UConn Baseball Recruiting and Commitment Thread | Page 39 | The Boneyard

UConn Baseball Recruiting and Commitment Thread

huskyblooz said:
He will be drafted in the top 3 rounds and sign with whomever takes him. a 6'3" lefty that throws 91 as an 18 year old is awesome. But throw in the best curveball Ive seen as a HS kid. And fluent mechanics. I will go on record right now that he will never wear a Husky uni. Despite Penders' son playing with him.
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Professional Baseball is not an easy choice. You really have to know your kid, the dollars and the culture/structure of the club who has your rights.
 
heard Jim P. say recently that more and more pro teams prefer kids who played in college than years ago
 
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dbmill said:
PerfectGame.org rankings of recruits sometimes become visible to those who don't pay for the premium service. Right now all their rankings seem to be visible. Here are their rankings for the UConn baseball recruits are listed on their website (not everyone who has been reported as a UConn commit on this thread is listed on their website).

High school class of 2021:

500, which seems to work out more to the 500 to 999 range:

Matthew Garbowski - C/OF
Jackson Ferrigno - SS
Frank Mozzicato - LHP
Owen Kellington - RHP
Craig Pihlkar - RHP
Braden Quinn - LHP
Jack Sullivan - RHP
Ian Cooke - RHP
Brady Afthim - RHP
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Frank Mozzicato has made a huge jump in PerfectGame.org and in their rankings of the 2021 high school recruiting class. Mozzicato has jumped from their 500 ranking (which is more like 500 to 999) to No. 153!
 


Mozzicato also had 10 strikeouts in 5 shutout innings of work in his last outing on Monday against Manchester high
 



-> “It’s something you don’t get to experience every day,” East Catholic senior catcher Hank Penders said. “Guys (Monday) were saying that has to be unhittable. I couldn’t hit it, it’s tough enough catching it.”

Penders and Mozzicato have been friends since before high school. Mozzicato would go to East Catholic games to watch his brother and Penders would go with his dad — UConn baseball coach Jim Penders — and his grandfather Jim Penders — longtime East Catholic coach.

They played junior varsity baseball together and in Penders’ first game catching varsity, he caught Mozzicato.

The two hang out together, but since Mozzicato committed to UConn to play for Penders’ dad Jim, some things have changed.

“I can’t really go to his house,” Mozzicato said, citing potential NCAA rules. “It’s kind of funny, we joke about it.”

Mozzicato grew up a UConn fan and has helped out when the East Catholic baseball program volunteers at the UConn football games.

UConn was always his top choice and as soon as he was offered a scholarship he said he accepted on the spot.

“It’s really cool that more and more kids are starting to go to UConn from Connecticut,” Mozzicato said. “It’s really cool seeing all these Connecticut guys playing a high level of baseball, it shows the rest of the country that Connecticut has some good guys out here.” <-
 
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Coach Penders is doing a great job of spreading the UCONN baseball message and getting commitments from super talented CT players.

Now if some of these players could be a little less spectacular in their senior seasons of HS, so as not to get drafted highly right out of HS and actually make it to UCONN, that would be awesome.
 
mustafa said:
Coach Penders is doing a great job of spreading the UCONN baseball message and getting commitments from super talented CT players.

Now if some of these players could be a little less spectacular in their senior seasons of HS, so as not to get drafted highly right out of HS and actually make it to UCONN, that would be awesome.
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When you see how many 18 year olds simply disappear in A ball, Penders has a good story to tell.
 



Alternate access link here

-> “We played tee-ball together,” said Matt Garbowski, a catcher.

“We were in the same kindergarten class,” said Quinn, a left-handed pitcher.

Perhaps, come August, they’ll be in a lecture hall or dorm room together in Storrs, when they’re not at Elliot Ballpark or the Rizza Performance Center. Both players are UConn-bound with national letters of intent signed and delivered.

“There’s a value to these kids growing up playing against each other and with each other and then doing that same thing in college,” UConn coach Jim Penders said. “I see that when I go to their weddings, five, 10, 15 years after they leave here. Next to the groom are a bunch of suits who all played for me. There’s something to that. When you go somewhere farther away from home, I don’t know if those bonds are quite the same.”

Garbowski, who throws righty and bats lefty, is among the best catchers in Connecticut. Usually second in the lineup, through Wednesday, he was hitting .371 with two home runs and a team-high 18 RBIs for the Rebels (8-2).

Quinn, a lefthander, is among the best pitchers in the state. He has a 1-1 record, a 1.05 ERA, a five-inning perfect game and 38 strikeouts in 20 innings. Quinn, batting .364 and usually the cleanup hitter, had 14 RBIs and a team-high three homers through Wednesday.

It’s not unheard of, but rather rare, for UConn to target and land a pitcher-catcher battery from the same school. Catcher Connor David and pitcher Max Slade came to UConn from Cheshire High in 2011. Catcher Zac Susi of Southington High arrived at UConn in 2015, a year after pitcher and former high school teammate Joe Rivera. Catcher Larry Day and pitcher Rich Sirois arrived at UConn in 2004 after playing together at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Mass.

Enter Garbowski and Quinn, a unique pair for their history together — and for their respective climbs to this point.

Both were recruited on potential, with Garbowski committing to UConn after his freshman year and Quinn committing after his sophomore year. Garbowski had a year of varsity experience (as an outfielder) when he made his decision. Quinn was still so slender, all arms and legs after his debut varsity season in 2019. <-

Much more in link...
 



Alternate access link here<


->“Coach [Jim] Penders just did a great job of recruiting me,” Kron said. “The coaching staff over at UConn is top notch, they’ve been together for like 11 years now. And of course, they’ve got the brand new facility.” <-

->Kron played AAU baseball in middle school, and travel ball with the CT Rivals in the summer of 2020. He went 4-for-7 with two home runs and five stolen bases at the Futures Games in 2020, an annual summer tournament with travel teams from around the country. Among his teammates were UConn commits Gavin Gregor (Avon Old Farms) and Frank Mozzicato (East Catholic). “They were recruiting me right from the start,” Kron said. “I became close with [UConn commit and St. Paul senior Ryan] Daniels over the years. We already have a bond. We haven’t even stepped foot on the campus but we already have a bond.” <-

-> The Huskies have sent many a player to the professional ranks in the past decade. It’s become a pitching powerhouse, with Matt Barnes (Red Sox), Scott Oberg (Rockies) and Anthony Kay (Blue Jays) making it to the majors. But then there’s position players like Toronto’s George Springer, a New Britain native, and Massachusetts native Nick Ahmed, who plays for the Diamondbacks. “It’s something to think about in the future,” Kron said. “It’s exciting, because you know the coaches have experience with lots of different programs around the country. I know they do a good job of inviting scouts to games. I know there’s lots of ways to get seen by scouts at an organization like UConn.” <-
 
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BaseballDog said:
Frank Mozzicato will be pitching tomorrow at undefeated Southington . East Catholic will then be in Storrs on Wednesday for a game against EO Smith.
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12-0 East Catholic vs 12-0 Southington tomorrow. Possible game of the year with Mozzicato on the hill. Am thinking of attending but will have to see what the plans are. Bet to see lots of media and scouts tomorrow
 
East Catholic is ranked as the #1 team in the state. Their opponent Southington is ranked #3, he’s just simply dominating right now
 
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Skiblets said:
I hate the minor league grind. This kid would do better w three years wearing the hook C
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Agreed. In prior years, I would say there was no chance he ends up in Storrs. However, with the new reduction in MiLB teams and levels, who knows. Staying hopeful.
 
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