LOCAL NOTES : Garrison-Jackson Will Join Dukes for at Least Half of TeamTennis Season

Zina Garrison-Jackson, ranked 22nd in the world by the Women’s Tennis Assn., will play for World TeamTennis’ Newport Beach Dukes, the team announced.

Garrison-Jackson, who lost to Lori McNeil in Sunday’s Edgbaston grass-court tournament in Birmingham, England, has never played World TeamTennis.

Duke Owner Fred Lieberman said Garrison is scheduled to play in at least half of the team’s matches, but the details on her specific availability have not yet been worked out. Garrison-Jackson has won 12 singles titles since turning pro in 1982. Amy Frazier, ranked 19th in the world, and former UC Irvine star Trevor Kronemann also will play for the Dukes this season.

The Dukes begin their season July 7 against Raleigh at the John Wayne Tennis Center.

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Because of state budgets cuts, the Saddleback College men’s and women’s cross-country teams will be suspended for one year, according to the college. The teams will not compete this fall.

The college’s track and field program remains intact. The college is searching for a track and field coach to replace David Murphy, who resigned after the season.

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Ryan Filbeck of Rancho Santiago College and Steve Friedrich and Damon Newman of Fullerton have signed professional baseball contracts.

Filbeck signed with the Florida Marlins, who took him in the 10th round. Filbeck, a right-hander from Esperanza High School, will report to Elmira in the New York-Penn League. He was 8-1 with one save and was 3-0 in the postseason for Rancho Santiago, which won the State championship.

Filbeck also had signed a letter of intent to attend Texas Tech.

Friedrich, a sophomore outfielder from Troy High School, was a ninth-round pick by the Chicago White Sox. He hit .354 for the Hornets this season. Newman, a freshman right-hander from Greensboro, N.C., was taken in ninth round by the Oakland Athletics. He was 3-3 with an 4.53 earned-run average and had 43 strikeouts and 45 walks in 51 2/3 innings.

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Collegiate signings: Ten members of the Saddleback baseball team, five from Rancho Santiago and one from the Cypress softball team have announced plans to play at four-year colleges.

From Saddleback: outfielder Bo Haley, catcher Nathan Malagon, pitcher Mike Boucher and first baseman Justin Drizos are going to Wyoming.

Neil Garcia, a second baseman, and pitcher Tom Waterman are going to Nevada.

Cade Gaspar, a pitcher/infielder, is going to Pepperdine, infielder Scott Holty to Utah, pitcher Steve Lee is bound for Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) and outfielder Mitchell Pang is going to Willamette University (Oregon).

From Rancho Santiago: Tony Truel, an outfielder, and pitcher Jason Dietrich are going to Pepperdine, Steve Thobe, who was the designated hitter and relief pitcher, and third baseman Derek Brown will attend Sacramento State and shortstop Ryan Andersen is going to Lewis-Clark.

Carrie Frederick, the shortstop from Cypress softball team, which finished second at State, is going to Oklahoma.

In addition, Tim Snowden, who was the quarterback for Saddleback’s national championship football team, has signed with New Mexico State. Snowden, from Mission Viejo High, had a 21-1 record in two years as a starter.

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Mike Rush, the former head football coach at Mission Viejo High School, will be a walk-on assistant at Rancho Santiago this fall in charge of linebackers.

Rush had a record of 45-16 in five seasons at Mission Viejo and reached the semifinals of the section playoffs three times.

Rush played at Rancho Santiago in 1965-66. He was a team captain and earned All-South Coast Conference honors as a sophomore.

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Art Jenkins has resigned as basketball coach at Capistrano Valley Christian, the school announced Monday.

Jenkins coached the Eagles to a 39-36 record in three years, including a 21-5 finish and second place in the Olympic League last season.

Jenkins will continue to teach psychology and social sciences at Dana Hills.

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Capistrano Valley’s Eric Seiffert, The Times Orange County volleyball player of the year, said Monday he has accepted an invitation to play in the U.S. Olympic Festival, July 23-Aug. 1 in San Antonio, Tex.

Seiffert, a 6-foot-6 middle blocker who’s headed to USC, joins Esperanza setter Chris Pitzak and middle blocker Paul Nihipali at the festival.

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Nihipali, Pitzak and outside hitter Brad Goldston, who led Esperanza to the Southern Section Division II title, were among nine Orange County players named to Volleyball Monthly magazine’s Fab 50 All-American team.

Capistrano Valley, the Division I runner-up, had two players on the team--Seiffert and outside hitter Aaron Garcia.

Also named to the team were Laguna Beach setter David Berney, Foothill outside hitter Rich Lambourne, Irvine middle blocker Greg Wakeham and Santa Margarita middle blocker Greg Sternchak, who’s headed to UC Irvine.

Two other UC Irvine recruits--Long Beach Poly’s Chris Harger and Chris Cote of San Diego University of San Diego High--also made the team. Irvine tied Brigham Young, UCLA and Stanford with three All-American recruits, one behind leader USC.

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Ryan Meredith, a junior pitcher for Southern California College, has signed with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent, Vanguard Coach Charlie Phillips said Monday.

Meredith (11-3, 1.46 ERA) was named a second-team NAIA All-American. He had 112 strikeouts in 123 innings.

Meredith, who played at Trabuco Hills High School, has been assigned to the Tigers’ rookie league team in Bristol, Va.

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The Southern California College men’s basketball team has announced the signing of five players. They are Dan Hyde, 6-foot-4 guard from Redondo Beach Redondo Union High; Shane Jager, 6-2 guard from Vista High; Eric Price, 6-5 forward from Linn-Benton College in Albany, Ore.; Darren Thomas, a 6-1 guard from Skagit Valley College in Mt. Vernon, Wash., and Mike Ruble, a 6-8 forward from Solano College.