By BLAINE CLEMMENS | Special to SportStars
Last spring SportStars became the official media partner of Bay Area World Series (BAWS) and that relationship will continue in 2013.
Starting in 2004, BAWS is the longest running and most successful showcase-focused organization in Northern California. This summer, BAWS will be held at its traditional home, Schott Stadium on the campus of Santa Clara University, June 21-23. BAWS 2013 will focus mainly on the region’s top 2014 graduates (current juniors). This season Spalding has come on board as the title sponsor of BAWS.
A second major BAWS event will debut later in the summer, BAWS Underclass. BAWS Underclass will take place at beautiful Baggett Stadium on the campus of Cal Poly in scenic San Luis Obispo, July 19-21. Cal Poly was actually the host of BAWS 2012 due to Schott Stadium field renovations. The venue, the weather, the city, and the cooperation of the Cal Poly coaching staff was outstanding, leading to BAWS Underclass which will feature 144 current freshmen and sophomores.
BAWS has been a staple of the recruiting/scouting circuit for college coaches since 2004, and along with having many of the region’s top juniors in attendance there has always been a good representation of talented sophomores too. However, a good showcase featuring underclassmen has been lacking and that is why it is time for BAWS Underclass. More than ever, college coaches are on the lookout for early information about up and coming players. Yes, even as young as freshmen.
Last year BAWS was won by the Contra Costa team, as they defeated the North Bay 11-9 in a very offensive championship game. The big blow came off the bat of De La Salle’s outstanding two-sport athlete, Austin Lonestar, who clubbed a grand slam to put the game out of reach. As of this writing, Lonestar is still uncommitted and plans to play college baseball.
Lonestar earned the Spalding BAWS MVP Award for his championship game performance. Other award winners: Dominic Miroglio (2013) of Bishop O’Dowd won the Brett Jackson Award for Most Outstanding Player; Ben Hughes (2014) of Valley Christian-San Jose won the Bryan Shaw Award for Most Outstanding Pitcher; Marcus Wise (2013) of Deer Valley-Antioch won the Spalding Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award; and Cole Duerr of Fremont-Sunnyvale earned the Bay Area Fellowship of Christian Athletes Most Inspirational Player Award.
Some previous BAWS participants who signed with D1 programs last fall:
| Player, school | College |
|---|---|
| Chris Baker, St. Francis-Mtn. View | Washington |
| Stevie Berman, Saratoga | Santa Clara |
| Connor Brogdon, Liberty-Madera | Fresno State |
| Justin Calomeni, Bellarmine Prep-San Jose | Cal Poly |
| Michael Echavia, Amador Valley-Pleasanton | Hawaii |
| Kevin Flemer, St. Mary’s-Berkeley | Oregon State |
| Kevin George, Casa Grande-Petaluma | Santa Clara |
| Daniel Jackson, Amador Valley-Pleasanton | Long Beach State |
| Jack Klein, St. Ignatius-SF | Stanford |
| Alex Martinez, James Logan-Union City | Cal |
| Steven McLean, Los Altos | Baylor |
| Dominic Miroglio, Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland | UCLA |
| Paul Murray, Serra-San Mateo | Western Kentucky |
| Blake Peters, Serra-San Mateo | UC Davis |
| Kort Peterson, St. Francis-Mtn. View | UCLA |
| Marco Pierce, Clovis West-Fresno | Oregon |
| Orlando Razo, Serra-San Mateo | UC Davis |
| John Riley, Willow Glen-San Jose | Cal |
| Boston Romero, Rodriguez-Fairfield | Sacramento State |
| Carlos Salaazar, Kerman | Fresno State |
| Jason Seever, Castro Valley | Santa Clara |
| Trent Shelton, Campolindo-Moraga | Oregon State |
| Brett Stephens, Campolindo-Moraga | UCLA |
| Zach Stone, Eureka | UC Davis |
| Michael Strem, St. Francis-Mtn. View | Boston College |
| Robbie Tenerowicz, Campolindo-Moraga | Cal |