After all, the 6-foot, 175-pound second baseman started his first full professional season by batting .364 in spring training as a non-roster invitee, then was a big hit at three levels of the Giants farm system. Frandsen, whose family lives in Willow Glen, went from Class A San Jose to Double-A Norwich and on to Triple-A Fresno, hitting .335 overall, including .351 clips in both the California and Pacific Coast Leagues.

Despite hitting primarily in the second spot, Frandsen managed to drive in 76 runs, attributable mostly to his 40 doubles. His 172 hits were tied for seventh-most in the entire minor leagues, and his 23 times hit-by-pitch were sixth-most. He also muscled six home runs, stole 21 bases and was the ninth-toughest strikeout in the minors, fanning only 41 times in 514 at-bats. He also earned a trip to the All-Star Futures Game in Detroit and played in the Arizona Fall League.

In September, Frandsen rejoined the San Jose Giants for the playoffs. He batted .367 with a home run and six RBIs, helping San Jose capture the California League championship. He was named the team's co-Most Valuable Player.

In a December edition of Baseball America, Frandsen was ranked ninth among the Giants' top 10 prospects. In another report, California League managers lauded him as the "Top Defensive Second Baseman."

Taylor a champion

Zachary Taylor, a resident of Willow Glen, finished first for West Valley College in the 157-pound weight class at the California Community College State Wrestling Championships held Dec. 9-10 at Fresno City College.

Taylor, who has been wrestling since he was in the sixth grade, was ranked sixth in the weight class entering the tourney. A year ago, he finished second to Bobby Pease of Los Gatos at 152 pounds in the Central Coast Section finals. A year earlier, he had finished fifth in CCS at 140 pounds.

Macchi in Italy

Former Willow Glen star quarterback David Macchi led the Bergamo Lions, an Italian-American football team, to a league championship this past season. Macchi was a standout quarterback at Valparaiso University after leaving Willow Glen, leading his club to the Pioneer League championship.

Kim a Spartan

Naomi Kim, who finished second for Fremont in the 2004 Central Coast Section girls golf tournament, is a member of the SJSU women's golf team.

Field hockey stars

Katie Cummings, a freshman midfielder from Monta Vista, played in 13 of 20 field hockey games for UC-Berkeley in the fall, making both of her shots on goal. Another freshman, goalie Veronica Sykes (Del Mar), started all 20 games for the Bears and made 10 of her 75 saves in an NCAA play-off game against Wake Forest.

Several other Cal Bears began their field hockey careers at local high schools. Among them are sophomore Jenny Crane and freshman sister Missy Crane, Los Gatos residents who attended St. Francis. Jenny scored eight goals and Missy tallied seven this season.

Epidendio a Spartan

Nick Epidendio (Mitty) begins his senior baseball season this month at San José State. He was "Co-Newcomer of the Year" in 2005, after batting .267 with 12 doubles, 20 runs scored and 30 RBI in 44 games.

Area softball players

Two former Monta Vista players, Danielle Brown and Sarah Taylor, are freshmen in San José State's softball program. Another newcomer for the Spartans is sophomore pitcher Kelly Harrison (Leland), a transfer from Saint Mary's College. Harrison pitched in 24 games, nine as a starter, for the Gaels as a freshman.

Santa Clara University's double-play combination this season could feature a pair of seniors, Shannon Linerud (Presentation) at shortstop and Jenny Brown (Westmont) at second base. The Broncos have hired Los Gatos-area pitching instructor Lisa Mize as an assistant coach for the upcoming season.

Kelley a gymnast

Jessica Kelley (Homestead) is in her first season on Cal's gymnastics team. Kelley was a five-time Level 10 national qualifier while competing for Airborne Gymnastics of Santa Clara. Meanwhile, Alise Blackwell (Mitty), a teammate at Airborne, has started her collegiate career at San José State.

Mollet at Sac State

Ali Mollet, a 2004 graduate of Del Mar, is a sophomore guard on the women's basketball team at Sacramento State and has played in each of the first 10 games for the Hornets this season.

Mollet's Del Mar teammates, Gladia Castro and Nadia Walton, who both graduated last spring, are playing basketball at De Anza College.

Top U.S. rowers

Megan Cooke and Megan Dirkmaat, both graduates of UC-Berkeley, were each members of the 2005 U.S. National Rowing Team that competed at the 2005 FISA World Rowing Championships in Gifu, Japan.

Dirkmaat, a graduate of Lincoln High School, was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team that won a silver medal in Athens. The 29-year-old from San Jose was an all-Pac 10 rower for the Golden Bears.

Cooke, a graduate of Los Gatos, competed in the women's double sculls at the world championships in her second straight year at the FISA event. The 25-year-old started her career in 1995 with the Los Gatos Rowing Club.

Bob Scudder, Kevin Sparrer and Dick Sparrer all contributed to this story.