Kiko Romero grew up going to Arizona baseball games at Hi Corbett Field and watching the likes of Nick Quintana and Tony Bullard — who is now his teammate.
“It means everything,” said Romero, in his first season as the Wildcats’ starting first baseman. “This has been a dream school since I have grown up.
“It just means the world, and to see my family out here watching is really cool.”
Romero is set to make his official Hi Corbett debut when Arizona hosts West Virginia in the home opener Friday.
Romero, a graduate of Canyon Del Oro High School, received interest from a number of colleges, including Arizona. Because of academics, he began his post-prep career in junior college. He played the past three seasons for Central Arizona College, posting a .346 batting average across 156 games with 36 home runs and 167 RBIs.
Last season Romero started to draw more attention. He posted a dominant regular season, then earned the MVP of the NJCAA World Series after tying the tournament record with six home runs.
Arizona first baseman Kiko Romero, who played locally in high school at Canyon del Oro, discusses joining the Wildcats — a "dream school" for him — for his first season of Division I ball this year after a successful run in the junior college ranks. Video by Devin Homer, Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Romero had hopes of being selected in the MLB draft after that performance, but that did not end up being the case.
“Right after that World Series, I definitely expected to (get drafted),” said Romero, who kept in contact with UA assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Trip Couch throughout the process.
“After that second day, I decided I was going to come here, see if I can do what I did last year at Central, and then maybe get drafted this year.”
It was a bit of a struggle at the plate for Romero at the season-opening MLB Desert Invitational this past weekend. He went 3 for 15 but did come through when it mattered in Monday’s back-and-forth game against UC San Diego, bringing home Nik McClaughry with an opposite-field single in the ninth inning to give Arizona the lead.
“He had some struggles, but I think everyone had some struggles,” McClaughry said. “I think that’s going to help us as the season goes on, and I think that hit right there shows you that he is going to be a big part of our offense. He is not going to let the moment get too big for him.”
Arizona’s Kiko Romero shatters his bat grounding out and ending the Wildcat sixth against Hermosillo in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta on Oct. 6, 2022.
Although Romero didn’t have the best weekend at the plate, UA coach Chip Hale pointed out the defensive ability Romero displayed at first base.
“He was a stopper on defense,” Hale said. “I think he had one error. It was a funky one, but other than that he took away a bunch of runs.”
Romero is capable of playing in right field as well, a move Hale and the coaching staff have talked about making at times this season. However, Romero’s defensive ability at first base makes it difficult for the coaches to move him to another position, even in a limited number of games.
“It is really hard to take him out of there,” Hale said. “He made play after play to stop runs. Tommy Splaine came in last year and kind of solidified first base for us, but this is a new level of defense.”
Romero has played in only four games for UA and he has already noticed the uptick in talent he is facing on the mound.
“Going from JUCO to D1 is definitely a little incline, so struggling a little bit,” he said. “But me and Toby (DeMello, the hitting coach) have been talking about a lot of stuff. I’m excited to get back in the cages and get it this weekend.”
Inside pitch
Hale announced the same three starters this weekend as last: right-handers TJ Nichols (Friday) and Anthony Susac (Saturday), followed by left-hander Bradon Zastrow (Sunday).
Right-hander Aiden May, who started this past Monday, could pitch in relief this weekend. If not, he could start Tuesday against Cal Baptist.
Three pitchers — junior transfer Cam Walty, freshman Kenan Elarton and sophomore Josh Randall — all remain unavailable this weekend for Arizona.
Arizona baseball coach Chip Hale discusses what he learned about his team — both on the mound and at the plate — during the Wildcats' 3-1 start to the season at the recent MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale and Mesa. Ahead of Arizona facing West Virginia to open its home slate, Hale said he's excited to see his offense start clicking sooner than later, and added that he was pleased with Arizona's pitching at the MLB event. Video by Devin Homer, Special to the Arizona Daily Star
