Tagliaferri Signs to Play Baseball for Fresno State

Gino Tagliaferri, a two-time Times’ All-Valley shortstop from Kennedy High, signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play baseball at Fresno State.

Tagliaferri said he selected Fresno State over Arizona State and Oklahoma State because of the location and the opportunity to play as a freshman. Fresno State shortstop Ed Zosky, a junior, is a projected first-round pick in the June amateur draft.

“I went to Oklahoma and didn’t like the weather too much and it was a little too far from home,” Tagliaferri said. “I liked Arizona State, but they started talking about how if you didn’t perform you could lose your scholarship.

“Fresno is a little closer to home . . . What really turned me on was the stadium and they get really good fan support. My friend, (USC shortstop) Kevin Farlow, said when they played there it was the greatest thing. I went there to see for myself and I fell in love with it.”

Tagliaferri is batting .340 with five home runs and 18 runs batted in for Kennedy (13-4). He is the second Valley-area player to commit to Fresno State. Tim Costic of Monroe has also committed to play for the Bulldogs, ranked 12th in the latest Collegiate Baseball magazine poll.

Notre Dame catcher Bobby Hughes signed with Loyola Marymount and Camarillo pitcher Steve Biggs signed with California on Wednesday. Other Valley-area players who committed to colleges are Alemany catcher Mike Sims (Cal State Northridge); St. Francis catcher Gregg Zaun (Texas); and Westlake catcher Derek Tamburro (UCLA).

Hughes is batting .459 with 20 RBIs for Notre Dame (141), ranked second in the Times’ Valley poll. Sims is batting .306 with four extra-base hits and 13 RBIs for Alemany (10-8), which leads the Del Rey League with a 4-1 mark.

Biggs is 4-1 with a 2.80 earned-run average and 43 strikeouts in 35 innings pitched.

Tamburro, whose father Don is an assistant at UCLA, is batting .317.

Joey Kane, a sophomore left-hander at Valley College, said he will sign a letter of intent with Cal State Long Beach. Kane said he considered USC and Loyola, but selected Long Beach so he could play for Coach Dave Snow.

“I’m a broadcasting major and they have a real good program at Long Beach,” said Kane, who is 6-3 with a 2.20 ERA. “It’s a chance to pitch and play for a great coach.”