FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
TAMPA – 2009 BIG EAST Coach of the year Lelo Prado and University of South Florida baseball team has announced the arrival of 10 newcomers to the USF baseball program.
"With this class we elevated the level of talent," said Prado. "This is a class that I feel has a chance to be very good. They work hard and they are the kind of young men we want in our program. We don’t have to tell them about doing extra work. We don’t have them to tell them to lift. They just do it. "
The group of talented newcomers consists of four pitchers and six position players. Coach Prado and his coaching staff drew from seven players from Bay Area high schools, Jefferson, Jesuit, Alonso, Zephyrhills, Palm Harbor University, Cardinal Mooney and Plant and then dipped into the junior college ranks to snag three players.
The class of 2009-10 includes: Chad Taylor, SS/P, Jefferson HS, Tampa, Fla.; Jimmy Falla, OF/1B, Jesuit HS, Jesuit, Fla.; Ray Delphey, OF/P, Alonso HS, Tampa, Fla.; Austin Adams, P, Zephyrhills HS, Zephyrhills, Fla. Anthony Diaz, OF, University HS, Palm Harbor, Fla.; Jake Lowe, P, HB Plant HS, Tampa, Fla. ; Eric Sim, C, Colby Community College, British Colombia.; Roberto Sanchez, INF, Indian River Community College, Vero Beach, Fla.; Nick Confronti, OF/SS, Cardinal Mooney HS, Sarasota, Fla.; Jimmy Moran, P, CCBC- Catonsville, Kississime, Fla.;
"These players have the potential to be front line players for us. Not only in the future but also this year as well, "added Prado.
Complete list and bios of the 2009-10 Signees:
Anthony Diaz
Position: OF
Class: Freshman
Ht: 5’11 Wt: 180
Palm Harbor, Fla.
Palm Harbor University
Coach Ward on Diaz…
"Anthony is a switch hitter who will be competing for time in the outfield. Anthony is very baseball savvy and spent several summers with Roy Silver at the Winning Inning. Anthony has a great work ethic and understanding of the game which will make him fit in nicely to our style here at USF"
Prep: Four year letter winner in baseball and two year letter winner in football… Captain of his baseball team for two years and named defensive player of the year for three years… Received All Conference honors… Hit .370 during his senior year of high school and he hit a total of 15 RBI’s.
Personal: Full name is Anthony Francisco Diaz… Son of Carlos Diaz and Natalie Ostroski…Has two sisters: Kaitlyn Ostroski and Isabella Diaz… Born Dec. 19, 1990…Father played baseball at Oklahoma State University and was pro baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays…Attended Palm Harbor University High School…Part of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society …Enjoys fishing…Majoring in business.
Jake Lowe
Position: RHP
Class: Freshman
Ht: 6’0 Wt: 180
Tampa, Fla.
H.B. Plant HS
Coach Collazo on Lowe…
"Jake is another player that we signed early. He comes from a great high school in Plant HS. He is a three-quarter to side-arm pitchers who throws a lot of strikes. He is someone who will throw a lot of first pitch strikes. He does not get behind in the count with hitters. He is a guy is always ahead of the hitters, 0-1,1-2. We look for him to step into a middle relief or set up role."
Prep: Seond team all county and second team Western conference during his sophomore year of high school…Third team all state, first team all county and second team Western conference during his senior year… Four-year letter winner in baseball… 7-3 during his senior year of high school and with an ERA of 1.04 while leading Jesuit to the 5A District 10 Championship…Pitcher of the year during his sophomore and senior year of high school.
Personal: Full name is Jacob Bryan Lowe… Son of Fred Lowe and Nancy Jacobs…Two sisters named Lindsey and Sarah…Attended H.B. Plant High School… Born October 19, 1990… National honors society… Honor roll every semester during high school…Majoring in Biomedical Sciences.
Austin Adams
Position: RHP
Class: Freshman
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 190
Tampa, Fla.
Zephyrhills HS
Coach Collazo on Adams…
"We signed him early after one of our prospect camps. We feel great things are going to happen with him. He is a hard worker and he has gotten very strong already. He is a kid that should see a lot of innings for us this year. He can throw two to three pitches for strikes. He’s a hard worker."
Prep: Third team all conference during his junior year of high school… Lettered in baseball all four years of high school and lettered one year in basketball …Earned a 1.98 ERA during his junior year of high school… Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 539th-ranked prospect in the country.
