Western’s Mark Holiday Declared Ineligible

The Western High School baseball team must play its eight remaining Orange League games without ace left-hander Mark Holiday, who was ruled academically ineligible Monday when third-quarter grades were reported to the school.

Holiday, a junior who threw a two-hitter last Wednesday to help the Pioneers (12-5-1) defeat Westminster for the West Anaheim Lions Club tournament championship, did not maintain a C average, as required by the Anaheim Union High School District.

Holiday was 6-2 this season with a 2.12 earned-run average and 60 strikeouts. Western, the defending Southern Section 3-A runner-up, is in fourth place at 4-3, a half game behind Savanna (4-2-1).