand Oaks lost, 6-4, 6-1, to No. 8 Skate Gorham of Los Altos Hills in the boys’ 12 final. Querrey beat Jonathan Sappaiboon of Los Angeles, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3, 6-4, in the semifinals.

Kendra Strohm of Tucson, Ariz., defeated Georgette Wright of Burbank, 6-1, 6-1, in a semifinal match of the girls’ 16 division.

Top-seeded Eva Wang of Haverford, Pa., beat Strohm in the final.

BASEBALL

* Catcher Dane Sardinha of Pepperdine was selected a preseason All-American in Baseball America magazine by a panel of major league scouting directors.

For the Record

Football--A story on Jim Bonds leaving Alemany High to coach St. Francis reported that Alemany only qualified for the playoffs twice in the 1990s. The Indians qualified twice under Bonds and in 1990.

Football--Steve Hagerty, who resigned as coach at Paraclete, had a record of 68-30 with the Spirits.