Two former Naperville stars on the diamond, Naperville North alum Tanner Mally and Naperville Central grad Colin Barczi, recently put pen to paper, signing contracts to play Major League Baseball. Mally was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 17th round of the 2026 MLB draft. He reportedly received a $150,000 signing bonus from the Giants. Barczi signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Chicago White Sox.
An elite season with the bat for Mally
After a stellar career at Naperville North, Tanner Malley just capped off one of the best offensive seasons in Western Michigan history. In his junior campaign, the former Huskie led all of NCAA Division I baseball with a .446 batting average, the highest by a Western Michigan player in over 60 years. He also set single-season program records with 87 hits and a .554 on-base percentage. He also led the Broncos with 19 stolen bases.
Barczi showed his power at the plate
Following an injury-plagued junior season at Vanderbilt, Naperville native Colin Barczi signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Chicago White Sox.
The former Naperville Central star catcher was not selected in the 2026 MLB Draft after undergoing shoulder surgery to repair a labrum tear and clean up his rotator cuff. Barczi hit .263 with a career-high 11 home runs and knocked in 28 RBI for the Commodores this spring, despite missing nearly a month of the season. Despite having at least one more year of collegiate eligibility remaining, Barczi elected to sign with the hometown White Sox and begin his professional career. He will be reporting to the team’s training facility in Arizona next week; however, the shoulder surgery will prevent him from returning to the diamond this season.
A pair of DVC baseball standouts
Barczi had an outstanding career with the Redhawks, culminating in an All-State campaign as a senior in 2023 where he hit .445 with nine home runs. A three-time DVC Player of the Year, Barczi also helped the Hawks win DVC conference championships in 2021 and 2023.
Mally was just as tough to get out in high school as he was in college. In his senior year at Naperville North, Mally hit an eye-popping .495 with eight doubles, two triples, 20 RBI, 37 runs and 13 stolen bases.