Area roundup: LBSU's Hampson and McCaughan honored; Bosco names lacrosse coach

Long Beach State junior shortstop Garrett Hampson and sophomore pitcher Darren McCaughan were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association NCAA Division I All-Region first team on Wednesday.

Hampson and McCaughan are the first Dirtbags to receive ABCA All-Region recognition and the first Long Beach players honored by the ABCA since Evan Longoria was a third-team ABCA All-American in 2006.

Both eaed Big West Conference honors with Hampson being named the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year and McCaughan the Pitcher of the Year.

Last weekend, junior Hampson was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the third round of the MLB Draft; the 81st overall pick. He was a Perfect Game and Louisville Slugger preseason All-American and batted .302 with a team-high 55 runs scored and 23 stolen bases.

He was the only Dirtbags player to start all 60 games, playing every iing at shortstop for the third consecutive season.

McCaughan moved from the bullpen into a starting role and went 10-1 with a 2.03 eaed run average, becoming LBSU’s first 10-game wier in more than a decade and a second-team Louisville Slugger All-American.

The West Region is made up of 39 schools from the Big West, Mountain West, Pac-12, WAC and West Coast Conferences.

High school lacrosse

Christopher Jewett is set to take over as lacrosse coach at St. John Bosco effective July 1.

He was most recently coach at Los Alamitos where he led the Griffins to the 2014 Sunset League championship and was named the 2014 Sunset League Coach of the Year.

Jewett was an All-State lacrosse player and All-Prep All-State quarterback at Providence Country Day High School in East Providence, R.I. before attending Providence College, where he played NCAA Division I lacrosse.

“I am thrilled to become a part of St. John Bosco High School and to be leading the Bosco Braves’ lacrosse program,” he said. “I look forward to the challenge of being a part of Bosco, a legendary college-preparatory school that has tued out so many outstanding students and accomplished athletes. I am excited to get started.”

Book signing

Geoff Griffin will be signing copies of his book, “Brooklyn Bat Boy,” at Gatsby Books in Long Beach, 5535 E. Spring Street, on July 3 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The book is a historical fiction about Jackie Robinson’s breakthrough 1947 season with the Brooklyn Dodgers. There will be baseball history activities and prizes.

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The book is a “middle-grade” chapter book aimed at readers between the third and seventh grades and was released on April 15, Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball.