Two Cochise College baseball pitchers signed Wednesday to play at the next level.
On National Letter of Intent Signing Day, the Apaches’ Juan Aguilera, from Sierra Vista and a Buena High grad, inked to play in the Pac-12 next year with Arizona while fellow right-handed pitcher Tyler Fallwell signed to play with one of the nation’s top NCAA programs at the University of Houston.
Both will open their sophomore seasons with Cochise on Feb. 4 against Western Nevada in Las Vegas.
Wednesday marked the beginning of national signing day’s early period. The regular signing period arrives next April.
Like Fallwell, Aguilera wasn’t recruited by D-I or D-II programs out of high school. He started just one game for the Apaches this past spring, but appeared in 20 games where he struck out 45 in 40-plus innings with a 1.99 ERA and zero home runs allowed.
“In the last 12 months, I’m not sure if I’ve had a guy improve more than Juan,” Cochise baseball head coach Todd Inglehart said Wednesday.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Aguilera increased his velocity from 85-86 last year to 88-90 mph now, and has command of three pitches.
“Juan has as good a 12-6 breaking ball as anyone in the conference,” Inglehart added. “It’s hard work and obviously ability but there’s a lot that goes into it in terms of turning yourself into a slightly above-average pitcher into a legitimate 1-2-type guy.”
Fallwell, a product of Tucson’s Palo Verde High, signed with Houston, which ended last spring ranked No. 14 in the nation among NCAA D-I clubs.
Fallwell started 11 games for Cochise this past spring, compiling a 4-2 record with one complete game, an ERA of 4.05, and 59 strikeouts in 66-plus innings. At 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, Fallwell has an improved slider and a velocity in the 90-92 mph range.
“Both these guys are very projectable,” Inglehart said. “Not only D-I guys but they’re projectable pro guys as well.”
More information: http://www.svherald.com/sports/pair-of-cochise-college-pitchers-ink-with-ncaa-on-signing/article_a133c9b2-88d0-11e5-9f34-83802df6f57b.html
By Steve Stockmar