Two Indio High School spring sports stars are making news in the fall.
Seniors Heather Morales and Alex Chavarria have announced verbal commitments to Div. 1 college programs.
Chavarria, the Desert Valley League’s most valuable pitcher as junior and already a three-year varsity baseball player, will play for USC.
Morales. a standout softball pitcher who was the Desert Sun’s Player of the Years as  junior, had committed earlier to Hawaii, but both made a formal announcement upon the return to classes this year.
Baseball coach Mark Brenner confirmed Chavarria’s announcement.
“Alex has verbally committed to play baseball at USC,’’ said Brenner, whose program has Alex’s older brother Antonio  (Cal Baptist) and Edgar Gomez (Long Beach) already on college scholarships. “We are all very excited and proud of him. Alex is very talented and has worked extremely hard all his life to become the player he is today.  So nothing makes me happier then to see an opportunity like this to come his way.”
The 5-11, 175-pounder pitcher/catcher sparked the Rajahs to a 22-6 record last season. He batted .422 with 31 RBI and three home runs. He posted a 1.11 ERA in 76 innings pitched with 19 walks and 85 strikeouts.
He finished with an 8-3 mark as a pitcher and will join two other DVL players on the Trojans’ roster; Brooks Kriske and Kaz Halcovich, both of Palm Desert.
Morales has been a DVL all-star all three varsity seasons and was co-MVP of the DVL as a junior. She was 7-5 as a pitcher for the 19-9 Rajahs. She posted a 0.69 ERA and fanned 117 batters with just 30 walks. Morales led the team with her .479 batting average and 20 home runs.
According to Brenner, an official letter of intent signing ceremony will be held in November.