Selected by the San Francisco Giants as the 32nd overall pick in the 2007 pro baseball draft, Noonan was honored as an all-star last year by Baseball America magazine after batting .316 for the Giants' Arizona Rookie League team.

This season, Noonan is playing second base for Augusta, Ga., which leads the Southern Division of the Single-A South Atlantic League. Through 84 games, Noonan was batting .289 (103-for-357) and led the GreenJackets in doubles (21) and triples (seven).

Noonan opted for pro ball over a baseball scholarship to Clemson University after graduating from Francis Parker High.

Playing in the South, Noonan said he has managed to endure the humidity but finds the 12-hour bus rides the greatest challenge.

“You leave after a road game about 11:30 at night and don't get home to (Augusta) until sometime late in the morning. That is really tough,” Noonan said. “Fortunately, we had an off day to catch up on our sleep after this latest trip.”

Noonan lives with three teammates near the Augusta National Golf Club.

“It seems like we have a thunderstorm every day,” Noonan said. “But we live in a nice area and always seem to get our games in every night.”

Noonan has his sights set on migrating west to San Jose of the California League, still Single-A but considered a higher level of competition.

“If nothing else, the weather will be a lot better,” Noonan said. “More than that, though, this is an organization eager to bring youth into the system. For me it is the best position I could ask for.”

Dickerson honored

A back injury during outfielder Alex Dickerson's sophomore year at Poway High nearly ended his baseball career. Surgery and hours of rehab put Dickerson back on the field. He concluded his senior season by being chosen first-team all-state by CalHiSports.com and MaxPreps.

Dickerson batted .455 with eight home runs and 44 RBI as a senior. He was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 48th round, which might have been a misleading indicator because most scouts figured Dickerson was planning to accept a baseball scholarship to Indiana University.

“I'm excited about what Indiana has to offer,” Dickerson said. “Bloomington is a really connected college town. Baseball there is an up-and-coming program that ranked No. 6 in the nation for batting last season.”

Combined no-hitter

In his third professional appearance for Missoula, Mont., of the Pioneer Rookie League, El Capitan High graduate Miles Reagan combined with two relievers for a no-hitter in a 1-0 win over Helena.

Reagan, a seventh-round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in June, pitched the first four innings. Reagan, a 6-foot-4, 197-pound right-hander, allowed two walks and struck out three. Jesse Orosco Jr., formerly of Grossmont College and the son of longtime major league reliever Jesse Orosco, followed Reagan and set down nine batters in succession. Bryan Shaw pitched the final two innings.

Basketball camps

Candice Wiggins, winner of the Wade Trophy as women's college basketball's player of the year, will host a camp for boys and girls Aug. 1-3 at La Jolla Country Day. There will be nine instructors for the 90 campers, ages 8-17, including Wiggins, a Stanford All-American who plays in the WNBA for the Minnesota Lynx. Cost is $150. Information: (858) 453-3440.

Jared Dudley (Charlotte Bobcats), Jim Harrick (Denver Nuggets), Mohamed Abukar (Atlanta Hawks) and Lorenzo Wade (San Diego State University) are scheduled to appear as counselors for the 14th annual Stockton Knights camp Aug. 4-8 at Hoover High. The camp, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, is free for boys entering fourth through ninth grades. Information: (619) 459-2167.

The next step

Local athletes continuing their careers at the college level:

FOOTBALL: Cathedral Catholic's Doug Scott, Western Michigan; Mission Bay's Evan Taylor, San Jose State; El Capitan's Garrett Jarvis, Minnesota-Crookston; El Capitan's A.J. Conti, Minnesota-Crookston.

 Staff writers Steve Brand and Nicole Vargas contributed to this report.