Top 60 national baseball recruit Eric Bitoni is a player to look up to
SAN BERNARDINO – The phone rings and it's Eric Bitonti, star shortstop and pitcher for the Aquinas High of San Bernardino baseball team.
“Coach Carp said to call you,” Bitonti says, referring to Aquinas coach Mike Carpentier.
Bitonti is ranked as the 57th best draft prospect in the nation by Prospects Live. He hit .526 last season with eight home runs and 41 runs batted in. At shortstop, he sparkled. But he also went 6-2 on the mound with a 0.62 earned run average. And he won’t even turn 18 until December.
“I admire Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers,” Bitonti says. “He’s 6-4 and plays shortstop and hits left-handed (all the same as Bitonti). He has power, hits for average, and I’ve modeled my game after him.”
Bitonti leads a loaded Aquinas team, which was ranked 25th in the nation by SBLive.com, coming into the 2023 season. The already stacked Falcons have added transfers Owen and Gavin Egan from Yucaipa High, Isaiah Diaz (Beaumont), Frank Estrada (Kaiser of Fontana), Bradley Gilbert (Arrowhead Christian of Redlands), and Mason Greenhouse (King of Riverside).
But it is Bitonti who literally and figuratively – he is 6-foot-4, 225 pounds – stands head and shoulders above the pack. His team's next schedule game is Thursday at home against Woodcrest Christian.
“He’s a good kid,” Carpentier says. “He’s a leader on the field and is a kid others look up to. And where he’s at as a player speaks for itself. He’s projected to go in the first round, but he’s a super humble kid.”
HIT MAN
The Perfect Game video of Bitonti shows a left-handed hitter with a quiet approach, a short stride, and a smooth-as-butter swing.
“Bitonti offers one of the most visually appealing swings in the entire prep class,” Prospects Live says. “Bitonti showcases an ultra-projectable, long frame that he incorporates extremely well into both his swing and throws across the diamond. The Oregon commit has an immense package of tools that flash Day One upside.”
Asked what he loves about baseball, Bitonti says, “I love everything about it. I like to compete, and I like hitting. It’s just you against the pitcher and you just compete and try to get ahold of one.”
Bitonti has the genes. His dad, Bill Bitonti, played football, basketball, and baseball at Hesperia High. His mom Marla (nee Thornton) Bitonti was a Hesperia High volleyball star.
“He’s a hard worker all the way around, on the field and even at home,” Marla says. “He’s a perfectionist. Everything is in perfect order in his closet – his pants, his shirts, his T-shirts, and his shoes. All his shoes are in shoeboxes and are color coordinated. I ask him if he can come organize my closet.”
GOOD BET
Bitonti appears at a recent practice, and he is as advertised. Tall, and meticulously put together. He wears a navy-blue Aquinas T-shirt that says “COMPETE” on back. His white baseball pants are long and pegged neatly at his ankles. He rocks white sunglasses and cleats emblazoned with “Bet on me.”
The Falcon star loosens up on a pulley contraption. He then leads a project to remove the mound tarp. This takes a dozen players with Carpentier overseeing.
The sight makes Aquinas assistant Ian McGregor shake his head.
“We tell them to get the key to open home plate and to get the bag of curve balls,” he quips. “It’s hard to keep a straight face, especially after they go try to do it.”
The Falcons begin practice. There are light calisthenics and sprinting. Then infield/outfield practice.
Bitonti balances on the balls of his feet and fields everything. He hoovers up grounders, he turns two, and he makes an improbable backhand snare.
Sunglasses gleaming and silver crucifix bobbing, if he’s not Corey Seager, he’s a stellar copy. And he hasn’t even picked up a bat yet.
John Murphy is an SBLiveCal contributor and the sports editor of the Century Media Group of Southern California. Contact him with human-interest feature ideas at . Twitter: @PrepDawg2.
Photos below by John Murphy:
