Karen Quincy Loberg / Star staff Jonathan Meyer will take his prodigious talent to baseball powerhouse Cal St. Fullerton.

Jonathan Meyer must be one lucky baseball player.

Wherever he goes, teams become big winners.

It started way back when he was 7 years old with his hometown Simi Valley squad winning the Pinto World Series.

Just last month, with Meyer holding down shortstop and the No. 5 slot in the lineup, Simi Valley High completed its first CIF-Southern Section Division I championship with a 4-1 victory in nine innings over defending champion Long Beach Wilson.

OK, we get it. It's actually the teams Meyer plays on that are lucky.

"He's just a winner," submits Simi Valley High coach Matt La Belle. "He plays hard. He knows how to play the game. He makes everyone around him better."

Simi Valley's prodigious season, which featured the program's first Marmonte League crown in 15 years and the first Division I title, came with Meyer as the Pioneer linchpin.

After earning the starting assignment at shortstop as a sophomore, Meyer blossomed into a star as a junior.

He led Simi Valley in batting average (.402), runs scored (34) and was second in hits (41). He topped Ventura County in RBIs with 43 and tied for the county lead in home runs with nine.

For good measure, he anchored Simi Valley's defense with his accurate arm and quick release.

Meyer, typically, focuses on the 2008 season as a team triumph. Winning a CIF-SS championship wasn't exactly on the radar when practice began.

"It was awesome," said the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Meyer. "Most of the guys on the team had played together a long time. We knew we had talent, but we also knew it's so hard to win a championship. Everybody did their part."

Meyer concludes his junior season as a first-team all-league, all-county and all-Division I selection and, now, as The Star's Baseball Player of the Year.

Simi Valley's junior shortstop epitomized the spirit of a team that went about its business with all the bluster and bravado of a collection of monks. That is, none at all.

Instead, the Pioneers brought their lunch pails to practice and dug in like steelworkers.

"It's all about hard work for us," said Meyer. "We're a bunch of friends who really want to win together. Our focus was on getting better every game. If you lose a game, you've got to forget about it and get ready for the next one."

Thriving amidst a rugged Marmonte League proved to be vital for the playoff run. Simi Valley's 25-8 record included a mark of 1 in league, good for a first-place tie and a share of the first league crown since 1993.

"We feel like our league is as good as any in Southern California," said Meyer. "If we did well in our league, we knew we could beat any team in the playoffs."

The steepest challenge turned out to be the championship game at Dodger Stadium, where the opponent was defending champion and nationally ranked Long Beach Wilson. The Bruins' starting pitcher was Aaron Hicks, a five-tool talent was was the 14th player selected in round one of the baseball draft.

Hicks, chosen by the Minnesota Twins, had been clocked as high as 97 mph.

"We knew it would be tough, but we also have a lot of confidence," said Meyer. "We had to play smart and be patient. We couldn't swing at bad pitches."

Simi Valley mounted a three-run rally in the ninth to snap a 1-1 deadlock and post a 4-1 victory.

Along with a championship, Meyer also can savor prime personal achievements.

Though only a junior, he was offered, and accepted, a baseball scholarship to Cal State Fullerton. He also earned an invitation to the USA under-18 national tryout camp.

Meyer savors both opportunities.

"Cal State Fullerton has always been my favorite school," he said. "It's a great feeling to know I'll be playing in college, and I can focus on my senior year.

"I know the USA camp is going to include so many great players. It can't help but make me a better player to be in that group."