Mexican Baseball Fiesta: Tucson Baseball Team makes Kino debut; U of A rallies

Victor Cuevas sunk into a cushioned chair in a suite at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The owner of the Tucson Baseball Team was nearing the end of a 20-hour day. There have been a lot of those lately. And more to come.

Tucson Baseball Team was wrapping up its first game at Kino, a 1-0 exhibition loss to Yaquis de Obregon in the opening contest of the 2025 Mexican Baseball Fiesta. Opening night on Oct. 16 is less than two weeks away.

Cuevas and his staff have plenty of work to do between now and then. Critically, they must continue to convey the idea that the Tucson Baseball Team is playing a full, 68-game season in the Mexican Pacific Winter League, with half of those games at Kino.

While the Mexican Baseball Fiesta has become a cherished tradition and rite of October in Tucson, it’ll be easier for the Tucson Baseball Team to market itself once the event is over Sunday.

“The Mexican community here has been really open,” Cuevas said. “But since they’re only seeing this event, they think it’s like an extension of this event. Once we tell them that they’re going to be able to watch their home team play here, they go, ‘Oh, wow.’

“There’s definitely confusion. We’re hoping, once this event is over, that clears things. But we do need to make some efforts to achieve that.”

To date, the only option to buy tickets for regular-season games has been through tucsonbaseball.net. The team is planning to open the box office at Kino for walk-up sales next week.

Tucson Baseball Team is going all out for its opening-night game against Naranjeros de Hermosillo. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. It will be preceded by a multifaceted pregame program starting at 5 o’clock. The program will feature live music and fireworks. Fans will receive LED wristbands that will sync up with the U.S. and Mexican national anthems.

“We need to make it interesting for people to come, that’s for sure,” Cuevas said. “Baseball that day comes second. We have to do a spectacle.”

Tucson Baseball Team is expected to launch its naming contest that night, as well. Fans will be able to submit suggestions before the pool is narrowed. In-person votes will carry more weight than online votes.

Cuevas said it’s far more likely than not that the team’s nickname will be two words. The vast majority of one-word names that Tucson Baseball Team looked into were already registered or trademarked.

The team wore brown jerseys with gold trim and white numbers Thursday night. Cuevas said the primary colors likely will remain brown and tan — evoking the desert — even after the rebranding. Complementary colors could change.

Cuevas’ to-do list is endless. And the clock is ticking.

“It’s been interesting,” he said. “It’s been a learning curve — the process, the States. It’s another country; things are different. We have to adjust. And we have two weeks left.”

Cats come all the way back

The University of Arizona made its annual appearance in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta in Thursday’s nightcap, and it didn’t start well.

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Arizona fell behind 6-1 through two innings against Hermosillo. The Wildcats chipped away at that deficit before a nine-run rally in the seventh propelled them to a 16-6 victory.

“It’s not easy when you get down 6-1,” UA coach Chip Hale said. “Guys were battling, especially the younger guys, as the game went on. They took their walks. There was a lot of ‘battle walks.’

“So really proud of them. Just keep fighting and keep playing.”

Home runs by transfer catchers Roman Meyers and Beau Sylvester narrowed the early gap. The nine-run seventh was an exercise in patience. It featured four hits and seven walks, including three with the bases loaded that drove in runs.

Redshirt-freshman infielder Nate Novitske ignited the rally with a triple, scoring on the same play via an errant throw. Andrew Cain followed with a double and scored on Ethan Guerra’s single.

Cain started in right field. The Ironwood Ridge product split time between the outfield and first base last season. He’ll likely end up at the latter. Arizona was missing three outfielders — Sean Barta, Carson McEntire and Chaz McNelis — because of injuries Thursday.

“Here’s the deal: We know he can go out there and play,” Hale said of Cain. “Every drill we do, he’s at first base.”

Arizona used eight pitchers against Hermosillo. Starter Luc Fladda, a transfer from Tulane, struggled in the first inning, yielding four runs. Another transfer, Evan Brandt, allowed two in the second before pitching a clean third — the first of seven consecutive scoreless innings by the staff to end the game.

Veteran closer Tony Pluta got the last three outs after yielding a leadoff walk, the only free pass issued by a UA pitcher.

“We got to see some new guys,” Hale said. “They (Hermosillo) did a good job, especially their starters, of putting the ball in play. I know our guys were a little frustrated about not striking more guys out. But I told them, ‘There’s a couple big-league hitters in that lineup.’”

Inside pitch

– Former UA second baseman Garen Caulfield is in his first season as a graduate manager for the Wildcats. He coached first base Thursday. “He’s been unbelievable,” Hale said. “He’s learned so much. He loves it. It’s refreshing for him, and he’s really had a good time teaching. He’s done a great job for us.”

– Caulfield’s former double-play partner, 2023 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Nik McClaughry, has joined the LSU staff under former UA coach Jay Johnson as assistant director of player development for position players. McClaughry played his first season here under Johnson in ’21.

– Arizona has two more fall exhibitions: Oct. 17 vs. Pima Community College and Oct. 25 vs. Central Arizona. Both are at Hi Corbett Field with 3 p.m. first pitches.

– The lineup is set for the season-opening College Baseball Series at Surprise Stadium. Arizona will face Stanford at 6 p.m. on Feb. 13, Oregon State at 2 p.m. on Feb. 14 and Michigan at 4 p.m. on Feb. 15.

Photos: Opening night of the Mexican Baseball Fiesta