Class of 2022 left-hander/first baseman/outfielder Mario Bejarano of Tucson High School announced tonight he is headed to Central Arizona on a baseball scholarship after he graduates next year.
“I am thankful for all my family and everyone else throughout my life who have pushed me to accomplish my goals and to be a better person on and off the field,” Bejarano mentioned in a tweet. “This commitment is just a start to my recruiting process and a stepping stone in my life.”
I am thankful for all my family and everyone else throughout my life who have pushed me to accomplish my goals and to be a better person on and off the field. This commitment is just a start to my recruiting process and a stepping stone in my life. #goVaqs pic.twitter.com/T0y5Zh5rUy
— Mario Bejarano (@mariobe1419) October 3, 2020
Bejarano, who is 5-foot-10 and 209 pounds, has been timed at 88 mph on his fastball.
He is part of the Eddie Leon heritage at Tucson High.
Leon, who is a legendary Badger and Arizona baseball player, was the first top-10 selected player from Tucson in the MLB draft. Bejerano’s aunt, Tina Leon, helped lead Tucson High to its first softball playoff berth in 1982. His mother, Hilda Leon Bejarano, taught Tina how to pitch.
His great uncle, former Cholla standout Tommy Leon, played for Pima and Arizona at a time when several local standouts played for the Wildcats including Tod Brown (Sabino), Chris Haggard (Sabino), Richard Lemons (Santa Rita), Robbie Moen (Flowing Wells), Willie Morales (Tucson), Bob O’Donnell (CDO), Carlos Rico (Cholla) and David Tundel (Santa Rita).
Mario Bejarano’s paternal grandmother, Carmen Navarro Bejarano, was part of the legendary Oury Park Rose softball club and her likeness is up on the incredible mosaic mural at the park. Carmen is the woman in the middle on the mural.
His uncle, Mike Bejarano, coached Sabino to a state baseball title in 1997 and his deceased uncle, Phillip Bejarano, pitched on Tucson’s back-to-back state championship teams in 1987 and 1988.
His father, Marcos Bejarano, was a pitcher and slugger at Tucson High.
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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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