There is no bigger tournament in the fall then the Arizona Senior Fall Classic, and college coaches and professional scouts know this. That is why this event brings out a professional scout from every major league team and hundreds of college coaches. They come to view the top players from around the country in this tournament showcase.

For the past six years Baseball Factory and Team One Baseball have been sending their top juniors and seniors to compete in the biggest tournament on the west coast. The Arizona Senior Fall Classic was founded by Ted Heid, current scout for the Seattle Mariners. This tournament is by invitation only and is given to select travel, scout, and academy teams from across the west coast. He structures this tournament to give every player an equal opportunity to be seen by the literally hundreds of coaches and scouts in attendance. This year over 150 coaches and scouts were in the stands. Heid has all participants use wooden bats and each game is controlled by a maximum of six batters to the plate each half inning.

Having the opportunity to wear the Baseball Factory and Team One jersey is a feat in itself. Every player who represented the Baseball Factory and Team One had to qualify for a roster spot. Most players attended either a PUMA National Tryout or a Team One Regional Showcase. Please visit www.baseballfactory.com and www.teamonebaseball.com to learn more about the tryout process.

Managing the Baseball Factory team was Talmadge Nunnari, who is the current General Manager of the Pensacola Pelicans of the Independent League. Talmadge played his college baseball at Jacksonville State University and then went on to play in the Montreal Expos organization for seven seasons, before joining the front office of the Pelicans. Assisting Coach Nunnari was Mitch Zwolensky, former draftee of the Texas Rangers. He spent five seasons with the Rangers, Cubs, and Yankees organizations. After his playing career was over, he became a pitching instructor for both the Montreal Expos and Milwaukee Brewers organizations.

The Team One team was managed by Rick Sofield, former 1st round pick by the Minnesota Twins. He spent six seasons with the Twins, three of them in the big leagues. After his playing career he went on to earn his degree from South Carolina University, where he coached for two seasons. Rick was also the head baseball coach at the University of Utah for seven seasons. After his collegiate coaching career, Sofield went back into professional baseball as field coordinator for the Dodgers, Expos, Pirates, and Yankees. Assisting Coach Sofield was Michael Valarezo, current Area Scouting Supervisor for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the southeastern part of the country. Coach Valarezo played his college baseball at Lurleen B. Wallace College and after his career went on to pursue his dream of becoming a scout, which he has been for the last eight seasons.

The Baseball Factory squad finished 3-1-1 with outstanding pitching performances by Sean Soto (Committed to University of Hawaii) and Mike McManemin. Matching the outstanding pitching, Baseball Factory’s team defense was strong. The defense was led by Jake Orr and Dominick Robusto (Committed to Davidson College). At the plate, Jeremy Jackson and Scott Kalma helped the Baseball Factory to their three victories.

The Team One team finished up 2-3 with tremendous pitching performances from Damien Seguen, whose velocities reached 88-90 mph. Drew Baldwin who pitched several scoreless innings in their second victory contributed to Team One’s stellar pitching. Anchoring the middle of the diamond was Danny Cepin whose outstanding defensive plays earned him recognition from several Division I schools. Along with Danny was Colton Stock working behind the plate in an effort to keep the pitchers in check and the team fired up. Offensively, Team One was led by Dustin Fackrell and Arizona native Tim Fiorito.

Overall the players had a great opportunity to showcase their skills in a tournament setting to hundreds of college coaches and scouts from across the country. Andrew Snyder of the Team One team said it best, “For me personally, the experience will last a lifetime. We had great players and great coaches, but more importantly, we all made new friends. Both Team One and the Baseball Factory has been a great asset in my college recruiting process. As I continue down the college recruiting trail, I will keep you posted on my progress and eventual college decision. I think I can speak for all my Team One teammates and say we would not have traded this chance to participate in the Arizona Senior Fall Classic for anything. I hope we have the opportunity to see each other again.”

To see the entire list of college coaches and scouts, please visit www.azbaseball.com