TUCSON, Ariz. — Former University of Arizona All-American outfielder and current Cleveland Indians Manager Terry Francona has committed $1 million to the Arizona baseball program.

Francona’s donation will be targeted for the baseball capital projects fund, which will include the Terry Francona Hitting Facility at Hi Corbett Field.

“Since I moved back to Tucson four years ago, it has been a priority of mine to give back to the University of Arizona,” Francona said.

“The reason I am doing this is because of the impact the University has had on my life. The people at the University of Arizona gave me an opportunity to go to the professional level, and not just survive, but be prepared. That’s a big reason why I want to give back.”

Francona’s donation comes in addition to a $1 million matching gift made by an anonymous donor in June for stadium capital improvements.

More than $300,000 has already been matched towards this summer’s gift, but there is still an opportunity to contribute towards the remaining $700,000.

Construction on the hitting facility will begin next summer with the goal of being completed by the fall. It will be located in the current footprint of the batting cages, beyond the right field wall.

Current projects at Hi Corbett Field include an installation of a new backstop, the replacement of seating in certain sections behind home plate, and a renovation to the home clubhouse, which is expected to commence following the 2017 season.

Francona batted .321 as a freshman in 1978 and .378 as a sophomore before batting .401 with nine home runs, 26 doubles and 84 RBI as a junior. In addition to leading the Wildcats to a national title in 1980, Francona won the Golden Spikes Award and was an All-American.

“Terry Francona makes a hall of fame impact with everything he does,” said Arizona Head Coach Jay Johnson.  

“I am beyond thankful for this gift to our program, and I can’t think of anyone’s name I would rather have on the facility than Tito’s. This is a special day and a great step for Arizona baseball in our pursuit of producing one of the best player-development platforms in the country.”

TUCSON, Ariz. — An all-star lineup of high school players headlines Collegiate Baseball’s 2017 Pre-Season High School All-America baseball team.

The players on this list represent not only amazing athletic ability and talent in their respective positions, but they also are among the most sought after players by pro scouts and college recruiters.

The majority of the players have committed to a college and most have received national recognition already. Many were players of the year in their league, region or sate and have racked up a number of awards. They were nominated for the honor by their high school coach.

For statistics and details about each member of the 2017 Collegiate Baseball Pre-Season H.S. All-America team, purchase the Jan. 27, 2017 edition of Collegiate Baseball newspaper or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.

This issue also includes a state-by-state list of the top high school players to watch in the country as well as the top 30 teams in Collegiate Baseball’s National High School Baseball Pre-Season Poll.

First Team
Pitchers

CJ Van Eyk, RHP, Steinbrenner HS, Lutz, FL
Logan Allen, LHP, University HS, Orange City, FL
Cody Greenhill, RHP, Russellville HS, AL
Jacob Palisch, LHP, Dallas Jesuit HS, Dallas, TX
Jeremiah Estrada, RHP, Palm Desert HS, CA
Seth Lonsway, LHP, Celina HS, OH
Jacob Heatherly, LHP, Cullman HS, AL
Jacob Kuchmaner, LHP, Marvin Ridge HS, Waxhaw, NC
Brandon Kaminer, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, FL
Luke Boswell, RHP, Grace Christian HS, Alexandria, LA
Jordan Butler, LHP, Alonso HS, Tampa, FL
Tanner Smith, RHP, Houston HS, MS
Adam Goree, LHP, Barbe HS, Lake Charles, LA
Hans Crouse, RHP, Dana Hills HS, Dana Point, CA
Cole Henry, RHP, Florence HS, AL
Mitchell Stone, LHP, Deer Creek HS, Edmond, OK
John Kodros, LHP, Coppell HS, TX
Kyle Hurt, RHP, Torrey Pines HS, San Diego, CA
Sam Carlson, RHP, Burnsville HS, MN
Joe Graziano, LHP, Lake Central HS, St. John, IN
Matt Litwicki, RHP, Lake Central HS, St. John, IN
Ryan Hoerter, RHP, Indian Trail Academy, Kenosha, WI
Gil Luna, LHP, Casa Grande HS, AZ
Shane Baz, RHP, Concordia Lutheran HS, Tomball, TX
Garrett Hunter Ruth, RHP, Buchholz HS, Gainesville, FL

