A group of Italian ball players are coming to America to grow the game and bridge cultures through baseball as part of the first IABF Bay Area Collegiate games.

The IABF San Francisco Bay Area Collegiate Games begin on April 20, 2022 and continue through April 27, 2022. The IABF All-Stars will compete against Holy Names University, San Jose State University, Sonoma State University, San Francisco State University and the University of San Francisco.

The IABF All-Stars will practice at the College of San Mateo in preparation for the IABF Bay Area Collegiate Games. Pitching coach Rob Biagini, father of MLB pitcher Joe Biagini and coaching coordinator Matt Brown will round out the IABF All-Stars coaching staff.

The IABF will honor the IABF All-Stars, their coaching staff and prominent Bay Area Italian American college baseball coaches Brad San Filippo (San Jose State University), Tony Ragusa (Sonoma State University), Tony Schifano (San Francisco State University), Nino Giarratano (University of San Francisco) and Craig Gianinno (University of San Francisco) at the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club on Sunday, April 24, 2022 beginning at 6 p.m. with complimentary Italian appetizers followed by an exclusive Meet-and-Greet with the visiting Italian players, former Team Italy and MLB players and current Italian American Bay Area coaches. For tickets to this special event, click HERE.

IABF All-Star manager Gibo Gerali will be assisted by American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer John Noce, who coached more than 365 baseball players at College of San Mateo (CSM) from 1962-1995. With a 772-412 (. 652) record at CSM over 31 seasons, John Noce retired having sent 72 players into professional baseball and eight to MLB.

Gerali brings over three decades of coaching and managerial experience to the IABF All-Stars. The former scout for the Colorado Rockies is respected internationally for his ability to find athletes with raw talent and assist them to reach their full potential so that they may one day become professional ballplayers. After serving as bench coach for Team Italy in the 2007 World Cup, Parma manager Gerali led his squad to the 2010 Italian Baseball League Championship title. His winning ways continued as he also helped Team Italy claim the 2010 and 2012 European Baseball Championships.

Gerali later assisted Team Europe in finding success in the 2015 Asia Winter League. After serving as bench coach for Team Italy in the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classic, he took over as manager for Marco Mazzieri and later gave way for current Azzurri manager Mike Piazza. A former pitcher for Crocetta, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Astra, and Collecchio during his playing days. Gerali has since proven himself as a tried-and-tested leader internationally as one of Europe’s most respected managers.

Gerali has selected nine Italian prospects to participate in the IABF Bay Area Collegiate Baseball Games. Parma Clima pitcher Edoardo Acerbi hopes to lead the IABF All-Stars to victory in the USA. Having compiled a 2-0 record with two saves in 12 appearances last year in Serie A competition while pitching for the reigning European Baseball Champions Cup champion Parma Clima, the strong right-handed pitcher tipped off his talent early on at the youth level when he won the Italian national cadet title in 2014 with Oltretorrente and represented Europe-Africa with Emilia Romagna in the 2014 Senior League World Series.

Acerbi was awarded the Sant’Ilario Prize for Sport by the Parma Sports Veterans Union in 2015, The following year he won again with Oltretorrente when capturing the Italian national U21 championship title and later helped the Team Italy U18 squad take the silver medal in the 2016 European Baseball Championship. Edoardo Acerbi was invited to participate in the 2017 International Stars Showcase in Arizona and as a result received a scholarship to play baseball at Iowa State University in 2019.

“Edoardo Acerbi is a pitcher that has yet to show his true potential,” said Gerali. “He is a strong pitcher who possesses a fastball that reaches 90 mph in addition to a nasty curveball. With this competition in the San Francisco Bay Area, we will be working on his control and his confidence so that he can develop into an elite international competitor.”

Parma Clima teammate Francesco Pompani is currently being scouted by several U.S. colleges. If he performs well with the IABF All-Stars, he is destined to get a scholarship. Having represented Europe-Africa as a member of the Italian team from Emilia Romagna at the 2018 Senior League World Series, Pompani has already played internationally.

One of 17 Italian prospects invited to the MLB Elite European Development Tournament in conjunction with the 2019 London Series, Pompani has been on the radar of international MLB scouts for some time. He has played for Team Italy on several occasions and will remain a member of the Azzurri squad for years to come.