Personal: Full name is Austin Lance Adams… Son of Russell and Penney Adams… Born May 15, 1991…Majoring in physical education… Enjoys weight lifting, playing guitar, watching movies and listening to music…Favorite food is grilled chicken.
Ray Delphey
Position: RHP
Class: Freshman
Ht: 5’10 Wt: 200
Tampa, Fla.
Alonso HS
Coach Collazo on Delphey…
Ray is someone we are very fortunate to have here as a freshman. Ray could have easily been a pro player. He is a power guy, 92-93 mph and will top off at 94 with a power breaking ball. The biggest thing we see with Ray is his mound presence. He gets after it. He is a no non-sense type of pitcher. That is what we are looking for. He will vie for a starting job in the rotation."
Prado on Delphey:
"The sky is the limit with Ray; he can definitely pitch, he can play outfield, and he has a great arm."
Prep: Ranked the No. 285th prospect in the country by Perfect Game… Selected as team MVP… Went 5-0 his senior year with a 0.92 ERA… Opponents hit just .111 off of him in… 64 strike outs in 38 innings pitched… 11 or more strikes outs in three games as a senior… Career high was 13 strikeouts… Senior season was cut short do to a knee injury…Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 42nd round … As as junior, posted a 5-2 record with one shutout. He started eight games, striking out 57 batters in 39.1 innings….As a sophomore, dominated in a closer’s role for the Ravens in 2007, posting a 3-1 record with a 1.05 ERA while striking out 47 and allowing just 12 hits in 26 2/3 innings pitched …Four year letter winner baseball all four years of high school.
Personal: Full name is Ray Gary Delphey… Son of Ray and Blanca Delphey…One sister, Stefanie… Was born Oct. 19, 1990…Majoring in Business…Enjoys fishing.
Jimmy Moran
Position: RHP
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 6’1 Wt: 170
Kissimmee, Fla.
Junior College: CCBC-Catonsville
Coach Collazo on Moran…
"Jimmy is a kid we got on late this summer. One of our players, Sean Buckley, actually told us about Jimmy. He told us how good he was and when we went out to see him we really liked him. There were a lot of other BIG EAST schools interested in him. He brings with him a lot of experience from junior college and he is another player who will be working very hard to get in to the starting lineup."
2009(CCBC-Catonsville): Named a Maryland JUCO Conference Freshman All-Star… Appeared in 13 games, striking out 54 in 53 innings pitched… Rated the 10th best prospect out of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate League… 0-0 in 17 relief appearances for the O’s with an ERA of 1.93 with opponents hitting .235 off of him… Perfect game ranked Moran the 11th best prospect in the league… He comes to USF with sophomore eligibility.
Prep: Freshman of the year…During his junior year of high school he was a Co-MVP…First team all county and the first team all conference during his junior year of high school…Lettered in baseball all four years of high school and lettered in golf three years…During his senior year of high school he earned a 1.93 ERA and accumulated a total of 72 strikeouts.
Personal: Full name is James Thomas Moran Jr….Son of Jim and Antoinette Moran… Born June 7, 1990…One sister named Lisa…His father played baseball at Adelphi University and was a former MLB Scout for 17 years…Attended Poinciana HS…Enjoys golfing, cooking and watching movies…Majoring in physical education.
Eric Sim
Position: C
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 6’1 Wt: 225
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Robert Bateman Secondary
Junior College: Colby Community College
Coach Ward on Sim
"Eric is a big physical kid who has a chance to make an immediate impact. He produced in junior college and had a quality summer with a wood bat. We are expecting a quick transition to the Division I level out of Eric. Eric is a top quality kid and a top quality player that will fit in great here at USF."
2009(Colby Community College): Impressed with quick release and accuracy to go with his pure arm strength… Hit .342 with a team-high six home runs for Colby in the spring… Led the team in home runs with six… Named second team all conference in the Jayhawk league… Rated 8th best prospect in the Jayhawk according to Baseball America.
Prep: Second team all-conference in BCPBL…Hit .331 during his senior year of high school…
Personal: Son of D.J. and Julia Sim…One brother named Justin … Canadian Citizen and both of his parents are from South Korea… Was born Jan. 3, 1989… Born in South Korea…Graduated from Robert Bateman Secondary High School…Enjoys lifting, movies and video games…Majoring in Gerontology/Pre Athletic training.