Catchers

Sam Praytor, Helena HS, AL
Steven Williams, Deerfield-Windsor HS, Albany, GA
Joe Donovan, Westmont HS, IL
Luis Campusano, Cross Creek HS, Augusta, GA
Mervyl (MJ) Melendez Jr., Westminster Christian, Miami, FL
Jacob Wyeth, Lake Travis HS, Austin, TX

Infielders

Nick Brueser, 1B, Hamilton HS, Chandler, AZ
Garrett Gouldsmith, SS, Rio Rancho HS, NM
Casey Martin, SS, Lonoke HS, AR
Quentin Selma, 3B, Buchanan HS, Clovis, CA
Nolan Gorman, 3B, Sandra Day O’Connor HS, Phoenix, AZ
Cash Case, SS/3B, The First Academy, Orlando, FL
Trevor Hauver, SS/2B, Perry HS, Gilbert, AZ
Tanner Allen, SS, UMS-Wright Prep, Mobile, AL
Ryan Vilade, SS, Stillwater HS, OK
Jacob Gonzalez, 3B, Chaparral HS, Scottsdale, AZ
Justyn Henry Malloy, 3B/SS, St. Joseph Regional HS, Montvale, NJ
Nick Allen, SS/2B, Francis Parker HS, San Diego, CA
Alejandro Toral, 1B, Archbishop McCarthy HS, Southwest Ranches, FL
Royce Lewis, SS, JSerra Catholic HS, San Juan Capistrano, CA
Brady McConnell, SS, Merritt Island HS, FL
Nick Egnatuk, 3B, Immacualta HS, Somerville, NJ

Outfielders

Calvin Mitchell, Rancho Bernardo HS, San Diego, CA
Jordon Adell, Ballard HS, Louisville, KY
Nicholas Webre, Teurlings Catholic HS, Lafayette, LA
Jason Rooks, Walton HS, Marietta, GA
Quentin Holmes, Monsignor McClancy Memorial HS, East Elmhurst, NY
Judd Ward, Russellville HS, AL
Alex Leshock, Marvin Ridge HS, Waxhaw, NC
Jordan Anderson, James Clemens HS, Madison, AL
Coleman Brannen, The Westfield School, Perry, GA
Cole Turney, Fort Bend Travis HS, Richmond, TX
Cody Masters, Coppell HS, TX
Tanner O’Tremba, Cherry Creek HS, Greenwood Village, CO
Drew Waters, Etowah HS, Woodstock, GA

Multi-Position Players

Hunter Greene, INF/RHP, Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks, CA
Tanner Burns, RHP/SS, Decatur HS, AL
Kolby Somers, LHP/1B/OF, Century HS, Hillsboro, OR
Logan Savoy, LHP/1B, South Beauregard HS, Longville, LA
Noel Vela, LHP/OF, Mission Veterans HS, Mission, TX
Owen Lovell, RHP/OF/1B, Cullman HS, AL
Hagan Danner, RHP/C, Huntington Beach HS, CA
Nick Storz, RHP/OF, Poly Prep Country Day School, Brooklyn, NY
Seth Corry, LHP/OF, Lone Peak HS, Highland, UT
Conner Uselton, CF/RHP, Southmoore HS, Moore, OK
Trevor Rogers, LHP/1B, Carlsbad HS, NM
Nick Pratto, LHP/OF, Huntington Beach HS, CA
Kyle Jacobsen, OF/LHP, Allatoona HS, Acworth, GA
Ben Jordan, RHP/1B/OF, West Carter County HS, Olive Hill, KY
Ryan Kutt, 1B/RHP, Brother Rice HS, Chicago, IL
Danny Zimmerman, 1B/OF/RHP, Redondo Union HS, Redondo Beach, CA
Weston Bizzle, RHP/OF, Christian Brothers HS, Memphis, TN
Jimmy Joyce, P/3B, Wantagh HS, NY

