UA baseball team loses 1 player, may add another

Arizona Summer Wildcat File Photo
Omar Moraga

Former Arizona third baseman Omar Moraga opted to skip out on his final season when he signed with the Cleveland Indians last week.

Moraga, who hit .326 with four home runs and 43 RBIs last year, was taken by the Indians in the 50th round of the Major League Amateur Draft June 3.

He had said he wouldn't consider signing until after he was done trying out for the USA Baseball national team.

Moraga failed to make the cut and then signed his contract last week.

UA head coach Jerry Stitt said Moraga's departure was a surprise.

"Yeah, a little bit. We didn't expect him to go since he was drafted so late," Stitt said.

The plan had been to shift Moraga to second base next year with Erik Mattern having completed his eligibility and signed with San Francisco.

Instead, Moraga will be playing second base for the Indians' minor league affiliate in Watertown, N.Y. (A).

While sophomore Erik Torres will still be available to start at third, the Wildcats now have a gaping hole at second.

The solution, though, may have manifested itself in the form of Tucson native Andy Juday, who is transferring to UA from Kansas.

Juday, a 1995 Canyon del Oro High School graduate, was a three year starter at second base for the Jayhawks, batting .365 with 10 home runs in 1997 and .347 this past year.

Because of NCAA rules Stitt can't officially comment on Juday until he is given a scholarship by Arizona, something that Stitt said is not yet available.

DeRenne shines as USA beats Honduras

Keoni DeRenne, a UA sophomore shortstop playing second base for the USA Baseball national team, led the Americans to a 12-1 win over Honduras Monday, giving USA a 4-2 record at the World Championship Qualifier tournament in Nicaragua.

DeRenne went 2 for 4 with a home run and a two-run single as the game had to be called after the seventh inning because of the international run-differential rule, which ends the game if a team has a 10 run or more lead after seven innings.

The national team needs to finish in the top five at the tournament to qualify for the World Championships in late July in Italy.

Kron makes rugby All-American

After initially being left off the 1998 All American Rugby Club, junior fullback Chris Kron has not only made it on to the team, nicknamed the All-Americans, but earned a starting position as the team defeated the United States Combined Services team, 43-13, at Long Beach State University June 17.

Kron, who has helped lead the Wildcats to a 17-4 Southern California Conference record since his arrival three years ago, is the first UA player to start for the All-Americans, which has UA head coach Dave Sitton as the general manager and assistant coach.

AD names new coach for women's golf

Not even a month after the UA women's golf team finished second in the Master Card national collegiate golf rankings, associate head coach Todd McCorkle has been promoted to head coach, replacing Rick LaRose, who will hold on to his duties as the men's golf coach.

McCorkle, a former professional golfer, has been the associate head coach for both the men's and women's teams since October.

Former UA softball stars named to national team

With five national softball titles between them, former UA players Leah O'Brien and Amy Chellevold have been named to the 1998 Women's National Team which will compete in the Women's World Championships in Fuyunomiya City, Japan, July 20-30.

The tournament is the biggest showdown of world softball powers as five berths will be on the line for the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia. While the USA does not expect trouble in landing a spot in the Olympics, the championships will be an insight into the rivalry between Australia and America. Australia has beaten the USA three times within the last three competitions, including an upset win in the Atlanta Olympics.

Cochrane goes from softball to hardball

Another former UA softball player, catcher Leah Cochrane, has left the game to pursue a career in baseball.

Cochrane and former UA basketball player Dawn Bergeson have both signed on to play with the Arizona Peppers, which will begin play with a home game against the San Jose Spitfires at Scottsdale Stadium July 9.

The team will play 56 games against five different opponents ranging from the Florida Legends to the Buffalo Nighthawks and the Long Beach Aces.