California HS at College Park HS (CA)

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PLEASANT HILL, CA. - This early season non-conference matchup featured Arizona commit 2022 LHP Nic Bronzini on the mound for for the Grizzlies and 2021 RHP C.J. Wigren for College Park. Wigren had a nice year as a sophomore and is expected to have another solid year this year for the Falcons. It was an extra inning affair that ended in a tie. The game featured solid defense and good pitching, as well as a couple balls that left the yard.

Senior catcher Rocky Sizemore (2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR) got the offense going for College Park when he blasted a two-run homer in the 4th inning . The Grizzlies would answer though with two of their own to tie the game in the 5th inning and then scratched across a run in the 6th inning. College Park responded in the 6th with the second homer of the day from Sizemore, which ended the day for Bronzini after 5.2 IP of work. College Park nearly scored in the 8th inning on a gap-splitting single by 2021 OF/1B Primo Rodriguez (Sac State commit) but the runner was thrown out at the plate. The game was called as a tie due to darkness.

2021 OF/1B Primo Rodriguez (L/L - College Park - Sac State commit). Rodriguez (1-for-4, 2 R, 2 HBP) is an exciting player who has played varsity ball for three seasons now. At 5-foot-8, 175-pounds he has a strong compact build and doesn’t necessarily stand out physically but he is fun to watch with a bat in his hands. He mostly played the outfield last year but he started at first base in this game. He has a quiet set up, not much movement with the bat and stands with his feet close together. Rodriguez doesn’t possess great running speed but he moves around the bag well and was very quick with tags on pick-off attempts. He had an interesting day at the plate in this one. He was hit by pitches in his first two at-bats, the second of which got him in the head, which caused some emotions to flair but things settled down without incident. Rodriguez worked the count in his next at-bat and ended up striking out on a high fastball. Generally shows good plate discipline but chased a pitch he would likely let go most of the time, as perhaps the emotions of the HBPs got to him a bit. In extra innings he composed himself and in his final at-bat he roped a long single to the right-center gap with his compact and powerful stroke that nearly scored the winning run. He left the game at that point, with an apparent/possible leg injury.

2022 CF Raoul Fabian (R/R - California - uncommitted) is one of the top 2022s in the area and a top 30 ranked player in the state. He has an athletic build and an ideal body type (6-foot-0, 180-pounds) for the position he plays. He moves around well in the outfield and possesses a strong arm and quick release which showed up during pregame warm-ups. Unfortunately he wasn’t tested much during the game, though he did run down a fly ball in the right-center gap to end an inning, showing a quick first step and good route running ability. Fabian has quiet hands and a square set-up at the plate, along with what appears to be good plate discipline. He went 1-for-4 on the day and was very aggressive at the plate on pitches to his liking. He hunted the first pitch often and displayed an aggressive yet controlled swing in his at-bats. Certainly not a player who is afraid to let his swing live. His above average speed showed up when he scored easily from second on a single to left.

2022 LHP Nic Bronzini (California - Arizona commit). It’s easy to see why Bronzini is already committed as a sophomore and a top ranked LHP in his class in the state. He has a large, muscular frame (6-foot-3, 220-pounds) that he uses to his advantage. He has a crossfire/low 3/4 slot, relatively effortless delivery that creates some deception. He had some trouble finding a consistent release point when facing left handed hitters, which led to some hit batters. Good life on his fastball and used it often. Curveball has good, late bite. Bronzini battled through the first 4 innings with a fair amount of traffic, including giving up a 2-run homer and didn’t have an easy inning until 1-2-3 5th inning. In the 6th he left a fastball over the plate and surrendered his second homer of the day to Sizemore. Aside from a couple of mistakes he generated a lot of swings and misses and showed the talent and raw stuff that will have him among the top pitchers in his class for the years to come. Also fielded his position well; calling off everyone on a bunt pop-up.

2021 3B Joe Aivazian (R/R - College Park - uncommitted). Aivazian clearly has the tools to play at the college level. He has a lean, medium build (6-foot-0, 180-pounds) well-suited for the 3B position. He showed a strong, accurate arm during pre-game and it carried over to the game itself. Aivazian showed good range and made a nice play far to his left in the hole. He showed his instincts on a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play at 3rd base, racing to the bag and waiting for the runner to tag him out. At the plate, he has a slight crouch with his feet spread out and some waggle of the bat. He went 1-for-3 with a single in his last at-bat and took some good swings. He came out of the gate aggressive in his first at-bat and later stayed back on a curveball, singling up the middle his last plate appearance. It looks like Aivazian will be the Falcons starter at 3rd base and middle of the line-up presence this year for the Falcons.

2021 RHP C.J. Wigren (College Park - uncommitted) pitched a good game for the Falcons. He has a solid 4-pitch mix, 2 and 4 seam FB, slurve, and change-up. Not the biggest of pitchers on the but he uses his frame well to get the most out of his body. He has good run on the two-seamer, which he used often. The breaking ball, more of a slurve due to his release point and 3/4 slot, showed sharp, biting break and he wasn’t afraid to throw it at any count. Saw him throw it for the first pitch and got a good share of strikes with it. Has a change up as well but didn’t see much of it in this outing. Wigren battled through some traffic in the first couple innings but didn’t allow a run in his 4 innings (2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K). Wigren isn’t a super flashy prospect but he could be one to keep an eye on this season.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Norcal Underclass Games ID	CA	04/25	Santa Rosa JC
Norcal Underclass Games (INVITE-ONLY)	CA	06/06	Islanders Field - Lathrop
Northern California ProCase (INVITE ONLY)	CA	06/13	Folsom Lake College
SoCal Underclass Games (INVITE ONLY)	CA	06/13	Hart Park
SoCal ProCase (INVITE ONLY)	CA	06/14	Hart Park
CA State Games ID (Norcal)	CA	06/16	Islanders Field - Lathrop
2020 PBR Future Games (California Invite)	CA	07/29	LakePoint Sports

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