As college baseball season begins in the fall to prepare for competition early next year, five Italian prospects are expected to compete in NCAA Division I, the top American college competition. Lorenzo Morresi, who played for Macerata in Serie A, will begin his senior year at the University of Texas in San Antonio. Alessandro Volpe and Vincent Cimini, both of whom represented Team Italy in recent years, will see DI action at Lindenwood University and Boston College respectively. Other Italian passport players include Jose Fernandez, a catcher at Bethune Cookman University, and Domenico Tozzi, a freshman at Coastal Carolina University.
A pioneer of the FIBS College Pipeline, Daniel Monti, who played in Division II at Sonoma State University prior
to graduation and then traveled north of the border to join the Edmonton
Prospects in the Western Canadian League, is now looking for new opportunities
in the independent leagues.
In Division II pitcher Francesco
Bonvini returns for his second year at the College of Staten Island, while pitcher
Vincenzo Bruno begins his sophomore
campaign at the University of Bridgeport. Italian-Dominican shortstop Jose Puig also competes at DII Assumption
University in Worcester. Bologna-born Jacopo
Tamburini continues to play at Division III Beloit College.
In addition, many young Italian players are playing at the Junior College level. Samuele Bruno returns for his second year at the College of the Desert after an impressive inaugural season (.343 BA, 6 HR, 26 RBI). Nicholas Fancellu begins his second year at Kingsborough College with teammate Filippo Venditti. Pitcher Attilio Bellucci embarks on a new journey at Prince George's Community College. On the west coast, Filippo Tiburtini plays at Ventura Community College.
High school-age players continue to make big strides in the FIBS College Pipeline as Edoardo Cornelli remains in Regensburg for the next school year before departing for the University of Maryland, where he has been awarded a college scholarship. This is a historic event for the FIBS College Pipeline program as the athlete from Lodi will become the first Italian to gain access to a full four-year program at an NCAA Division I College without having to go through Junior College.
At the middle school level, in addition to the well-known story of Mathieu Silva at Lake Castle Middle School, Luca Ankery, of Australian descent, and brothers Sebastian and Valerio Garcia, of Dominican origins, also enter the list of players with Italian passports.
The growth and development of Italian prospects depends on the FIBS College Pipeline to prepare them for a successful academic and baseball career with all eyes on Club Italia LA2028 and beyond.
FIBS COLLEGE PIPELINE
Forza #Italia!
by Kevin Senatore and Roberto Angotti
(Photo of Team Italy’s Edoardo Cornelli in action during the 2024 U18 European Baseball Championship by Legionaere Regensburg)