Chad Taylor
Position: SS/CF
Class: Freshman
Ht: 6’0 Wt: 170
Tampa, Fla.
Jefferson HS
Coach Ward on Taylor…
"Chad is a super athlete that comes from a quality program at Jefferson High School. His athletic ability makes him very versatile. Chad will be able to play anywhere on the field. When he adds some strength to go along with his athleticism, I think Bulls fan are going to see some special things out of Chad."
Prado on Taylor:
"Chad Taylor is another one; he can pitch, and he can play infield or outfield. He’s another guy that’s done a great job at his high school and has potential to be just a great player. He is a good player right now and he can do a lot of things for us. He is like Chase and some other guys, in that he can play anywhere on the field."
Prep: Lettered in baseball all four years of high school… Batted .342 with 6 homers and 24 RBIs for the Dragons as a senior… Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 13th round… Selected as a Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star and represented Hillsborough County in last weekend’s Hillsborough-Pinellas all-star game at Tropicana Field. …During high school was a team MVP and he made the all tournament team…Named to the all-state team… No. 872nd-ranked prospect in the county by Perfect Game.
Personal: Full name is Chad Henry Taylor… Is the son of Steve and Lori Taylor… Was born Aug. 29, 2990… One brother named Kyle…Attended Jefferson High School…Enjoys playing baseball and fishing…Majoring in Political Science.
Roberto Sanchez Jr.
Position: INF (2B)
Class: Junior
Ht: 5’9 Wt: 180
Vero Beach, Fla.
Vero Beach HS
Junior College: Indian River Community College
Coach Ward on Sanchez…
"Roberto will be competing for time in the middle infield. He had a quality junior college career at Indian River CC and we are looking for that success to carry over here at USF."
Prep: Team captain and team MVP during his senior year of high school… All-Conference team during his junior and senior year of high school… All-district team during his junior and senior year of high school…Four year letter winner during high school… During his freshman and sophomore year of college he made the second team all-conference…During his sophomore year of college he hit seven homeruns and 35 RBI.
Personal: Son of Roberto and Cheryl Sanchez…Two brothers named Tony and Luis… Born 7/5/88…Has Four sisters named Juana, Maria and Rebecca…Attended Vero Beach High School…Enjoys weight lifting and hanging out with his friends…Majoring in Gerontology Administration.
Nick Conforti
Position: OF
Class: Freshman
Ht: 5’8 Wt: 160
Sarasota, Fla.
Cardinal Mooney HS
Coach Bryant Ward on Conforti…
"Nick will be competing for time in the outfield. He is a hard-nosed player that will be a good fit for our brand of baseball here at USF"
Prep: Second team all-state during his senior year of high school… As a senior batted a a .476 clip with 16 extra base hits including three home runs… Drove in 21 on the year scoring 37 times… Swipped 15 bases in 15 attempts…Lettered three years in baseball and two years in football.
Personal: Full name is Nicholas Arthur Conforti… Is the son of Arthur and Donna Conforti… Born Sept. 9, 1990…One brother named Michael and one sister named Tina…Graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School…Enjoys dirt biking, jet skiing, wakeboarding, weight lifting and football…Majoring in Elementary Education.
Jimmy Falla
Position: OF/1B
Class: Freshman
Ht:6’2 Wt: 215
Tampa, Fla.
Jesuit HS
Coach Ward on Falla…
"Jimmy is a big, physical kid who will compete for time at 1B and a corner outfield spot. He comes from a great program at Jesuit High School and coach Richie Warren. We have had great success with Jesuit kids (Koscso, Hunt, Quackenbush, and Lockwood) and expect that trend to continue with Jimmy."
Prep: As a senior batted .319 with 5 homeruns and was named second team all-county… As a junior, was first team all county after batting .397 with 5 homers… Helped lead the Tigers to a 20-7 record… Recognized as a second team all-state player in 2008… Played for four years for Jesuit coach Richie Warren… Selected to both the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune Hillsborough County teams, as well as the St. Petersburg Times all-Suncoast squad… Played summer ball with the Florida Bombers, who won the World Wood Bat Association National Championship.
Personal: Son of Ish and Minnie… One sister, Natalie,20… Born Sept. 9, 1990… Enjoys hunting, video games and baseball… Majoring in Business.
1 comment
Nick Conforti is the son of Sylvia Echols. Donna Conforti is not his mother.
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