Second Team

Pitchers

Brian Baxa, RHP, Danville HS, KY
Kevin Abel, RHP, Madison HS, San Diego, CA
Sam Keating, RHP, Canterbury School, Fort Myers, FL
Austin Marozas, RHP, Plainfield South HS, Plainfield, IL
Ledgend Smith, LHP, Binger-Oney HS, Binger, OK
Patrick Wicklander, LHP, Valley Christian HS, San Jose, CA
Beaux Bonvillain, LHP, Bryant HS, AR
Holden Powell, RHP, Mt. Whitney HS, Visalia, CA
Jacob Lindemann, RHP, Burlington HS, WI
Hunter Milligan, LHP, Greenbrier HS, AR
Jack Conlon, RHP, Clements HS, Sugar Land, TX
Conner Nantkes, LHP, Cherokee Trail HS, Aurora, CO
Mason Hickman, RHP, Pope John Paul II HS, Hendersonville, TN
Caleb Mitchell, LHP, Parkview HS, Lilburn, GA
Carson Hall, RHP, Randolph School, Huntsville, AL
Joe Boyle, RHP, North Oldham HS, Goshen, KY
Timmy Townsend, RHP, Providence HS, NC

Catchers

Cody Milligan, Binger-Oney HS, Binger, OK
Dalton Cornett, Knott County Central HS, Hindman, KY
Jake Taylor, Shawnee HS, OK
Philip Clarke, Christ Presbyterian Academy, Nashville, TN
Dillon Dingler, Massillon Jackson HS, Massillon, OH

Infielders

Shane Easter, SS, Comstock HS, Kalamazoo, MI
Brice Turong, SS, Santiago HS, Corona, CA
Brendan Regan, SS/2B, Walsh Jesuit HS, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Jayson Gonzalez, SS/3B, Bishop Amat HS, La Puente, CA
Nicholas Isreal, SS/2B, Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas, NV
Jose Ciccarello, SS, Alonso HS, Tampa, FL
Antonio Gauthier, 3B, Barbe HS, Lake Charles, LA
Griffith Olinde, 2B/3B Claiborne Christian School, West Monroe, LA

Outfielders

Patrick DeMarco, Winder-Barrow HS, Winder, GA
Adan Fernandez, Archbishop McCarthy, Southwest Ranches, FL
Garrett Mitchell, Orange Lutheran HS, Orange, CA
Justin Henry, Rutgers Prep, Somerset, NJ
Ben Nisle, Lake Central HS, St. John, IN
Alex Thomas, Mount Carmel HS, Chicago, IL
Austin Beck, North Davidson HS, Lexington, NC
Hayden Leatherwood, Christian Brothers HS, Memphis, TN

Multi-Position Players

Joe Perez, 3B/RHP, Archbishop McCarthy HS, Southwest Ranches, FL
Devin Ortiz, SS/RHP, St. Joseph Regional HS, Montvale, NJ
Beau Hanna, C/OF, Winder-Barrow HS, Winder, GA
Hayden Cantrelle, RHP/SS, Teurlings Catholic HS, Lafayette, LA
Ben Brooks, SS/RHP/C, Pope John Paul II HS, Hendersonville, TN
Payton Freeman, OF/RHP, Lone Peak HS, Highland, UT
Tyler Knapp, RHP/INF/OF, Menchville HS, Newport News, VA
Cole Bellinger, 2B/RHP, Hamilton HS, Chandler, AZ
Drew Swift, SS/RHP, Hamilton HS, Chandler, AZ
Tylor Fischer, RHP/OF, Langham Creek HS, Houston, TX
Zebulon Vermillion, RHP/OF, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, KS
Sean Mullen, RHP/SS, Stockdale HS, Bakersfield, CA
Shane Muntz, C/RHP, Malvern Prep, Malvern, PA
Christian Chamberlain, LHP/OF, Reno HS, NV
Chance Clark, SS/RHP South Beauregard HS, Longville, LA

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

INDIANAPOLIS — Illegal bat tampering has reared its ugly head once again in college baseball, according to Elvis Dominguez, chairman of the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee.

