Sharts, Leighton Earn Top Awards

Following in the footsteps of four other Ventura County baseball players in the 1980s, Simi Valley High’s Scott Sharts and Fillmore’s Willie Leighton have been named Southern Section players of the year in the 5-A and 1-A divisions.

Thousand Oaks’ Kurt Stillwell (1983, 4-A), Rio Mesa’s Craig Good (1985, 3-A), Simi Valley’s Scott Radinsky (1986, 4-A) and Rio Mesa’s Sean Luft (1986, 3-A) all earned player-of-the-year honors.

Sharts was selected co-player of the year in the 5-A after batting .471 with 15 home runs and 37 runs batted in.

Sharts, who played first base when not pitching, was 10-1 with an earned-run average of 1.88 last season. The 6-6, 225-pound right-hander has signed a letter of intent to play for Miami.

Leighton, a left-handed pitcher who led Fillmore to a record of 24-2 and the 1-A title, was 15-0 last season with a 1.46 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 101 innings.

Cal-Hi Sports named the Fillmore pitcher state Small Schools Player of the Year and named Rio Mesa’s Dmitri Young freshman of the year.