Taft College baseball standouts Manny Guzman and Luis DeLeon have both signed National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at four-year universities. Guzman is taking his talents to Grambling State University in Louisiana while DeLeon is headed to Northern Colorado University.
TC head coach Vince Maiocco, his coaching staff, teammates, family, and friends were all in attendance at a signing ceremony on campus for the duo. The early signing period for NCAA Division I baseball student-athletes began on Nov. 13.
Guzman, out of Garces Memorial High School, was a first-team All-Central Valley Conference pitcher during his freshman year with the Cougars last season. In 17 appearances, Guzman tossed 40 1/3 innings and compiled a 3.59 ERA. He closed the year with a 2-0 record with a save and 24 strikeouts.
Grambling State is located in Grambling, Louisiana and competes at the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Head coach James Cooper is in his 11th season leading the program.
DeLeon, originally out of Greeley West High School in Colorado, is returning to play college ball in his hometown after one season with the Cougars in 2019. DeLeon pitched in 15 games, mainly out of the bullpen, and struck out 19 batters over 16 innings. He allowed just 10 hits and five earned runs on his way to a 2.81 earned run average.
Northern Colorado competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). UNC is located in Greeley, Colorado and is led by head coach Carl Iwasaki.