Players show off skills at Showcase

NEW BRITAIN — Connecticut High School baseball players showed off their skills Thursday in the Rawlings Futures Showcase at Central Connecticut State University.

The showcase consisted of incoming high school juniors who play American Legion Baseball. The players were nominated by their coaches and were selected by their respective Zones.

Thirty-two coaches attended the showcase, including local schools such as Central Connecticut State, Sacred Heart, Southern Connecticut State, Quinnipiac and UConn. Also in attendance was a Major League Scout for the Cincinnati Reds organization.

The players selected were split up into four teams based on zone. The four teams played a total of two games in the Showcase as Zone One and Zone Five squared off with Zones Seven and Eight in the first game. The second game paired Zone Four and Six together against Zones Two and Three.

The games are a chance for players to be seen by college coaches and ultimately commit to play baseball beyond the high school level. Players become eligible to commit to an NCAA program during their junior year of high school so this Showcase is often used for newly eligible players to be seen by different colleges and universities.

“It’s a little bit of pressure,” said Chris Malcom (Niantic), who competed for the Red Team. “But once you get into the grove and everything gets going, it’s alright, it’s just playing baseball.”

The event was started 10 years ago and has been directed by Tim Vincent, General Manager of Simsbury American Legion since the beginning.

“I started five years ago to make the teams tell me where the kids ended up.” Said Vincent. “It came back that 65 percent (of the kids) were playing Division 3 or better that had played in this Showcase.”

In the second game, the Navy Team (Zones Two and Three) played the Red Team (Zones Four and Six).

The Navy Team won the exhibition ball game 17-2 as the offense dominated.

Some key contributors to the rout were Ian Battipaglia (Cheshire), who collected two hits, including a triple and a two RBI single with the bases loaded. Jonathon McNelis (Orange), John Petonito (Guilford), and Eli Battipaglia (Cheshire) were among others who drove in runs with timely hits.

The strongest showing on the mound for either team came from Michael Shepa (Orange), who started the game for the Navy Team, firing two shutout innings and striking out two.

With American Legion Playoffs on the horizon, the players will now return to help their teams as the regular season comes to a conclusion.