Ronald Lee Davini (born May 5, 1947) was a catcher who is most notable for winning the

1967 College World Series The 1967 NCAA University Division baseball tournament was played at the end of the 1967 NCAA University Division baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the Col ...

Most Outstanding Player The term Most Outstanding Player may refer to: * The recipient of the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award * The NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player award * The College World Series Most Outstanding Player in college baseball * The N ...

award while a junior at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. He is one of five players from Arizona State University to win that award. The others are Sal Bando, John Dolinsek, Bob Horner and

Stan Holmes Stanley Craig Holmes (February 1, 1960 – February 28, 2011) was an American college and minor league baseball outfielder who is most notable for winning the College World Series MVP award in 1981. Holmes was born in Dos Palos, California, where ...

. Prior to playing collegiately, he attended Anaheim High School. He was also a Western Athletic Conference All-Star twice (in 1967 and 1968).

Draft

He was drafted four times by big league teams. The first time, he was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 20th round of the 1965 amateur draft. He refused that. In 1967, he was drafted in the third round by the New York Yankees. He refused that as well. In 1968, was drafted in the seventh round by the Cleveland Indians, but once again, he refused to sign. Finally, after being drafted by the White Sox again in the first round (20th overall) of the 1969 draft, he did sign. Although he played professionally for five years, he never made it to the majors.

Professional baseball career

In his first year of professional baseball, 1969, he played for the

Duluth–Superior Dukes The Duluth–Superior Dukes were a professional baseball team based in Duluth, Minnesota. The Dukes were a charter member of the modern Northern League, which started play in 1993. The Dukes played their home games at Wade Stadium. After the 20 ...

. With them, he hit .276 with four home runs in 66 games. He played for the Appleton Foxes in 1970, hitting .227 with five home runs in 91 games. Playing for the Lynchburg Twins in 1971, he hit .218 with four home runs in 115 games. His average again declined in 1972 as he played for the Tucson Toros. He hit .191 in 48 games. Finally, he played his final professional season in 1973 with the Iowa Oaks, hitting .250 in 24 at-bats.

Coaching career

Since 1992, he has worked for USA Baseball. In 1997, he was selected the USA National Amateur Baseball Coach of the Year and in 2005 he won the National High School Baseball Coach of the Year Award. He also taught and coached at Corona del Sol High School for 28 years, at McClintock High School for six, and Tempe Preparatory Academy for 2. He has recently come out of retirement to help out as the catchers coach and an assistant freshman coach at Corona Del Sol High School for 7 years. In Feb 2020 he retired from coaching baseball. He was the President of the National High School Baseball Coaches Association in 1997. Now he is serving as its executive director. He was inducted into the National High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as well. In the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

, he has a spot dedicated to him because of his collegiate accomplishments.

References

BaseballCoaches.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davini, Ron 1947 births Living people College World Series Most Outstanding Player Award winners Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Duluth-Superior Dukes players Appleton Foxes players Lynchburg Twins players Tucson Toros players Iowa Oaks players