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Across America, plenty of elite high school prospects suited up on Thursday, Feb. 19 for their respective clubs.
Collier County played host to two of them.
Gulliver Prep shortstop Jacob Lombard and Stoneman Douglas left-hander Gio Rojas both called Naples home, at least for one night. Lombard made his regular-season debut against Barron Collier, while Rojas made his second start of the season against St. John Neumann.
"It's an opportunity for everybody to be seen," Barron Collier coach Adam Johnson said before Thursday's game. "If you look around right now, we're standing here, and it's early, and there's 25 scouts sitting in the stands. All these kids have an opportunity tonight with Jacob on the other side of the field."
Lombard and Rojas are viewed as consensus first-round picks in this year's MLB Draft. Lombard is ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect by MLB.com, while Rojas is viewed as the No. 8 prospect, and the second-best pitcher on the board, although many believe he's the best arm in the class.
"It's special," Stoneman Douglas coach Todd Fitz-Gerald said of Rojas. "Not only that, but he's a special kid. He loves to have fun out there. He's a really good teammate. He's competitive as hell. And he's a winner. He's the best I've ever had on the mound, and I've had some good ones. To me, he's the best lefty in the country."
After initially expecting to make his regular-season debut on Friday, Jan. 20 against Lely, Lombard's timeline got expedited. He got three plate appearances against the Cougars in the leadoff spot, going 0-for-2 with a walk. Lombard's been recovering from an appendectomy, which took place in mid-January.
"That was basically the first setback (I've had)," Lombard said. "A small one, but it was a curveball. It came out of nowhere, but you've got to deal with these kinds of things. Luckily, it's been a breeze, just a couple of weeks, and I'm back out here."
Rojas dealt in his second start of the regular season against the Celtics, pitching 4 2/3 perfect innings, allowing no baserunners while striking out 11. He struck out the first nine batters of the game, and saw his fastball get up to 97 MPH, often sitting from 94 to 96 MPH with relative ease. Stoneman Douglas won 10-0.
"I've been doing this a long time, and I've seen a lot of really good arms, and that is the best high school arm I've ever seen," St. John Neumann coach Squeeze Maurer said. "It's not even close. That kid deserves everything he gets in this life, because that was impressive."
A longtime connection was a big reason why Lombard's Raiders played Johnson's Cougars, a game Gulliver Prep ultimately won 2-0.
Johnson and George Lombard Sr. played together in the Atlanta Braves farm system, leading to a years long relationship that still exists. Lombard Sr., the bench coach with the Detroit Tigers, and Johnson talk two to three times per week.
During their time with the Braves, their families would convene for an annual ski trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado, in January.
"Jacob's a kid that I've watched grow up," Johnson said. "We went skiing together when they were 5, 6years old... We used to go every New Year's. Until George Jr. became a top prospect, his older brother, then George Sr., shut down the ski trips because my son Casey (Johnson) and Jacob were two maniacs on the slopes, jumping off of everything. They decided it was time to find another holiday sport."
While Lombard would often trek out from Florida to Colorado to ski, Rojas would ultimately end up doing the reverse.
After growing up in Denver for a bulk of his childhood, Rojas made the cross country move to South Florida, transferring to Stoneman Douglas in 2024 following a commitment to play for Miami just two months into his freshman year of high school. The move came after he put together a strong freshman season at Lakewood High, located 10 minutes west of the city.
Rojas has only grown and has yet to lose a game in his high school career. He's a perfect 20-0 with a 1.34 ERA, logging 227 strikeouts over 125 1/3 innings pitched. Fifteen of his 24 earned runs came during his freshman season and has pitched to a 0.64 ERA with the Eagles from his sophomore year to now.
"There's that big standard you've got to hold up in those shoes," Rojas said. "I knew what I was getting into when I got here. Just being able to withhold those standards and come in, know my role, and do my job, I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job with that right now."
Lombard and Rojas have built quite the relationship in a short time knowing one another. The two played for Team USA's U18 team, which beat Japan 2-0 for the WSBC World Title in Okinawa last September.
"That's my guy, I'll tell you that," Rojas said. "We built a bond. I feel like we'll go far together, and I'll see him in the Big Leagues, whenever that is. But I'm always rooting for him. I feel like that friendship, it's great to have him around, especially with the connections he has with his dad and all the above."
Added Lombard: "We grew pretty close. And he's a stud. He's got a pretty impressive arm. He's an athlete. He's a really nice kid. I'm excited to see what he's gonna do this year."
Those experiences in Cary, North Carolina, have only helped both Lombard and Rojas in their journeys.
"You learn how to compete at the highest level," Lombard said. "At your caliber at your age, it's an environment that you're not really in very often. We're lucky enough to have that, at least once a year where everyone from around the country, different families, different backgrounds, we all come together and we go out there to do the same thing. Our favorite thing is to have fun and compete on the baseball field."
Having two rings as a standout soccer defender with the Gulliver soccer program during his freshman and sophomore seasons, Lombard would love to add one more with the baseball program before becoming a first-round pick come July.
While winning gold with Team USA will be a lifelong memory, Lombard knows leading the program to its second title after a 6-21 season would be a storybook ending in what's been an illustrious chapter of his athletic career.
"Coming off of last year, a lot of ups and downs, a rollercoaster with the baseball program, I think it'd be more than special with this group of guys, a young group of guys, to pull one off this year," Lombard said.
"But we're just worried about today."
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: 2026 MLB Draft prospects Jacob Lombard, Gio Rojas carving their own paths
Continue reading...
Collier County played host to two of them.
Gulliver Prep shortstop Jacob Lombard and Stoneman Douglas left-hander Gio Rojas both called Naples home, at least for one night. Lombard made his regular-season debut against Barron Collier, while Rojas made his second start of the season against St. John Neumann.
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"It's an opportunity for everybody to be seen," Barron Collier coach Adam Johnson said before Thursday's game. "If you look around right now, we're standing here, and it's early, and there's 25 scouts sitting in the stands. All these kids have an opportunity tonight with Jacob on the other side of the field."
Lombard and Rojas are viewed as consensus first-round picks in this year's MLB Draft. Lombard is ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect by MLB.com, while Rojas is viewed as the No. 8 prospect, and the second-best pitcher on the board, although many believe he's the best arm in the class.
"It's special," Stoneman Douglas coach Todd Fitz-Gerald said of Rojas. "Not only that, but he's a special kid. He loves to have fun out there. He's a really good teammate. He's competitive as hell. And he's a winner. He's the best I've ever had on the mound, and I've had some good ones. To me, he's the best lefty in the country."
You must be registered for see images attach
After initially expecting to make his regular-season debut on Friday, Jan. 20 against Lely, Lombard's timeline got expedited. He got three plate appearances against the Cougars in the leadoff spot, going 0-for-2 with a walk. Lombard's been recovering from an appendectomy, which took place in mid-January.
"That was basically the first setback (I've had)," Lombard said. "A small one, but it was a curveball. It came out of nowhere, but you've got to deal with these kinds of things. Luckily, it's been a breeze, just a couple of weeks, and I'm back out here."
Rojas dealt in his second start of the regular season against the Celtics, pitching 4 2/3 perfect innings, allowing no baserunners while striking out 11. He struck out the first nine batters of the game, and saw his fastball get up to 97 MPH, often sitting from 94 to 96 MPH with relative ease. Stoneman Douglas won 10-0.
"I've been doing this a long time, and I've seen a lot of really good arms, and that is the best high school arm I've ever seen," St. John Neumann coach Squeeze Maurer said. "It's not even close. That kid deserves everything he gets in this life, because that was impressive."
A longtime connection was a big reason why Lombard's Raiders played Johnson's Cougars, a game Gulliver Prep ultimately won 2-0.
Johnson and George Lombard Sr. played together in the Atlanta Braves farm system, leading to a years long relationship that still exists. Lombard Sr., the bench coach with the Detroit Tigers, and Johnson talk two to three times per week.
During their time with the Braves, their families would convene for an annual ski trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado, in January.
"Jacob's a kid that I've watched grow up," Johnson said. "We went skiing together when they were 5, 6years old... We used to go every New Year's. Until George Jr. became a top prospect, his older brother, then George Sr., shut down the ski trips because my son Casey (Johnson) and Jacob were two maniacs on the slopes, jumping off of everything. They decided it was time to find another holiday sport."
You must be registered for see images attach
While Lombard would often trek out from Florida to Colorado to ski, Rojas would ultimately end up doing the reverse.
After growing up in Denver for a bulk of his childhood, Rojas made the cross country move to South Florida, transferring to Stoneman Douglas in 2024 following a commitment to play for Miami just two months into his freshman year of high school. The move came after he put together a strong freshman season at Lakewood High, located 10 minutes west of the city.
Rojas has only grown and has yet to lose a game in his high school career. He's a perfect 20-0 with a 1.34 ERA, logging 227 strikeouts over 125 1/3 innings pitched. Fifteen of his 24 earned runs came during his freshman season and has pitched to a 0.64 ERA with the Eagles from his sophomore year to now.
You must be registered for see images attach
"There's that big standard you've got to hold up in those shoes," Rojas said. "I knew what I was getting into when I got here. Just being able to withhold those standards and come in, know my role, and do my job, I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job with that right now."
Lombard and Rojas have built quite the relationship in a short time knowing one another. The two played for Team USA's U18 team, which beat Japan 2-0 for the WSBC World Title in Okinawa last September.
"That's my guy, I'll tell you that," Rojas said. "We built a bond. I feel like we'll go far together, and I'll see him in the Big Leagues, whenever that is. But I'm always rooting for him. I feel like that friendship, it's great to have him around, especially with the connections he has with his dad and all the above."
You must be registered for see images attach
Added Lombard: "We grew pretty close. And he's a stud. He's got a pretty impressive arm. He's an athlete. He's a really nice kid. I'm excited to see what he's gonna do this year."
Those experiences in Cary, North Carolina, have only helped both Lombard and Rojas in their journeys.
"You learn how to compete at the highest level," Lombard said. "At your caliber at your age, it's an environment that you're not really in very often. We're lucky enough to have that, at least once a year where everyone from around the country, different families, different backgrounds, we all come together and we go out there to do the same thing. Our favorite thing is to have fun and compete on the baseball field."
Having two rings as a standout soccer defender with the Gulliver soccer program during his freshman and sophomore seasons, Lombard would love to add one more with the baseball program before becoming a first-round pick come July.
While winning gold with Team USA will be a lifelong memory, Lombard knows leading the program to its second title after a 6-21 season would be a storybook ending in what's been an illustrious chapter of his athletic career.
"Coming off of last year, a lot of ups and downs, a rollercoaster with the baseball program, I think it'd be more than special with this group of guys, a young group of guys, to pull one off this year," Lombard said.
"But we're just worried about today."
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: 2026 MLB Draft prospects Jacob Lombard, Gio Rojas carving their own paths
Continue reading...
