Three Division I baseball signees — Canyon del Oro catcher Francisco Rivero and left-hander Regen Mazura and Salpointe center fielder Colton Raetzman — were honored at Frog & Firkin restaurant near the Arizona campus on Wednesday night.
Rivero, ranked as the No. 11 overall prospect and the No. 3 catcher in Arizona by Perfect Game, signed with the Arizona baseball program.
Raetzman and Mazura signed with Utah Tech.
Former Catalina Foothills catcher Cooper Kruk, now with Pima Community College, also signed with Chip Hale’s program at Arizona.
Rivero has the background of playing with major-league draft hopefuls in Venezuela early in his school career before transferring to CDO last year as a junior. The experience in Venezuela has proven to be valuable for Rivero, a former standout with the Sunnyside Little League organization.
He developed as a catcher in Venezuela after playing as a middle infielder in his youth baseball career.
Hale and his staff became increasingly interested in Rivero after he batted .484 with eight home runs, 12 doubles and 40 RBIs with the Dorados during the spring. The turning point to Arizona offering a scholarship came in the summer months when Rivero participated in prospect showcase events.
“It all started this summer; I had a really great summer,” Rivero told AllSportsTucson.com’s Andy Morales of his recruitment by Arizona. “I had a lot of scouts looking at me. … I made my choice down to three schools and the U of A came out on top.”
Canyon del Oro @BaseballCDO catcher Francisco Rivero is headed to @ArizonaBaseball ! pic.twitter.com/UJunsUzKrm
— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) November 12, 2025
Rivero added about playing for the Wildcats: “Being the hometown hero is something crazy for me.”
The possibility exists that Rivero could get drafted by an MLB team in July, given his background in Venezuela and performance over the summer.
Raetzman helped lead Salpointe to a 4A state championship in the spring and he was named Southern Arizona Player of the Year for his efforts. Raetzman also made the Team Arizona roster for the National High School Championship.
He batted .418 with a home run, eight doubles, four triples and 33 RBIs.
Salpointe @LancerHardball Colton Raetzman to @UtahTech_BASE pic.twitter.com/4JhRYQFqOb
— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) November 13, 2025
“Bunch of colleges have come out and watched me but Utah Tech was always the place that recruited me from the beginning,” Raetzman told Morales. “I just really felt comfortable with the coaches. All the conversations I’ve had with them, they’ve made me feel comfortable that I made the right choice.”
Raetzman and Mazura play for rival high schools — Raetzman will try to get hits off Mazura when Salpointe plays CDO in a few months — but they will be on the same side when they start attending Utah Tech next fall.
Mazura was 9-3 with a 2.08 ERA with CDO in the spring. In 70 2/3 innings, he struck out 98 and walked 29.
Amazingly, of the 58 hits he allowed, only one went for extra bases.
“I recently committed this fall after a real good summer,” Mazura told Morales about heading to Utah Tech in St. George, Utah near the Utah, Nevada and Arizona borders. “I really like the campus. It’s very nice. It reminded me a lot of Sedona.”
ARIZONA’S 2026 RECRUITING CLASS
Hale mentioned of his 15-player recruiting class: “This is an exceptionally well-rounded class, one that our staff is excited to welcome into the Arizona baseball family. Coming off a trip to the College World Series has given our program tremendous momentum and this class of talented, high-character players helps us maintain and build on that momentum.”
| Name | Position | Previous School | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Ball | OF | Hamilton HS | Phoenix |
| Ashten Ballew | INF | Katy HS | Katy, Texas |
| Jack Byers | RHP | Artesia HS | Artesia, N.M. |
| Jory Crocker | INF | Willowbrook HS | Villa Park, Ill. |
| Ayden Deome | INF | West Park HS | Roseville, Calif. |
| Dusty Dunwoody | RHP | Royal HS | Simi Valley, Calif. |
| James Hunt | RHP | Blue Valley West HS | Overland Park, Kan. |
| Cooper Kruk | C | Pima CC | Tucson |
| Lyndon Lee | INF | Basic Academy | Las Vegas |
| Matthew Maize | OF | Gateway CC | Elk Grove Village, Ill. |
| Quinn O’Rourke | RHP | Charlotte Catholic HS | Charlotte, N.C. |
| Tommy Pascanu | LHP | Sandra Day O’Connor HS | Anthem |
| Francisco Rivero Jr. | C | Canyon Del Oro HS | Tucson |
| Abram Sherrin | INF | Liberty HS | Peoria |
| Drew Ward | OF | La Salle HS | Pasadena, Calif |
Arizona recruit capsules provided by the school’s media-relations department:
Francisco Rivero Jr. | C | Canyon Del Oro HS | Tucson
- Perfect Game top 500 prospect nationally
- Ranked as the No. 11 overall prospect and the No. 3 catcher in Arizona by Perfect Game
- 2025 Perfect Game National Showcase participant
- Two-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- Nine-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
Cooper Kruk | C | Pima CC (Catalina Foothills HS) | Tucson
- Ranked as the No. 9 catcher in Arizona for the 2025 class by Perfect Game
- 2025 Perfect Game Preseason All-American
- 2024 Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- Two-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
- Member of the 2026 Pima Community College baseball team
Ben Ball | OF | Hamilton HS | Phoenix
- Ranked as the No. 4 outfield prospect in Arizona by Perfect Game
- Three-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- Five-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
- Across 61 varsity games as a sophomore and junior he hit .386 with 12 doubles, five triples, two home runs, 34 runs scored, and 52 RBI
Ashten Ballew | INF | Katy HS | Katy, Texas
- Perfect Game top 400 prospect nationally
- Ranked as the No. 10 shortstop prospect in California by Perfect Game
- 2025 Perfect Game National Showcase participant
- 2024 Perfect Game Junior National Showcase participant
- Three-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- 26-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
Jack Byers | RHP | Artesia HS | Artesia, N.M.
- Ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect and No. 3 RHP in New Mexico by Perfect Game
- 2022 Perfect Game 15U All-Tournament Team selection
- Across 31 varsity appearances on the mound (19 starts), posted a 1.70 ERA with an 18-3 record and 225 strikeouts
- Participated in the 2025 Area Code Games with the Reds
Jory Crocker | INF | Willowbrook HS | Villa Park, Ill.
- Perfect Game top 250 prospect nationally
- Ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect and the No. 3 shortstop in Illinois by Perfect Game
- Two-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- Nine-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
Ayden Deome | INF | West Park HS | Roseville, Calif.
- Perfect Game top 100 prospect nationally
- Ranked as the No. 7 third base prospect in the nation by Perfect Game
- Ranked as the No. 19 overall prospect and No. 1 third baseman in California by Perfect Game
- 2025 Perfect Game National Showcase participant
- Two-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- Six-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
- Across 90 varsity games he hit .419 with 93 runs scored, 30 doubles, nine triples, seven home runs, and 85 RBI
- Also tallied 38 career stolen bases on 38 attempts
- Participated in the 2024 & 2025 Area Code Games with the Athletics
Dusty Dunwoody | RHP | Royal HS | Simi Valley, Calif.
- Perfect Game top 200 prospect nationally
- Ranked as the No. 8 RHP prospect in California by Perfect Game
- 2025 Perfect Game National Showcase participant
- Two-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- Nine-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
- Across two varsity season and 24 appearances (17 starts), posted a 1.72 ERA with a 10-3 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 106 innings of work
- Participated in the 2025 Area Code Games with the Brewers
James Hunt | RHP | Blue Valley West HS | Overland Park, Kan.
- Ranked as the No. 5 RHP prospect in Kansas by Perfect Game
- Two-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- Six-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
Lyndon Lee | INF | Basic Academy of International Studies | Las Vegas
- Perfect Game top 500 prospect nationally
- Ranked as the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 4 second baseman in Nevada by Perfect Game
- Three-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- 17-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
- Two-time Showcase Top Prospect Team selection
- Across 71 varsity games he hit .358 with 56 runs, 20 extra-base hits, and 65 RBI
Matthew Maize | OF | Gateway CC (James B. Conant HS) | Elk Grove Village, Ill.
- 2023 Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
- Across 44 games at Gateway Community College in 2025 he hit .342 with 35 runs, 16 extra-base hits, and 25 RBI; also drew 20 walks to post a .440 OBP
Quinn O’Rourke | RHP | Charlotte Catholic HS | Charlotte, N.C.
- Perfect Game top 250 prospect nationally
- Ranked as the No. 11 over prospect and No. 6 RHP in North Carolina from Perfect Game
- 2024 Perfect Game Underclass All-American Games participant
- 2025 Perfect Game National Showcase participant
- 2024 Perfect Game Junior National Showcase participant
- Two-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- Eight-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
- Participated in the 2025 Area Code Games with the Yankees
Tommy Pascanu | LHP | Sandra Day O’Connor HS | Anthem
- Perfect Game top 500 prospect nationally
- Ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect and No. 1 LHP in Arizona by Perfect Game
- Two-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- 13-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
- Posted a 2.87 ERA across 16 varsity appearances (13 starts); logged 94 strikeouts in 61 innings of work
Abram Sherrin | INF | Liberty HS | Peoria
- Ranked as the No. 15 overall prospect and the No. 5 shortstop in Arizona by Perfect Game
- Two-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- 18-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
- Across 80 varsity games he has hit .347 with 40 runs scored, 20 extra-base hits, and 40 RBI
- Participated in the 2024 & 2025 Area Code Games with the Reds
Drew Ward | OF | La Salle HS | Pasadena, Calif.
- Ranked as the No. 9 third base prospect in California by Perfect Game
- 2024 Perfect Game Junior National Showcase participant
- Two-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American
- Six-time Perfect Game All-Tournament Team selection
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