Just to be clear, Arizona is not participating in the Vamos a Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta again because Wildcats coach Chip Hale’s favorite beer is Modelo — one of the event’s new sponsors.
After examining and inquiring about the different cans and bottles displayed before him at a media event Friday, Hale explained the value of the Mexican Baseball Fiesta for the UA and its players.
“It’s really important for us,” Hale said. “When we recruit kids here to the university we talk about, ‘We’re Wildcats, we’re the University of Arizona — but we’re also the city of Tucson’s team.’ And this is all part of it. This is part of us getting out in the community.”
Arizona will be playing in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta for the fourth straight year. The Wildcats are scheduled to face Naranjeros de Hermosillo in the second half of a doubleheader on opening night, Oct. 5, at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium. The other participants are Yaquis de Obregon, Aguilas de Mexicali and Mayos de Navojoa. The event runs through Oct. 8.
Jerseys of the four Mexican professional baseball teams set to participate in the Vamos a Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta in October are displayed at an Aug. 18, 2023 media event previewing the tournament.
The Mexican Baseball Fiesta serves as the first fall exhibition game for the Wildcats, who later will play Pima Community College and Central Arizona College. The event’s vibrant atmosphere presents a fun and challenging introduction to big-time baseball for program newcomers.
“It’ll be a good shock for them,” Hale said.
Speaking of shocks, the migration of schools from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 and Big Ten — likely resulting in the dissolution of the former — continues to reverberate in the college sports world. This season will mark Arizona’s last as a member of the Pac-12.
Hale, the Wildcats’ all-time leader in games played and hits, has known no other conference. He discussed the UA’s big move, the changing nature of player acquisition and the state of his roster in an interview with the Star. The conversation has been lightly edited.
You grew up in Pac-12 country in Northern California. You played in this conference. You’re coaching in this conference. How did you feel knowing that this is the last year of the Pac-12?
A: “Being a California-born kid, I think it’s really bittersweet. It’s very sad that the conference couldn’t survive. But you could see the writing on the wall the last five, six years, the way things were going. Obviously, USC and UCLA leaving was a big wake-up call. And then not being able to get the media deal done.
“It’s sad because I grew up in this area, watched great teams over the years, whether it’s baseball, football, basketball. ... We’ll miss the rivalries with the Southern California schools, which we were gonna miss anyway.
“But there’s some exciting stuff ahead. It’s gonna be an exciting conference. ... I think we’ll be one of the major players in the conference. So it’ll be fun for us. Texas will be a big place for us to recruit. We’ve already recruited the Midwest pretty well. So it should be interesting.
“There’s an excitement of being able to go to TCU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech. Those are perennially really good teams — and there’s going to be a lot of people in the stands. Some of the places we go in our conferences, it’s not a real big following.”
West Virginia visited Arizona and Garen Caulfield this past season. Mountaineers-Wildcats will be a conference game in the Big 12 starting in 2025, although it's unclear how the schedule will be set up.
Do you expect a significant difference in terms of travel time, wear and tear, etc.?
A: “When you’re talking about West Virginia ... I don’t know how many times in, let’s say, a five-year period we’d go there. No one knows yet. Is it going to be divisions? Is it going to be pods?
“Dave (Heeke, UA athletics director) talked about that this morning. We had a Zoom. Really, if you total up the miles going to Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, it’s not going to be that much different for most of our travel. Now there are going to be some tough ones. But I think that’s just what’s gonna happen in these modern conferences.”
Did you expect Mac Bingham (LSU) and Aiden May (Oregon State) to transfer?
A: “We all expected (Bingham) to sign (with an MLB club). His idea that he communicated to our people, myself included, was that he was going to go in the portal to put his price higher for the major league teams because he thought he could get a pretty good offer on the market (via NIL). And he did. He got a good deal from LSU.
“Pro teams were interested in him. I know there was a number of teams that wanted to draft him but never got to the number that his agent, his family felt was comfortable.
“It’s what we have to get used to seeing now in modern-day athletics. Our NIL pool is getting there. We’re doing better. We’ve got a lot of great alumni that are helping us. But we’re not quite to where some other schools, or collectives, I should say, can offer. So it was disappointing. ...
“The Aiden May situation ... these are tough things. What they communicate to us is, they want to try a different place. What are you gonna do?
