SAN FRANCISCO – After being drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 16th round of this year's MLB draft, junior catcher Dominic Miroglio has decided to return to USF for another year.
 
Miroglio – the 480th overall pick – notified Rays personnel by the July 15 deadline for amateurs to sign with MLB clubs that he would be staying in school.
 
Miroglio missed all but the first eight games of the 2016 season with a hand injury sustained during the second weekend of the season. He came into the 2016 campaign ranked as the No. 225 MLB prospect according to D1Baseball.com and was a preseason addition to the Johnny Bench Award watch list.
 
A 40th round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics out of high school in 2013, Miroglio became an offensive leader for the Dons by hitting .340 with three home runs and a team-best 38 RBI in 2015, his first season on the Hilltop after transferring from UCLA.
 
Miroglio is playing summer ball in the Cap Cod League, but has only made five appearances with the Wareham Gatemen after starting his summer with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
 
Fellow former USF backstop, Ryan Matranga signed with the San Francisco Giants immediately following the draft after being selected in the 36th round. This was the first year since 1990 that a pair of USF catchers had been selected in the same draft.