SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Though players making up the elite MLB College Showcase roster have had their share of acclimating to a new country and new teammates, there’s nothing as familiar as stepping into the batting cage and digging in.

After one week working with U.S. coaches, the 28 international prospects representing 11 countries got to show their stuff for scouts on Pro Day. The big event took place on a practice field behind the main stadium at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the Spring Training home shared by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

One day after the group’s first day off since opening their fall trip, the day-turned-night session gave players the opportunity to beat the scouts’ stopwatches during timed sprints in the outfield, take infield reps, and of course, showcase their swings in the batting cage.

When Edoardo Cornelli -- “Eddie,” as his new teammates have taken to calling him -- stepped in the sweet swinging left-hander’s stroke flashed a different crack of the bat. The 16-year-old Italian prospect sprayed the ball to all fields to turn heads, at one point even getting a smile and point from MLB coach Jeff Conine, who spent 17 years in the big leagues as a two-time All-Star.

English is not Cornelli’s native language, but when it comes to expressing what it’s like for him playing in America, the words came easy.

“That’s my dream,” he said, moments after stepping out of the cage. “To play in this type of field and facility. I like it.”

Making its first return since 2019, the post-pandemic MLB College Showcase this year features roster players between 16 and 18, plus one player who turned 19 in August. They hail from Australia, China, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Italy, Argentina, Germany, Curaçao, Spain, France and Brazil.

The players take in high-level competition in the U.S. during their Phoenix trek, while also being exposed to U.S. college scouts. Some of the roster’s European players may also be considered for a spot in the Elite European Development Tournament that will take place in connection with the 2023 London Series, when the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs meet next summer in the U.K. 

Max Stagg, 18, is just coming off playing with the 18-and-under Australian National Team back home. Even the 6-foot-2, 205-pound outfielder with national team chops in his home country sees something different in the brand of ball he has found since arriving in Arizona. 

“Just the level and the intangible stuff -- the hustle, the intensity of the game, the speed of the game, especially; it’s a lot quicker than back home,” Stagg said after the Pro Day drew to a close on Monday. “The teams over here, you’ve got nine guys on the field all really working hard to take the next base, strike out, whatever it may be.” 

The players faced some challenging elements when the event got under way. An intense dust storm in the desert that split trees and halted highway traffic in the Valley of the Sun made for an extremely windy practice session. There also was some levity on hand. During timed sprints with scouts clicking stopwatches, one pitcher on the roster wasn’t exactly setting a speed record with his time, prompting one coach to smile and say, “You need to throw hard.” 

After two hours, the wind let up and temperatures dropped to the mid-70s, which was welcome compared to the 100-degree heat the players competed in just two days earlier. Stagg was already acclimating to the desert heat, which ordinarily parts of Australia have in common with Phoenix -- but not this time of year in the Southern Hemisphere. 

“We’ve just come out of training and practicing in pretty cold weather,” Stagg said. “A lot of us are from southern Australia or southeastern Australia, so we have come from quite cold weather. It took a little bit to adjust coming to Arizona, obviously being very hot in the desert.” 

The Showcase marches on when the players take on the Royals’ instructional team Tuesday at Surprise Stadium, the Spring Training home of the Royals and Rangers, with a forecasted high in the mid-90s. 

Juan Ignacio Borras Coronel, a right-handed pitcher from Argentina, will just miss spending his 18th birthday in the U.S. by the time the Showcase culminates with a college visit for the players at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. Birthday celebration or not, he’s here for baseball. 

“Improving on my delivery is one of the things I like the most, and how things work here in this level of baseball,” he said, via translation through MLB coach Marco Mendoza. “Making friends with the kids from all over the world. I like to do that and try to communicate with them regardless of the language. I am honored to be here.”