“It’s the price of the new rules, and it’s OK. It’s all part of it.”
Right-hander Aiden May, shown pitching for Arizona during the NCAA Tournament in June 2023, elected to transfer to Oregon State during the offseason.
Would it be fair to say that you’ve been more selective than aggressive in the transfer portal?
A: “We were very aggressive this year, knowing we’re going to be young. We wanted to fill some pitching spots. We wanted to fill some spots in the field. But we weren’t as successful as we thought we would be, to be frank with you. It was a very good learning experience for us. Most of the guys that we targeted ended up at really good programs.”
Was that mostly NIL-related?
A: “I would say yes, for the most part. But we’re really happy with who we got. We wanted to go young in the field. We wanted to be a little more athletic. We want some guys that can run. We’re gonna play a little different this year.
“But we did get the pitchers with (Clark) Candiotti, we got a catcher in (Blake) McDonald. And we got the pitcher, (Kyler) Heyne, from Kansas State. Those two guys, Candiotti and Heyne, have pitched in proven spots, and they’re going to be a huge help for us.”
You added another catcher, Adonys Guzman, who played for your new pitching coach, Kevin Vance, at Boston College. Safe to assume that relationship led to Guzman coming here?
A: “Without Kevin, we probably don’t get Adonys. And then their head coach left for Penn State. It was just a perfect storm for us.
“He’s a defensive-first guy (who will) really be helped by Toby (DeMello) and our hitting program. He was very sought after out of high school. Really good arm, really good receiver.”
How does that fit into what you want to do with the pitching staff under Vance?
A: “He knows Kevin’s program. He knows what Kevin wants. That’s a huge deal for us.”
What will Vance bring to the program?
A: “He’s young, aggressive. His pitching staffs were tough. He understands the analytics. He’s done the pro game.
“He’s very quiet. But his guys are tough.”
You also picked up Brandon Rogers this summer. He got junior-college All-America accolades last season. What can you tell us about him?
A: “He’s exciting. He’s athletic. He’s no-nonsense. He’s gonna bring a lot to the team. We’re a new group, and I think his toughness, his ability to run, bunt, hit, chase balls in Hi Corbett, it’s going to be huge for us.
“With (Brendan) Summerhill, TJ Adams, (Emilio) Corona, Easton Breyfogle, who’s a freshman, a very highly recruited, highly thought-of outfielder, that whole group has a great opportunity to reset our outfield.”
Arizona coach Chip Hale believes the Wildcats’ pitching will be much improved in 2024. ‘Just because of the experience factor,’ Hale said. ‘I think early on, especially, the pitchers are gonna have to carry the day.’
You mentioned being a younger team this season. Do you view this as something of a rebuilding year, or do you think you’re going to be as competitive as ever?
A: “I think we’re gonna have a lot of pitchers that struggled last year that are gonna have a resurgence this year. I really feel that way. Just because of the experience factor. I think early on, especially, the pitchers are gonna have to carry the day and be better and really keep the scores down. We can play some small ball and score some runs and do some fun stuff.
“Defense is going to be interesting. Mason (White) is going to go play short. Is he going to be able to be the everyday guy? Richie Morales is a shortstop from junior college who’s a really a Nik McClaughry-style player. Mason will get the first shot at short; he’s got to make the plays consistently.
“Does Garen (Caulfield) go back to second? Does he play third? We don’t know.
“Defense is going to be important. I’m not going to put a group out there that can’t catch the ball.”
Inside pitch
Hale said Guzman is currently nursing an injury and might not be available for the Mexican Baseball Fiesta. The injury is not considered a long-term concern.
Hale expects a fierce competition at catcher among Guzman, McDonald, JC transfer Cole Dillon and returnee Tommy Splaine. Splaine is expected to see time at first base as well.
The Wildcats’ 2024 schedule isn’t finalized, but Hale said the UA will open at home against Northeastern before visiting San Diego. Arizona will then play in the Frisco Classic from March 1-3 against Dallas Baptist, Alabama and Indiana.
The Mexican Baseball Fiesta, featuring the Arizona Wildcats and Mexican Pacific League teams Naranjeros de Hermosillo, Yaquis de Obregon, Aguilas de Mexicali, and Mayos de Navojoa, is back at Kino Stadium Oct. 6-9, 2023. Video courtesy MexicanBaseballFiesta.com
