Ben Diggins
#33
So. RHP/INF
6-6 230
Bats: R Throws: R
Prescott Valley, Ariz.
Bradshaw Mountain HS

Arizona 2000: Preseason third-team All-American as chosen by Collegiate Baseball.

Summer 1999: Closer and reserve designated hitter for the USA Baseball National Team ... Went 2-1, 2.05 with three saves on the mound and hit .200-1-4 at the plate ... Led the team in appearances (16) and saves ... Allowed just 10 hits in 22.0 innings, holding opponents to a .133 batting average and a .200 slugging percentage.

Arizona 1999: Starting pitcher and starting designated hitter ... First-team freshman All-American (Baseball America) ... Honorable mention freshman All-American (Collegiate Baseball) ... Honorable mention All-Pac-10 ... Named to Baseball America's mid-season frosh All-America team ... Preseason selection as Pac-10 Freshman of the Year by Baseball America ... Led Arizona in wins (8) and opponent batting average (.272) ... Among the Pac-10 leaders in wins (t-7th) and starts (t-9th) ... Set an Arizona record for wins in Pac-10 play by a freshman (5) ... Posted the second-best strike out-to-nine innings ratio in Pac-10 play ever by a Arizona pitcher (9.97) ... Cats averaged 9.29 runs in his seven winning starts ... Went at least 5.0 innings in nine straight starts (3/7-5/1) ... Held opponents to a .216 average with two outs (.170 in league play) ... Limited opponents to a .400 slugging percentage ... Held opponents to a .257 mark in conference play ... Allowed just eight home runs in 345 opponent at-bats ... Allowed just one extra-base hit over an 83-batter stretch (3/27-4/18) ... Threw a complete-game three-hitter (all singles) vs. Washington (4/2) ... No-hit Southern California for 5.0 innings, giving up just four hits over 8.1 (3/20) ... Threw Cats' second complete game in 94 contests at Tulane (3/7), retiring 12 straight at one point ... Struck out the side to earn first career save vs. Arizona State (2/26) ... Threw the first 5.0 innings of a combined shutout of St. Mary's (1/24) in mound debut ... First Arizona freshman to win as a starter in pitching debut since Kirt Kishita ('92) ... As a batter, tied for fifth on Arizona's freshman home run list with five ... Homered twice in Washington series (4/2-3) ... Homered in three straight games (4/2-6) ... Hit .304-3-9 (7-for-23) over a seven-games stretch (3/16-4/6) ... Hit first career home run vs. Arizona State (2/27) ... Ripped a three-run triple in first career plate appearance (1/22).

Summer 1998: Competed for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots of the Alaska League ... Rated the league's No. 1 prospect by Baseball America ... Went 1-1, 4.50 on the mound and hit .196-0-4 in limited action ... Team finished third in the league.

Draft Status: Taken as a sandwich pick (32nd overall selection) following the first round of the 1998 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals ... Highest-drafted prep player ever to play at Arizona.

High School: Graduated from Bradshaw Mountain High School in Prescott where he played for Coach Jim Jones ... Earned four letters as a pitcher, outfielder, first baseman and catcher ... Named first-team All-America by both Baseball America (as a first baseman) and Collegiate Baseball (Louisville Slugger TPX) ... USA Today Arizona High School Player of the Year and second-team All-American ... ABCA Third-team All-American ... Earned first-team all-state honors from the Arizona Republic ... Named the nation's top high school power-hitting prospect by Baseball America and the second-best corner infielder ... Rated the second-best prospect, high school or college, in the state of Arizona by BA ... Set Arizona high school career records for home runs (31) and RBI (143) ... Hit .573-11-49 as a senior while going 7-3 on the mound ... Tied the state single-season home run record when he hit .500-15-56 as a junior ... Batted .493-5-29 as a sophomore.

Personal: Full name: Benjamin Howard Diggins ... Born: 6/13/79 in Leota, Kan. ... Undecided on major ... Son of Richard Diggins and Deb Johnson.