"He's as good as there is"

Trevor Bauer, a straight-A student who wants to be an engineer, recently took his final test at Newhall's Hart High School, and come Jan. 5, he'll start classes at UCLA.

"I can't wait," Bauer said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."

Bauer isn't the first high school athlete to graduate early. USC has had three early graduates in quarterback John David Booty, catcher Robert Stock and guard Daniel Hackett.

As a pitcher last season, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound right-hander struck out 106, walked 15 and had an 0.79 earned-run average in 70 2/3 innings. He threw four shutouts and had a career-high 16 strikeouts against West Torrance.

"He's as good as there is out there," UCLA Coach John Savage said.