“Francesco Pomponi is in his first year as a full-time pitcher for Parma Clima. He will work out of the bullpen as a reliever,” said Gerali. “His fastball, slider and changeup have opened up some eyes in Italy. He also is a very good middle infielder with soft hands.”

A familiar name on Team Italy, Riccardo Flisi played in the 2014 U15 Baseball World Cup and the 2017 U18 Baseball World Cup, Most recently, he helped the Azzurri win the bronze medal in the 2021 U23 European Baseball Championship by going 4-for-14 (.286 batting average) with two RBI. Flisi was one of the best hitters of the 2021 Collecchio squad with a .363 batting average.

“Flisi is a speedy outfielder that grew up as a catcher but a hip injury slowed down his development,” Gerali said. “He is fun to watch and has a good arm.”

Sebastiano Catellani was instrumental in Oltretorrente winning the Italian U18 national title when hitting .286 overall through the regular season and pitching five scoreless innings with six strikeouts against Academy of Nettuno in the Final Four playoffs on October 2, 2021. He will be a key component of the Team Italy U18 pitching staff. 

“Sebastiano Catellani is a left-handed pitcher and outfielder,” Gerali said. “He made a vast improvement last year when he had a big part in winning the U18 national title. Sebastiano will benefit from the USA trip because he needs more experience playing games in order to gain the necessary composure to be dominant.”

Representing Team Italy in the U18 World Cup, Andrea Pasotto demonstrated his versatility in the outfield or coming off the bench as a pinch hitter. He has since produced good offensive numbers in Serie A playing for Collecchio. In 2020 he hit .255, while he put together a .293 batting average in 2021. 

“Andrea Pasotto is a solid outfielder who is ranked among the best prospects in Italy,” Gerali said. “He has spent the last two seasons in the top Italian league and has showed he belongs.”

Catcher Marco Ragionieri had a break out year in 2021 playing for Oltetorrente (.269 batting average) and Parma Clima. Currently a member of the Team Italy U18 squad, he might very well follow in the footsteps of Alberto Mineo behind the plate and land a professional baseball contract. 

“Marco Ragionieri is a young catcher who is very well built. He really needs these games in America so that he can get more innings under his belt,” said Gerali. “Marco has huge potential and has already been tracked by several MLB organizations.”

Tommaso Nani was a member of the Team Italy U18 squad in the 2021 European Baseball Championship in Macerata and Montegranaro. He comes off a strong season playing for Codogno with a .328 batting average. 

“Tommaso Nani is the only player on this trip to America that is not from Parma,” Gerali said. “He is a versatile infielder who has been part of the last Team Italy U18 squad. With an excellent work ethic, Tommaso is improving his baseball skills every single day.”

Pitcher Riccardo Bigliardi has made a name for himself in Italy. He went 4-0 with two saves and an impressive 0.00 ERA in 24 innings of work during the 2020 season for Crocetta. Bigliardi returned last year with more success sporting a 2-1 record with four saves and a 2.36 ERA.

Having represented Europe-Africa playing for Emilia Romagna in the 2018 Senior League World Series, he has showed the world his talent. He pitched for Team Italy in the U18 European Baseball Championship and been invited to workouts with the Azzurri U23 squad. 

“Riccardo Bigliardi is a lean and mean lefty with huge room for improvement,” said Gerali. “He is very competitive and has become a promising pitching prospect.”

Tommaso Adorni has represented Europe-Africa playing for Emilia Romagna at both the Little League World Series (2016) and the Senior League World Series (2019). Baseball Factory commented that he had plus bat speed, used the whole field and swung with authority. He was one of 17 Italian prospects invited to the MLB Elite European Development Tournament in conjunction with the 2019 London Series.

After representing Team Italy in the 2021 U18 European Baseball Championship, Adorni showed some speed and power at the plate with seven extra-base hits (four doubles, one triple and two home runs) playing for Collecchio.

“Adorni is a very talented outfielder despite his young age,” said Gerali. “He has had the chance to participate at several international tournaments. Tommaso is among the top three prospects in Italy…”