The value of the Sun Belt College Baseball League was evident more than ever with the commitment of Pima right-hander Mason Millett to Arizona and the scholarship offer of first baseman Saul Escarrega by USC after the championship game Thursday night.
Pima coach Ken Jacome tweeted this today:
How about 2 @BaseballPima players getting offers from 2 separate @pac12 schools today. Thank you @kino_league #aztecwarriors.
— Ken Jacome (@kjacome22) July 19, 2019
Jacome confirmed to me today that Millett has committed to Arizona and Escarrega to USC. Escarrega tweeted this tonight:
Very excited to announce that I will continue to play baseball at University of Southern California! #TrojanBaseball pic.twitter.com/SEuy0qAnV3
— Saul Escarrega (@Sallybats05) July 20, 2019
Arizona pitching coach Dave Lawn was at the championship game in which the Aztecs defeated the BNL Rockets 9-4 at Kino Stadium.
Millett, a 6-foot-4 and 185-pound prospect from Anthem, was one of the better prospects in the Sun Belt League (also known as the Kino Baseball League). Aztecs coach Mike Odum said Millet was one of the best players on the team.
“Where we started with our plan for our pitchers, Millett excelled,” said Odum, who is retired but agreed to coach the Aztecs during the summer.
Millett’s commitment comes on the same day it was learned that former Arizona signee Ian Mejia of Sahuarita is transferring to Pima along with another former Wildcat, outfielder Marcel Bachelier.
Former CDO outfielder Alex Bustamante is also transferring to Pima after one season at New Mexico Military Institute. In another recent move, former Nogales High School standout Mark Lopez is transferring from New Mexico State to Pima.
Millett attended Gonzaga as a freshman in 2018 and transferred to Pima in the spring this year. Both parties felt it was best for him to redshirt with Pima. He left the Bulldogs after pitching in only one game.
Millett will have two years of eligibility with the Wildcats after playing with Pima in the upcoming school year. He will sign with Arizona this fall. He was a three-year varsity player for Boulder Creek High School in Anthem, posting a 0.78 ERA as a senior after returning from injury as a junior.
Escarrega, a stout 6-foot and 240 pounds, also redshirted this season at Pima after playing at Sahuarita High School as a senior in 2018. He originally committed to Cochise College after batting .488 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs with Sahuarita.
In Thursday’s game at Kino Stadium, Escarrega unloaded a three-run home run well beyond the left field face reaching close to the grassy hill that is only a sidewalk away from Ajo Boulevatd.
He participated in the Power Showcase Home Run Derby entering his junior season at Sahuarita.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
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