*Please Note: Sample Itinerary listed above is from a past event.
For more information about the Arizona Junior Fall Classic experience, click here.
Event Staff May Include:
Khareth Bartee: Khareth is a native of Omaha, NE. He attended Iowa Western Community College and graduated from Creighton University. In 2000, he was an All-Region XI Second Team player and signed with the Kansas City Royals. He now works with Baseball Factory at various Player Development Camps across the country.
Dave Burba: Dave is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who was selected in the second round of the 1987 Draft and played for the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, and Milwaukee Brewers from 1990-2004. In his 15-year major league career, he won 115 games, with 1,398 strikeouts. Burba has since gone on to coaching and became pitching coach of the Tri-City Dust Devils for the 2011 season, the Class-A team of the Colorado Rockies. Burba has served as the pitching coach in Double-A (Hartford Yard Goats) for the Rockies, since 2016. Dave has worked with the Baseball Factory the last four years.
Mitch Calandra: Mitch is currently playing in the Atlanta Braves organization and was drafted in the 30th round by Atlanta in the 2019 draft. Played collegiately at Eckerd College and was named the the 1st team All Sunshine State Conference and 2nd team All-Region this past Spring. After beginning his career at Eckerd, he earned conference Freshman of the Year.
Jimmy Johnson: Jimmy brings over 40 years of professional baseball experience to the Baseball Factory, having worked events with the company the last 12 years. He’s been in various hitting coordinator and managerial roles with the Astros, Yankees, Royals, Dodgers, and the Colorado Rockies. He was also the infield, hitting, and field coordinator for the Rockies. He most recently served as the hitting coach for team China during the WBC, and has worked with Major League Baseball and their facilities in China. Jimmy conducts professional hitting and defensive lessons in the Phoenix area. He played professionally for seven seasons with the Houston Astros and has coached the Senior National Team in Prague.
Kevin Riggs: Riggs was a standout player at East Carolina University and was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds. He spent seven years in the minors and was selected to the All-Star Team four times. He was among the top 10 batting leaders three times and was the Norwich Navigators MVP & Offensive Player of the Year in 1996. Riggs spent time coaching in the Colorado Rockies organization from 2007-2014 and has since worked with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Rodney Spradlin: Rodney has coached and scouted with Baseball Factory for several years. He not only runs and coordinates Player Development events, but also helps to coordinate and run PREP & Tryout Evaluation events in the southeast region. Rodney is a former Head Coach at William Byrd High School (Virginia) where he won a State Championship in 1997. He currently serves as the Pitching Coach at William Byrd. In addition, Rodney has been the Head Coach in the Virginia Commonwealth Games for over 20 years. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Kansas City Royals. He played his college ball at Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, TN.
Taylor Valentine: Taylor is currently the assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator for Centre College. He began his collegiate playing career at Milligan College (2010-13) before playing at Asbury University as a middle infielder (2014-15). He then spent three years at Asbury as the associate head coach, helping to build the program into a top-rated NAIA Baseball program for student-athletes. Valentine took his coaching expertise to the University of Illinois-Chicago where he coached all UIC position players and hitters in 2019 as the Flames won the Horizon League Championship and earned a spot in the NCAA CWS Louisville Regional.
Important Event Info:
- The standard rooming protocol for Factory Events is for players to be roomed with other players attending the program. *Proof of COVID Vaccination or PCR Negative Test 72 hours prior to event required [Single Room Rates are available as needed, contact PDC]
- Players will be greeted by Baseball Factory representatives at baggage claim (*Players Rooming Together)
- Players are fully supervised 24 hours a day (*Players Rooming Together)
- All players will be provided with three meals a day, lodging and ground transportation (*Players Rooming Together)
- Players are guaranteed four games (weather permitting)
- Players receive online access to Baseball Factory’s Recruiting, Education and Development (R.E.D.) Manual.
- Players need to bring all necessary baseball equipment for tournament games (please note: All players may use Wood bats – no aluminum)
- Parents welcome to attend, but not required (Parents and guests are responsible for providing their own reservation, meals and transportation.)
- Airfare is NOT included in the registration fees
Want to join us for the Arizona Junior Fall Classic? Attend a Baseball Factory National Showcase event in a city near you to qualify!