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Sports Notebook...with Brian Gomez
Davini to chair national high-school coaches group

By Brian Gomez

Known for his commitment to amateur sports, Corona del Sol High School baseball coach Ron Davini is soaring back onto the national scene.

On Jan. 1, Davini will take over as executive director of the National High School Baseball Coaches Association, replacing Jerry Miles, who founded the organization in 1991.

It marks Davini’s second tour of duty as BCA president. Davini held the position in 1997, and he has served on the BCA’s board of directors for several years.

Davini resigned as president/treasurer of the Arizona Baseball Coaches Association last month, citing time constraints. Mesa Skyline coach Garye LaFevers was named his replacement.

Entering his 28th year as Corona’s head coach, Davini has totaled a 396-336-6 career record with 13 state playoff appearances. The Aztecs were state runners-up in 1991 and state champions in 1993. They have won five region titles under Davini, most recently in 1998.

“While we are sorry to see Jerry leave the BCA, we are delighted to have someone of Ron’s ability head the association,” said BCA President Robert Colburn of Delaware’s St. Andrew’s School.

Said Miles: “We are excited about having Ron lead the BCA.”

Outside of Corona, Davini has coached three junior national teams, including the 1996 team that captured the bronze medal in Cuba. In 1997, he coached a junior national team to a third-place finish at the first-ever Pan American Games qualifying tournament.

Davini played catcher for two years at Arizona State University, earning College World Series Most Valuable Player honors in 1967 after leading the Sun Devils to an 11-2 win over Houston in the national championship game.

As a senior, Davini signed with the Chicago White Sox, but he never played in the major leagues. He has been inducted into the college section of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Zener faring well at SMU

Former Corona middle blocker Ashley Zener leads the Southern Methodist women’s volleyball team with 0.95 blocks per game and ranks fourth with 2.33 kills per game.

Zener, a junior, set season highs last month with nine blocks against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Cornell University and a .552 hitting percentage against Boise State. She also had a career-high 18 kills in the Boise State match.

At Corona, Zener earned three letters in volleyball, three in basketball and one in tennis. She helped Corona’s girls basketball team win the state championship as a junior. Corona’s girls volleyball team marked a state runner-up finish her senior year.

Soccer club an SAT tool

Working with tutors from ASU, the Tempe Soccer Club has developed a program designed to help players prepare for the PSAT and the SAT. The program, which emphasizes test-taking strategies, is free to all players in the non-profit club.

For more information about the Tempe Soccer Club, call (480) 966-4053 or visit www.tempesoccerclub.org.

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