The Houston Astros drafted Codi Harshman out of Sabino High School in the 33rd round last year, but he admits he had plenty to improve on.
"In high school, I really didn't have much of a swing," he said.
So, Harshman, 19, headed to Pima College to gain experience hitting with wooden bats. He raised his hands, focused on hitting only fastballs and learned how to recognize the spin on pitches.
The result? Harshman earned first team all-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference honors as a freshman this season. The left fielder is hitting .400 with 12 doubles, seven triples and 31 RBIs in 49 games.
Fourth-seeded Pima (35-19, 24-14) plays top-seeded and seventh-ranked host Cochise in a best-of-three series at the Region I Division I playoffs starting today.
Harshman's improvement at the plate began with a plan. He now realizes his job as a hitter is more about getting on base than to always get a hit, Pima coach Edgar Soto said.
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"Once he kind of got that idea, it started getting easier, and he did a better job with two strikes," Soto said.
Depending what kind of offer the Astros make to Harshman as a draft-and-follow, he might opt to head to minor-league baseball. Or, he might return to Pima to gain more experience. He also wants to add 15 pounds to his 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame.
Besides his improved offense, Harshman also boasts a strong arm and good speed; he can run 6.5 in the 60-yard dash.
"I worked on seeing the pitch more," Harshman said. "I didn't really worry about stats or anything."
His team split four games with Cochise during the regular season. Three of the games were decided by one run.
Pitching was a strength for the Aztecs, who hit just eight homers.
Right fielder P.J. Leon (Pueblo) and pitcher Chapo Delgado (Sahuarita), who threw two no-hitters, were second-team all-conference selections.
"Last year, we had C.J. Ziegler who's at the UA now," Soto said. "We could count on him for a three-run home run anytime, and we didn't have that opportunity this year. We had to manufacture runs."
In other sports
● Softball: Pima (53-11, 26-6) is the No. 2 seed in Region I and will play third-seeded Central Arizona on Friday. Last year, the Aztecs were the regional's No. 3 seed before they won the national championship.
Named to the all-region and all-ACCAC teams were catcher Amanda Duran (Salpointe); shortstop Kelly Nielson (Sahuaro), who is out with a broken arm; pitcher Dana Alcocer (CDO); and outfielder Jessica McNamara (Sahuaro).
● Men's and women's track: The Aztecs will compete at region championships next week in Mesa. Nine Pima athletes have qualified for nationals May 17-19. Nicole Smith (Erie, Pa.) has the best junior college jumps in the country in the long, triple and high jumps, and is fourth in the 100-meter hurdles. Ellen Mork (Flowing Wells) will be in the 5,000-meter run, and Emily Edgar (Salpointe) has qualified in the steeplechase. Pima also will send a women's 3,200-meter relay team of Mork, Edgar, Erika Valenzuela (Sahuarita) and Rebecca Greenwald (State College, Pa.). Bethany Zahn (Flowing Wells) qualified in the 400 hurdles. Craig Curley (Ganado) has qualified in the 1,500 meters, steeplechase and 5,000 meters. Carlos Rybeck (Minnetonka, Minn.) is also in the 5,000. Jacob Goodman (Sabino) is in the decathlon.
● Golf: Darquise Leduc (Ontario) was selected to the all- ACCAC first team, and Dawnielle Baca (Alamogordo, N.M.), Alicia Flores (Catalina Foothills) and Caitlin Rutherford (Rincon) were named to the second team. They will compete at nationals May 14-17. The men's golf team will play at nationals May 15.
● Tennis: The women's team finished third at the Region I tournament to qualify for nationals. Freshman Julienne Cananea (Prescott Valley) was the regional champion at No. 2 singles. The national tournament runs from Sunday through May 10 at Randolph Tennis Center. The men's team finished fourth at regionals and did not qualify for nationals.
Late starts leave Arizona attendance near bottom of Power 4 schools | Greg Hansen