An unusually high number of people reported illegal bats being used during the 2016 season which alarmed the Rules Committee.

So much so that the Rules Committee would like to see bat testing prior to NCAA Division I Regionals, Super Regionals and the College World Series in 2017, if approved by the proper committees. For the past few years, bat testing has taken place prior to the College World Series.

Going a step further, Dominguez said that members of the committee would also like to see bat testing within NCAA Division I Conferences and go after players who use illegal bats with a penalty so tough that it would make a young man think twice about doing it.

“If a young man is found to have taken steroids, he will lose 365 days of eligibility,” said Dominguez, also the head coach at Bradley University.

“Several members of the Rules Committee feel such a penalty might not be out of line for a player caught using an illegal, high performing bat. I can tell you that members of the Baseball Rules Committee were not too happy with all the calls we received last season about illegal bat use.”

Dominguez said that three NCAA Division I leagues will utilize bat testing in 2017 in the Southeastern, Big 12 and Missouri Valley conferences.

 “To stop this problem, we would prefer every conference in NCAA baseball on the Division I level test bats. But we can’t make everyone do it this year.

“Before we make it mandatory for all NCAA divisions, we must see if the $1,350 cost of purchasing these machines is doable for conferences on all NCAA levels. Any time you have a cost associated with a rule, you must be very careful you don’t mandate it across the board without some research.

“I was on the NCAA Rules Committee back in 2008 when we began formulating plans to use the current BBCOR specification bats on the market,” said Dominguez.

“Once the regulations went into effect for these bats, we thought the problem of high performance bats was over. But last season, the Rules Committee got more calls than we ever expected on players utilizing illegal bats that had been rolled or had the barrels shaved for more trampoline effect.

“In some cases, you were seeing 6-7 batters from the same team using the exact same bat which is a telltale sign that an illegal bat was being used.

“When we got to the College World Series where bat testing is utilized, a number of bats (20) did not pass and were taken out of play before the CWS started.

Dominguez explained what the Missouri Valley Conference plans to do in 2017 for bat testing.

“The plan is to test every bat for both conference teams prior to a series. A special colored sticker will be put on each bat which is next to impossible to remove. That week we might use a red sticker. The following week, it could be gold and so on. Then ONLY those bats with the proper stickers will be allowed to be used in those games.

“During mid-week games and other non-league games, both coaches must agree to bat testing. Doing well against non-conference teams is so important to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.”

Dominguez said that many NCAA Division I teams have sponsorships through bat companies.

“A school may use a certain brand name bat. But this doesn’t prevent players from purchasing their own bats through bat doctoring firms that have been rolled or had the barrel interior shaved for greater trampoline effect on hit balls. Or they can send their own personal bat to these companies to be doctored.”

Bat rolling is a process that can add significant pop and distance to a baseball bat. By rolling a bat illegally, unethical people enjoy the bat’s maximum potential from the very first swing without putting all the wear and tear on it.

The bat is placed between two rollers and then pressure is applied so that as the bat passes through the rollers as the bat’s fibers are stretched out.

This causes the fibers to become more flexible which greatly improves the bat’s trampoline effect when balls hit the barrel resulting in increased batted ball speed and distance. It will make the sweet spot bigger and much more consistent as well.

Not only that, but the bat barrel walls are being shaved on the inside for greater trampoline effect as well.

To read more of this story, purchase the Jan. 27, 2017 edition or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.