Goldpanners sign USC star, righthand pitcher Redfern
June 1974, Daily News-Miner

Last year when the Alaska Goldpanners won their second straight national championship, George Milke, only a freshman, was voted the team's top pitcher. 

So naturally a few eyebrows were raised earlier this year, when Rod Dedeaux, Milke's coach at the University of Southern California, said he had another young pitcher on his roster even better than Milke.

Instantly there was a mad scramble among representatives of various summer baseball teams across the country, who were trying to find out the name of what obviously had to be a star prospect.

The pitcher's name, it so happened, was Pete Redfern, which was nothing new to the Goldpanners.  Along with Milke, they'd already signed the hard-throwing righthander for the 1974 season, beating everyone else to him.

Redfern's official signing was announced today by the local semi-pro club.

Thus far this spring at USC, the 6-2, 198-pound Redfern has verified everything Dedeaux said about him earlier this year, as he's currently the top winner on the staff, running up a strong 7-1 record for the four-time defending national collegiate champions.

A sophomore with the Trojans, Redfern is a former Los Angeles City prep baseball Player of the Year, an honor he received while pitching for Sylmar High School in the Los Angeles area.

Following his outstanding high school career, the 19-year-old Redfern was selected in the 10th round of the free agent draft by the Cleveland Indians, but passed up signing in favor of attending USC.

Photo Caption: TRJOAN ACE - The Alaska Goldpanners announced the signing today of pitcher Pete Redfern, a sophomore righthander from the University of Southern California.  Redfern is currently the winningest pitcher for the four-time defending national collegiate champion Trojans, and will be expected to play a key role with the Panners this summer as they go after their third straight national title.